How to Deal With Guilt

If you're feeling guilty about something, you're not alone; everyone suffers from guilt from time to time. The hardest part about guilt is knowing what to do about it. Dealing with it in the right way may help you feel better, as described here.

Instructions

• 1

  Ask yourself if you should even feel guilty. Many people can feel guilty about things that they aren't responsible before, particularly about things that happen during childhood. Other people can make you feel guilty as a way to manipulate you.

• 2

  Determine whether the thing you feel guilty about has resulted in harm to someone else that you can correct by confessing. If this is the case, admitting your guilt and accepting the consequences can ultimately make you feel better than continuing to feel guilty.

• 3

  Keep your guilt to yourself if confessing will only hurt other people. Although you may feel better at first, you will then begin to feel guilty about the harm you did by confessing. Instead, resolve not to repeat the behavior that made you feel guilty.

• 4

  Confess your guilt to a therapist, priest, pastor or trusted friend. Let this person tell you how disappointed or angry they might be about the things you feel guilty about. Ask for help in understanding why you acted the way you did and how you can improve your behavior.