Today, we’re exploring the crippling emotion of guilt and how you can move on.

 What Actually is Guilt Though? 

We’ve all experienced guilt, and it comes in many forms. Maybe you feel guilty for not doing enough to help someone you care about, or perhaps it’s something you said or didn’t say at the right time. Guilt can even emerge in situations where you had no control, like an accident involving a loved one or a pet. No matter the cause, guilt can be incredibly overwhelming and difficult to shake off. It’s the kind of emotion that keeps replaying in your mind, making you wish you’d done things differently.

But what exactly is guilt, and why do we feel it so intensely? Guilt is a response triggered when we believe we’ve failed to meet our own expectations or those of others. It’s tied to our sense of morality and responsibility. In many ways, guilt is useful—it’s a sign that we care about our actions and their impact on others. It encourages us to reflect on our behaviour, learn from our mistakes, and adjust our actions in the future. However, while guilt can act as a moral compass, it can also become damaging when we hold onto it for too long or when it’s misplaced.

Types of Guilt

There are different types of guilt. Action-based guilt is when you feel bad about something you did—maybe you said something hurtful or made a poor decision. Then there’s inaction-based guilt, which can often feel more intense, as it’s about what you didn’t do. This might involve not acting fast enough to prevent something negative from happening, like not noticing your pet was ill until it was too late. Lastly, there’s guilt over accidents or situations out of your control, which can be particularly tricky. Even though you couldn’t have predicted or prevented the event, your brain still fixates on “what if” scenarios, and you end up blaming yourself.

Why You Need to Deal With Your Unchecked Guilt

Guilt, when left unchecked, can have a serious impact on both mental and physical health. It often fuels stress, anxiety, and feelings of unworthiness. You may struggle to sleep, focus, or even enjoy things you once loved, as your mind keeps replaying the source of your guilt. That’s why it’s so important to find ways to process and release these feelings, allowing you to move forward with compassion for yourself.

What Can You Do To Manage Guilt?

Here are two powerful techniques to help you release guilt and regain peace of mind.

1. The ‘Let It Go’ Breath

 When guilt sits heavily in your chest or weighs on your mind, one of the quickest ways to release it is through mindful breathing:

Find a quiet space, sit comfortably, and close your eyes. 

• Take a deep breath in through your nose, and as you do, imagine gathering up all the feelings of guilt—like a dark cloud forming in your chest.
• Hold your breath for a moment, acknowledging the guilt. It’s there, but it doesn’t define you.
• Now, exhale slowly through your mouth, and as you do, visualise the cloud of guilt dissolving, fading away with every breath you release. Repeat this a few times, feeling the weight lifting from your body.

Why this works: Deep breathing activates your parasympathetic nervous system, which calms you down and helps release tension. The visualisation allows your brain to mentally “let go” of the guilt, giving you space to process it without being overwhelmed.

2. Reframe Your Guilt

Often, we hold onto guilt because we focus too much on what went wrong, without seeing the bigger picture. By reframing the situation, you can turn guilt into a tool for self-growth and compassion. Here’s how:

• Write down the source of your guilt. For example, “I feel guilty for not realising my pet was ill sooner.”
• Next, list 2-3 things you’ve learned from this situation. It could be something like “I’ve learned to be more mindful of small changes in behaviour,” or “I now understand that I did the best I could with the knowledge I had at the time.” This helps shift the focus from self-blame to self-awareness.
• Finally, write down one positive action you can take moving forward, such as “I will focus on the wonderful memories we had, rather than just the final moments,” or “I’ll volunteer at an animal shelter in my pet’s honour.”

Why this works: Reframing guilt shifts your perspective, helping you see the situation as an opportunity for growth rather than a failure. It’s also rooted in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), which shows that changing how you interpret an event can reduce negative emotions.

Moving Forward….

While guilt can feel like a heavy burden, it doesn’t have to control your life. By using these techniques, you can start to release that emotional weight, forgive yourself, and find peace again. If you’re struggling with guilt and need deeper support, I offer a guided hypnosis session on this topic over on my YouTube channel, designed specifically to help you process and let go of guilt.

If you’d like a more personalised approach, don’t hesitate to contact me via email or my social media channels for a free chat about how I can help.