NikithaThe other day I committed a grave mistake in office. No damage occurred but a lot of time went down the drain. I should have been a bit more careful and double checked the code.
The moment I realised that a mistake happened I felt guilty. I did not have a face to face the reality. But then feeling guilty won’t solve the problem.
Why do you feel guilty?
You have certain expectations from yourself. When you don’t meet those expectations you start feeling guilty. Others can also make you feel guilty that you did not live up to their expectations.
How to stop feeling guilty?
When someone blames you or when you blame yourself, you will end up feeling low. Constant guilt might drive you into depression too. By feeling guilty you are not helping anyone.
Follow this 4-step process when you feel guilty
Step 1:
Tell yourself that it is okay to make a mistake. No one is guilt free. You forgive yourself for the mistake.
“ I made a mistake in hurry. I did my best I could then. I am a human, so my work is prone to errors. I forgive myself for this.”
Step 2:
What value of yours was broken when it made you feel guilty? Is the value outdated? Or does it matter even now?
“ I broke my value of rechecking. It is important no matter where and when.”
Step 3:
Fix the mistake and the harm done because of the broken value.
Step 4:
What can you do to let the value not be broken again?
“ I tend to make a mistake when I am in hurry. From next time, I will spend more time and not rush things.”
You could have hushed your guilt feeling without actually feeling it. But then it will haunt you wherever you go.
Instead when you deal with it in the above process, you will be facing the guilt real time and making peace with it forever.
Which one do you think is better? How do you deal with your guilt?
Let us know in the comments section.
Happy being guilt free!