by Olivia Kay

Created on: June 22, 2010

"What was I thinking?"  "How could I have done that?" "I'm just disgusted by what I did..." "Did I leave my brain at home?" "Who or what took over my mind?" Do these comments and questions sound familiar?  Have you ever asked yourself them?  If so, don't worry, you're not alone, not by a long shot. 

We all do things we shouldn't do, things our conscience eventually chews us out for, minutes, hours, days, or even months or years after the fact.  Generally guilt occurs as a result of spur of the moment actions that we didn't put much thought into, things we would have never done if we'd really taken the time to decide whether to do them or not and weighed all the pros and cons of them.  Making mistakes is all a part of being human, no one was created to be perfect.  Life is a bumpy ride, making mistakes is all a part of learning, all a part of becoming the best person that we can truly be. 

Guilt is a natural part of realizing our wrongdoings.  We feel bad and just wish we could turn back time and reverse our actions, something that unfortunately is impossible.  We have two choices, we can ask for forgiveness from a higher power which to me personally is God and happens through prayer and/or from the person we feel that we have wronged or just dwell in our own guilt and self-pity until it ravages our thoughts, emotions, and overall lives.  Asking for forgiveness does not take back our negative action or actions but it does show that we know we did wrong and we care that we did wrong, something that can really mean a lot to the individual or people that we feel we wronged and in turn it also helps ourselves to get over our guilt and move on. 

Feeling guilty is not pleasant, it hurts us to think that our actions hurt another or others.  Wishing you could take back what you did is normal, but unfortunately is not something that can happen in reality.  Experiencing guilt means we have a conscience and that we care about others, but asking for forgiveness and forgiving ourselves and letting go of that guilt is essential in going on with loving and continuing to grow as a person.  You can't take back your wrongful actions, but you can learn from them, not repeat them, and make better decisions in the future. 

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