Guilt is Not Your Burden To Carry

Guilt is just as powerful but its influence is positive while shame is destructive.

Shame erodes our courage and fuels disengagement.

Brene Brown This meditation is to stop feeling guilty and to take positive action for the future.

Start by getting comfortable wherever you are.

Close your eyes if you can.

If not try to focus on one spot that you choose.

Slow down your breathing and relax.

I will count now from 1 to 5.

Feel yourself becoming more deeply relaxed with each number.

Until at 5 you are in a state of deep relaxation.

Letting go of tension,

Feeling your muscles going limp.

Your eyelids are getting heavier.

Becoming relaxed,

Comfortable and loose.

Sinking into a pleasant feeling of relaxation.

5.

Feeling more and more deeply relaxed.

Now that you are starting to become relaxed,

Think about the things that you feel guilty about right now.

Maybe you are feeling guilty because you treated someone in a way that you regret.

Perhaps you are feeling guilty because you violated your own moral code.

Maybe you are feeling guilty because you made a mistake that you wish you had not made.

Maybe you are feeling guilty because a loved one had an illness or accident you think you should have prevented.

Perhaps you are feeling guilty because you have children who make mistakes,

Get poor grades or behave badly and you feel like you are a bad parent or are not doing enough.

Maybe you are feeling guilty because you look at situations where you were not assertive or did not stand up for yourself and wish you had been stronger.

Maybe you are feeling guilty that you are not able to save people such as self-destructive friends or family members or people with addictions or illnesses.

Perhaps you feel overwhelmed by day-to-day tasks like cleaning or laundry and feel guilty when you are not doing these things.

Then maybe you feel guilty about something else.

Think about the situations,

Actions,

Things or people you feel guilty about right now.

Notice how you are feeling as you think about guilt.

Where in your body do you physically feel the feelings associated with guilt?

What does guilt feel like?

Now think about the thing that you identified that you feel guilty about.

Is it something that was within your control at the time?

If this thing was in your control,

Think about the factors that led you to behave the way you did.

Is there a good reason for your behaviour?

How does your behaviour in this situation fit with your own personal sense of right and wrong?

Do you feel guilt because you behaved in a way that you believe is wrong?

If you were in the same situation again,

How would you handle it?

Since you cannot change the past,

Think about what your guilt is telling you for the present and the future.

What can you do right now,

Today that is right?

Is there any way to correct the situation or make it right?

Not all past mistakes can be corrected and it's okay to feel regret.

Focus more on this instead.

See if your guilt helping you in some way.

Have you learned anything from past mistakes?

The fact that you felt guilt about mistakes shows that you are a good person who wants to learn from mistakes.

Maybe you have felt guilty for long enough,

Maybe you have punished yourself enough and if you have decided that it's time to let this guilt go,

You can perfectly do so.

Often looking back,

You may wish you handled situations differently because of what you know now that you did not know at the time.

You cannot predict the future.

And looking back at situations,

It's normal to see things that you would have done differently.

But at the time,

You had no way of knowing.

It's normal to feel bad when others suffer.

Is there anything you can do to help?

Guilt is looking back on the past and thinking about things you should have done.

A healthier perspective is to look at the present and see if there are things you can do now.

Begin by acknowledging the truth behind the guilt.

Did you make mistakes?

Did you do something wrong?

Do you simply feel bad about a situation that was not your fault?

Acknowledge these feelings.

Admit them to yourself.

Start telling yourself that something was all your fault.

I regret handling that situation the way I did.

I feel bad about the way I behaved because I don't want to act like that.

Once you have acknowledged these feelings,

Decide what you need to do in the present to handle the situation in the best way you know how.

You can say,

I will practice being assertive.

I'm going to apologize for my behavior.

I can't control others' behavior so I'm going to accept that they can make their own choices.

And think about what you need to do right now.

What you need to do in the future.

In order to feel as good as possible about your actions.

Allow past feelings of guilt to prompt you to make changes.

Allow yourself to not feel guilty anymore.

Now,

Please repeat the following affirmations after me.

Accept each affirmation as being true for you right now in the present.

Everyone makes mistakes.

I cannot control 100% of situations.

I cannot control what other people choose to do.

Other people are responsible for their own behavior.

I've let go of guilt from the past.

I don't need to feel guilty anymore.

I've felt guilty for long enough.

I learn from my experiences.

I feel good about the behavior I'm choosing now.

I deserve time to relax.

I don't need to be busy all the time.

I don't need to get everything done right away.

I'm a good person.

I release myself from feelings of guilt.

Now take a moment to imagine the feeling of guilt.

Imagine it is like a weight sitting on your stomach.

Imagine that the weight is dissolving into bubbles,

Fizzing away and rising into the air.

Each breath you take dissolves the weight a little more.

Feel the weight getting lighter,

Lighter,

Lifting,

Releasing.

Allow the weight to be released.

Feel each breath you take dissolving all the weight that was there.

When you exhale,

Feel the weight leaving,

Decreasing as you breathe out.

Release the guilt.

Release yourself.

Allow yourself to be free.

Allow a feeling of lightness,

Of freedom to fill you.

And keep this feeling of freedom.

Hold on to the peace and serenity you feel.

I will now count from 5 to 1.

When I get to 1,

You will open your eyes,

Be fully awake and completely relaxed,

Cleansed of guilt and any negative thoughts and feelings.

5 4 3 2 and 1 Welcome back from my heart to yours with all my love and gratitude.

Namaste.