Mistakes Create Guilt Within Us

Are you trying to find out how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake?

It can be a tricky thing to accomplish as it involves the mind.

But you will get the answer you have been looking for.

Mistakes are part and parcel of our lives.

No matter how hard we try, mistakes happen.

Our mistakes harm us or cause loss or damage to others.

Either way, mistakes make us feel bad about ourselves.

The most common feeling generated by mistakes is the feeling of guilt.

We cannot bear that we did something wrong that made somebody’s life worse.

And this guilt stays and keeps growing within us to hamper our emotional and psychological well-being.

We cannot allow this.

Thus, finding ways to stop feeling guilty after committing a mistake is essential.

Let’s find out simple steps to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

How To Stop Feeling Guilty About A Mistake

You can use five steps to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

Realize That The Mistake Is In The Past Now

The first way to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake is to realize that it is in the past.

When you commit a mistake, it’s not a good feeling that you have to go through.

But you have to realize that it’s all in the past now.

Feeling bad or guilty about the mistake cannot help you revisit that moment or reverse what has already happened.

So, thinking about it constantly is not going to help.

On the contrary, it will make life harder and make you commit even more mistakes.

Thus, you must let the past go, regardless of how tough or troublesome it was.

When you realize you cannot change the past, you will allow yourself to stay in the present and consider a possible solution.

Thus, realizing that your mistake is in the past helps you discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

If Possible, Find A Way To Reverse The Damage

The next way to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake is to find a way to reverse the damage done, if possible.

There are very few grave mistakes that one cannot reverse.

But the good news is that most of your mistakes are reversible, minimizable, or compensatable.

So, if you damage or break a possession, such as a phone, you can replace it with a new one.

Yes, you may need to work harder and earn more to be able to do that.

But in the end, it will be a win-win situation for you as you will reverse the mistake and learn to work harder and smarter.

Your enhanced capability will also help you earn more in the future.

If you are confident of working harder, reversible mistakes may not be a problem.

Thus, reversing the damage done in any possible way helps discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

Apologise For Your Mistake

The next way to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake is to apologize.

There are mistakes that money cannot reverse.

For example, when you hurt somebody’s feelings by lying or saying hurtful things.

Although this mistake is also reversible, one cannot do it through material means.

To reverse your mistake of hurting somebody, you need to gather courage and apologize to them to make them feel better.

Tell them that you did not mean to hurt their feelings and that you will be more careful about it in the future.

Ask them if you can do anything to make them feel better, and give them whatever they ask.

Doing so makes them believe that you are sorry for your behavior.

It also makes you feel you have reversed the damage, thus freeing you of the associated guilt.

But there are mistakes you cannot reverse, and you cannot do more than apologise for them.

For example, if you have caused bodily harm to somebody unintentionally.

If they are badly injured and need medical attention, you can pay the expenses, but you cannot heal the wounds.

So, you need to apologize to them and hope they forgive you.

But even when people forgive us for harming them physically, the guilt within us may still be there.

To make it go completely, you need to give it time and do some more things to hasten the process.

Thus, apologizing for your mistake helps you discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

Learn And Improve From Your Mistake

The next way to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake is to learn from it and improve.

Reversing and apologizing helps overcome the guilt of committing a mistake.

However, the most effective and sustainable way to deal with the guilt of committing a mistake is to become a better person.

To learn from your mistakes and improve going forward, you need to remember your mistakes.

You must also remember what damage it caused and how it made you feel.

Don’t worry. Remembering it won’t make you feel as bad as you felt when you made that mistake because it’s all in the past now.

Moreover, reversing the damage and apologizing for it would help.

So, you will remember the things that would keep you from repeating the mistake without making you feel bad about yourself.

It will serve as a ‘What not to do’ list in your life, thus making you a better person.

And this enhanced capability will make you feel much more confident about yourself, eliminating the guilt.

Thus, learning and improving from your mistakes helps you discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

Be More Responsible Without Being Fearful

The final way to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake is to be more responsible without fear.

We feel guilty about making a mistake only because we think we are not responsible enough.

But when we start taking responsibility, guilt vanishes from our lives forever.

Even if you make a mistake, you do not feel very guilty because you know it’s a genuine or honest mistake.

So you can forgive yourself.

If you are confident about yourself, you can also convince others, which will further prevent guilt from rising.

So, see your mistakes as a way to become more responsible.

But sometimes people mistake fear for responsibility.

Refrain from making that mistake.

If you try to be responsible because you feel scared about making a mistake, guilt will still trouble you. 

What you need to do is not feel your responsibilities to be burdensome.

Keep yourself responsible to the level where you feel positive and vibrant.

So, develop ‘Fearless Responsibility’ within yourself, and guilt will never haunt you again after a mistake.

Thus, becoming responsible and fearless helps you discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake.

Don’t Try To Avoid Mistakes, Eliminate The Guilt

When you are trying to discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake, you need to remember an important caveat.

Do not make the mistake of trying to avoid mistakes to avoid feeling guilty.

Mistakes are natural and normal for a human being.

They are a way to learn and become a better version of ourselves.

So, if you become scared of making mistakes, you will fail miserably, leading to even more guilt.

Also, it will curtail your freedom and emotional and psychological growth.

So, allow yourself to make mistakes and find ways to eliminate guilt.

It will help you embrace your “Flawed Self,” thus enabling you to live freely and without guilt.

When you accept yourself as a person, your self-love rises like a shining star in the sky.

So, discover how to stop feeling guilty about a mistake and love yourself unconditionally.