Why guilt is useless

Some callers told us they were able to save money for the first time in years. Unfortunately, now that venues are reopening across the country, lots of people are struggling with having lost those savings, or the money they took from their superannuation.

Many are wondering how to cope with the guilt and shame they feel. Guilt is an emotion that is very linked to another emotion: worry — and we are living in a time of great worry. Guilt is felt about what has been done in the past, worry about something that may or may not happen in the future. There are two basic ways in which guilt comes into our lives. We can feel a lot of leftover guilt from our childhood, while self-imposed guilt — shame — comes from having not acted according to our values.

For example, if you say you feel guilty you might be forgiven for your behaviour. If others offer you pity, you might be able to feel some relief while avoiding working on what you actually need to do now.

For example, credit card debt cannot be changed; the debt has been occurred and needs to be paid off. Instead of guilt and self-blame, a person should look to make different decisions in the future.

Why guilt is pointless? Show more. Erica Gerring. I'm talking about dwelling on the past to such an extend that it immoblises you in the now.

Free your mind of guilt. You will have more present moment experiences when you do so. A very old man once said:. And the most of which have never happened are the worries that you have in your life. You consume your present moments worrying about the future, worrying about your health, worrying about your children, your job, your car, your house, your money, your parents, your husband, your wife, finding a partner, getting into heaven and who is going to look after me I'm old.

Why do we do this? It is something that we were taught early in life. We were taught that it is healthy to worry. It shows that you care. I remember many many years ago I did some renovations to my house without council approval.

When I tried to sell the house, it came out that there were these renovations. The council then wanted to come out and have a look, so I worried myself silly for weeks. When they finally came out it was actually a pleasant experience. Probably not. It just makes you human. Counterintuitive though it may feel to the anxiety -ridden among us, forgiving yourself actually makes you a better person.

Saying it once is enough if you mean it. And if you say it, be sure you mean it. Life is punctuated with endless disharmonies so that we might glean little morsels of helpful self-knowledge and be on our merry way, all the wiser.