If you have ever had a guilty conscience, you know how complicated it can be to go on with your life the same as before the event that caused your guilt. Taking steps that may help you make up for the damaging event or even put it in your past can help you deal with your guilt and move ahead with more positivity.
Think about applying these techniques to help you deal with a guilty conscience:
1 . Come clean. If you can go to the person you wronged, completely knowing and acknowledging what might happen to your relationship, you may be able to free your conscience.
* However , when you have a guilty conscience, it is usually because you committed a grave mistake towards someone you truly love and care about. You may feel as if you can never come clean with that person because of possible consequences.
* If you're inclined to choose this approach, look at it thoroughly before you apply it. Reflect both on how this particular information will impact the one you wronged as well as how coming clean will affect you. It may be best to use the written word.
2 . Write down your misdeed and an apology. Read it aloud to the person, or hand it to him to read.
3. Admit to yourself that you're human. Be truthful with yourself about what you did. Then, recognize that every person can make mistakes and that your goal is to refrain from creating the same error again.
4. Learn from it. Take some time thinking about the event and the error you created. Put yourself back into that mindset and ask yourself, "Why did I do it? " Understand where you were emotionally at that time and how destructive that "place" was for you. What can you learn from the experience?
5. Find religious guidance. If you are part of a religion that encourages confession and reconciliation, follow through with it! It's truly uplifting and motivates recovery from your wounds.
6. Spend some time doing volunteer work. If you feel you should do something to "cancel out" the deed you committed, schedule time for you to do volunteer work in your community. It may be addressing envelopes for a nearby charitable organization to mail flyers or responding to a local organization's phones for 2 hours per week.
* Remind yourself that you are "paying" for your misdeed by doing good stuff for others. Maintain positivity.
7. Concentrate on carrying out one good deed per day. Maybe you can give your neighbor a lift to work. Or you can wash your dad's car. Take a look all around you. You will see folks everywhere performing everyday tasks. Jump in and help them. It will feel great and restore your faith in yourself and your positive actions.
8. Donate funds to a cause you believe in. Whether it's to help the Haitians get on their feet or to give toward the rebuilding of New Orleans, give a decent portion of change to assuage your conscience. Will it help? It will absolutely make a positive difference to someone, perhaps to you as well.
* Recognize within yourself, "I am giving this cash to show I'm still a good person, even though I made a grievous mistake. "
9. See a therapist or counselor. If you think you're going to explode from the weight of your error, it may be time to talk to a professional about it. Therapists are required to respect your privacy within limits as specified by your state. You will be surprised at how great it feels to say out loud what you did.
* A therapist can assist you in dealing better with your feelings, learning to leave the error behind you, and become a better person for it.
Coping effectively with a guilty conscience will take time and persistance on your part. Set to work applying the above methods. You will be thankful you did!
Think about applying these techniques to help you deal with a guilty conscience:
1 . Come clean. If you can go to the person you wronged, completely knowing and acknowledging what might happen to your relationship, you may be able to free your conscience.
* However , when you have a guilty conscience, it is usually because you committed a grave mistake towards someone you truly love and care about. You may feel as if you can never come clean with that person because of possible consequences.
* If you're inclined to choose this approach, look at it thoroughly before you apply it. Reflect both on how this particular information will impact the one you wronged as well as how coming clean will affect you. It may be best to use the written word.
2 . Write down your misdeed and an apology. Read it aloud to the person, or hand it to him to read.
3. Admit to yourself that you're human. Be truthful with yourself about what you did. Then, recognize that every person can make mistakes and that your goal is to refrain from creating the same error again.
4. Learn from it. Take some time thinking about the event and the error you created. Put yourself back into that mindset and ask yourself, "Why did I do it? " Understand where you were emotionally at that time and how destructive that "place" was for you. What can you learn from the experience?
5. Find religious guidance. If you are part of a religion that encourages confession and reconciliation, follow through with it! It's truly uplifting and motivates recovery from your wounds.
6. Spend some time doing volunteer work. If you feel you should do something to "cancel out" the deed you committed, schedule time for you to do volunteer work in your community. It may be addressing envelopes for a nearby charitable organization to mail flyers or responding to a local organization's phones for 2 hours per week.
* Remind yourself that you are "paying" for your misdeed by doing good stuff for others. Maintain positivity.
7. Concentrate on carrying out one good deed per day. Maybe you can give your neighbor a lift to work. Or you can wash your dad's car. Take a look all around you. You will see folks everywhere performing everyday tasks. Jump in and help them. It will feel great and restore your faith in yourself and your positive actions.
8. Donate funds to a cause you believe in. Whether it's to help the Haitians get on their feet or to give toward the rebuilding of New Orleans, give a decent portion of change to assuage your conscience. Will it help? It will absolutely make a positive difference to someone, perhaps to you as well.
* Recognize within yourself, "I am giving this cash to show I'm still a good person, even though I made a grievous mistake. "
9. See a therapist or counselor. If you think you're going to explode from the weight of your error, it may be time to talk to a professional about it. Therapists are required to respect your privacy within limits as specified by your state. You will be surprised at how great it feels to say out loud what you did.
* A therapist can assist you in dealing better with your feelings, learning to leave the error behind you, and become a better person for it.
Coping effectively with a guilty conscience will take time and persistance on your part. Set to work applying the above methods. You will be thankful you did!
About the Author:
Learn how to deal with a guilty conscience. Begin to use positive thinking to improve your own self worth.
No comments:
Post a Comment