Learning how to deal with guilt is one of the most important things you will ever learn in the course of one’s lifetime.

Through out your life, you will make many mistakes and this is perfectly normal.

It is very understandable to feel guilt over something you have done that hurt someone intentionally or even unintentionally.

Recognizing that you have hurt them and that you feel bad about it is a really great start and says alot about who you are as a person.

Here are the best tips to help you work out how to deal with guilt and move on.

But first….

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How To Deal With Guilt – 7 Steps

1. How To Deal With Guilt – Identify Why You Are Feeling Guilty

Over the course of your lifetime, you must have come across a situation where you feel bad about something you did.

It can be something so small that it wasn’t really noticed or something so big that affected someone so much and you feel bad about it.

Which ever the case may be, if you feel bad and uncomfortable about something you did,

then you are holding in some guilt.

The first step to managing guilt is to identify why you are feeling this way..

Think about the situation that resulted in you feeling this way and identify it.

2. Find Out What Caused This Guilt

Next, you want to think about what’s causing this feeling of guilt,

Was it something you did or something you said, and if yes, who did you do it to or who did you say it to.

Think about how your actions made that person feel and how this person’s feeling has affected you or made you feel bad.

Look at things from the point of view of the person you have affected with that decision and try to understand how they must have felt about your actions.

Take full responsibility for your actions and decisions you make.

3. Apologize To The Person Involved And Make Amends

Doing something that hurts someone else isn’t half as bad as not recognising that you did something hurtful and apologizing for your mistakes.

Apologizing doesn’t make the pain go away but it helps the person understand you better and where you are coming from.

It also gives you an opportunity to learn how best to handle a situation like that in case something like that happens again in future.

Offer up a sincere apology to the person by clearly admitting that you made a mistake and why,

Talk about why you did what you did and what you thought would happen as a result of your decision.

Lastly, inform the person about how you feel knowing that you hurt them and how uncomfortable it makes you, hence the apology.

Look for ways to move past the whole issue and try to understand that person’s point of view and give them some time to process your apology.

4. Learn From Your Past Mistakes

There is nothing worse than admitting to a mistake and apologizing for it only to repeat the same mistake again.

Learning from your past mistakes is essential when learning how to deal with guilt.

Go over the whole situation in your head and think about how differently you could have done things.

And if you did, how different things could have been.

Try not to repeat the same mistake again

5. Remember Guilt Means You Have A Conscience

Feeling guilt is one of the very things that make us human, it means you have a heart.

It means you care about how other people feel, not just yourself and that’s a good thing.

Don’t blame yourself for making a mistake, because all human beings do,

Simply try your best everyday to help you become a better and happier version of yourself.

6. Talk With A Therapist Or Loved Ones Who Knows How To Deal With Guilt

Sometimes, trying to sort things out yourself may not always be the best way,

Advise and support from the people you love or even a conversation with a therapist might be what you really need.

Always ask for help when you really need it,

Everybody has experienced guilt before,

Sharing your story or concerns can help open you up to tips and advise from people who have gone through similar situations.

7. Forgive Yourself And Move On

It’s very common for people to blame themselves repeatedly for mistakes they have made in life.

If you are still holding in some guilt, understand that the most important step in learning how to deal with guilt is to forgive yourself.

Don’t hold it against yourself or keep judging yourself based on that mistake.

Understand that life is a learning curve and move on from it.

Takeaways

There is nothing to be ashamed of in feeling guilty, it is a natural part of life.

Holding in guilt can lead to a negative mindset and also result in a negative self image and lack of confidence and self esteem.

Always try to let it out, try to talk to someone who is close with you.

Most importantly, try to resolve issues that make you feel guilty so that you can move on with your life.