Is it normal to feel guilty?

[April14]

I feel guilty for almost everything I do. It's terrible. There isn't a day that I don't feel sorry for merely existing.

[purplecat223]

Yes, I feel the same. Try to keep yourself busy and distract yourself from the feeling of guilt. Try not to be so hard on yourself.

[April14 in reply to purplecat223]

I'm trying to keep myself busy. But it seems like each day I'm losing interest in almost everything.

[purplecat223 in reply to April14]

I understand, but you need to keep going- you can and will get though this!

[amr25]

I also feel guilty and sorry every day and have my entire life for everything. You are not alone!

[Blackdog1]

It is not normal. It may be common but it is not normal. I've battled similar feelings of guilt and shame since childhood. It is a type of self-destruction and a healthy state of mind is to grow and thrive.

I work at self-compassion - every stinking day! Every damn day.

[Hidden]

Oh dear, why do you think this is? Nobody should have to feel guilty.

Is it a learned pattern from childhood perhaps?

[April14 in reply to Hidden]

No. I used to be carefree and optimistic until now. I feel guilty in everything I do, say, or not do. People around me don't say that but that's what they make me feel.

[Hidden in reply to April14]

Can you think of something that happened recently that could warrant this change?

God...I sound like my therapist. Ok, leaving now. Will be back.

[Hidden]

Sounds familiar to me April! I agree that it's not uncommon but it's not normal unless you have done something deemed 'wrong' and then it serves a useful purpose.

If it's not connected to this then I would see it as learnt behaviour, perhaps from childhood which is where my feelings of guilt came from.

Having analysed this I have come to recognise that my feelings may feel very real but they aren't necessarily true. I used to feel guilty for example about holding a different point of view to that of my parents and as I got older I realised that I'm entitled to hold my own opinions.

[Rudolph26]

I feel that way, but I tend to find that being there for others and focusing on what you can do to be productive is helpful. Working out also helps. It may seem tedious at first but it really does help. It can even be simple workouts like 30 leg lifts for each leg. I did this everyday for years and it helped. Especially when listening to positive/ encouraging music.

[SearchingForTheLight]

I have very bad anxiety attacks and this is the main feeling I have when I’m not on anti anxiety meds. No will or want to do anything and everything is my fault. Best of luck. No point feeling guilty just accept it’s an emotion and will go away don’t fight it just accept and move forward that’s all you can do

[Itsjust]

I think feeling guilty about yourself as a whole and everyday is actually a distortion of thinking, because you overgeneralized that feeling. I think, honestly something happened and you feel guilty and never integrate it, for exemple, it can be very simple, like, you didn't help someone f.exemple, a stranger, and then you just felt guilty and it's like bcs you didn't process that guilt,it generalizes. Guilt is the emotion we feel when we want to repair something, when it's our fault. It's not because you are a fault in yourself, you can make mistakes, but you are not those mistakes or fault. Guilt is a feeling not you.

Try to do the exercise of cognitive behavioral model.

1)Describe a situation where you felt triggered

2) what thoughts and emotions you felt in the situation

3) what actions did you took after that

This will help you distinguish situations and thoughts/feelings, and be more in tune with what you feel, that is separate from who you are. Who you are is your values (regardless of your thoughts and emotions), and yourself depending on the context (diferent contexts bring diferent reactions and emotions, but you remain the same, although you can express yourself with different emotions depending on the demands, f.ex. someone is critic of you and you defend yourself, doesn't mean you are a bad person, this 2 are not connected, you react to abuse, being a bad person depends on the whole context of values)