The Difference Between Healthy And Unhealthy Guilt
You’ve undoubtedly experienced guilt at some point in your life. We’re flawed people, and we all make mistakes. Healthy guilt is often the appropriate response when you do something that negatively impacts another person.
However, not all guilt is healthy.
Understanding the difference between healthy and unhealthy guilt can improve your mental well-being and allow you to better interpret your emotions. While healthy guilt is a perfectly normal response, crossing into unhealthy guilt can wreak havoc on your life.
Let’s take a closer look at the difference between healthy and unhealthy guilt, so you can make sure you aren’t unreasonably punishing yourself and negatively impacting your quality of life.
What Is Healthy Guilt?
Healthy guilt is a normal emotion that can serve as a compass when you’ve done something wrong. If you’ve made a mistake that impacts others, healthy guilt can motivate you to apologize, make things right, and try to avoid making the mistake again.
Healthy guilt can also help you develop long-term empathy. You’ll learn, over time, how to treat people and how to handle specific situations with care. Every time you experience healthy guilt, you can use it as a learning opportunity to grow.
The important thing to note about healthy guilt is that it doesn’t last forever. Once you’ve tried to make amends for what happened and you’re committed to not repeating your mistakes, you can move on without feeling the weight of negativity on your shoulders.
What Is Unhealthy Guilt?
Unhealthy guilt typically starts out “harmless” enough. You might experience healthy guilt, at first, but have a hard time letting go of it.
Unhealthy guilt can quickly lead to irrational thinking. It occurs when the negative voice that’s often associated with guilt won’t seem to go away. Instead, it keeps reminding you of what you’ve done wrong and the people you might’ve hurt.
This kind of guilt can lead to other mental health issues, including anxiety and depression. You might also start to blame yourself for other things not associated with the original problem.
Unhealthy guilt will often cause you to feel an unwarranted sense of responsibility for a problem. Even if someone else forgives you, you might have a hard time forgiving yourself, which creates a vicious cycle of negativity.
What Can You Do?
Feeling more guilt than what’s necessary can sometimes make you feel like you’re doing the right thing. But, unhealthy guilt can lead to a variety of negative issues and can cause you to think poorly of yourself.
You have to be willing to let go of your guilt. That starts with self-care. Do something every day for the sole purpose of promoting your well-being. It could be as simple as writing in a journal, going for a walk, or making sure you’re getting enough sleep.
Make sure you have a support system to lean on. Surround yourself with people who are able to build you up. If you’re struggling with guilt because of a specific person, don’t hesitate to talk to that individual to work things out and let them know how you’re feeling.
Finally, consider working with a mental health professional. Therapy can help you understand why you might be holding onto unhealthy guilt. When you have a better understanding of where it stems from, you can take more actionable steps to overcome it. Therapy can also help you develop the right strategies for managing issues that might stem from guilt, including anxiety or depression.
Don’t let the weight of unhealthy guilt keep you from living the life you deserve. Feel free to contact me for more information about young adult therapy or to set up an appointment soon.
