What does guilt mean?

Guilt is a feeling most of us know all too well. We have that feeling we have done something wrong, caused harm to someone, or falsely blamed ourselves. We feel it in the pit of our gut and feel it in our minds with racing thoughts. When we struggle with guilt, we tend to isolate ourselves in hopes that no one can tell we feel guilty about something. Similar to anger, guilt has the reputation of being negative and something we should not feel. All of our feelings and emotions serve a purpose; thus, guilt has a purpose as well. 

Knowing Right From Wrong

Guilt teaches us right from wrong. We have all done something that we did not think was wrong in the forefront of our brain, but suddenly we start to feel guilty. This is our conscience teaching us a lesson. Even though our action was not considered formally wrong or a crime, we know we should not have done it. The guilt allows reflection to determine what behavior we don’t want to repeat or may need to apologize. Guilt helps us to make better decisions. 

Maintain Relationships

Guilt also helps us to be considerate of others. It is said that selfishness is human nature. Whether or not this is true, guilt helps us to think beyond ourselves and our own gratification. We also use guilt to remind us to spend time with loved ones. In the hustle and bustle of life in the 21st century, we often get too busy with completing life tasks and forget about completing people. Eventually, we start feeling a twinge in our gut, either triggered by another person or our conscience. Whichever, the guilt has pushed us to do what we need to do to maintain our relationships with loved ones. 

Consuming Guilt

Even though guilt does serve its purpose, it can adversely affect us. Guilt can lower our self-esteem, affect our mental health, and lead to destructive behavior. Many of us have confused guilt as a message saying we are bad people. We all do bad behaviors in our lives; it is inevitable, but just because we do something wrong does not mean we are horrible people. We have to make sure our guilt builds us up by teaching us life lessons and not tear us down.