Feeling guilty? How to work with the emotion of GUILT
Recently, I've found the emotion of guilt bubbling up...
Ironically, it was also a major theme with the women that attended our Yoga & Meditation Retreat last weekend.
Guilt for saying no to being the one to take everything on.
Guilt for drawing new boundaries.
Guilt for starting to listen to one's own health & mental health needs and carve out needed time for SELF.
Guilt for beginning to voice one's boundaries & true needs.
For me, it's a feeling of guilt for decisions I'm making BUT...
I also have the desire to keep these decisions and boundaries in place because I know they are for my highest good.
Guilt is a common emotion we can feel when we're practicing implementing new boundaries, because underneath the decision and the boundary we're implementing, a slew of worrisome and fearful thoughts can be lurking in the shadows.
Am I doing the right thing?
Will I hurt this person?
Am I a bad person for doing this?
What will this person/others think?
These thoughts often come from fearful parts of ourselves that stem from wounds such as...
Not feeling good enough (on our own and not from other's validation)
Not having confidence (to voice our boundaries and stick to them)
Lack of self-love (it's difficult for our boundaries to take priority if we're lacking love for ourselves)
THE WORK
If you're finding the emotion of guilt bubbling up, some inner work you can do includes...
Reflect on why you're feeling guilty - write it down.
Reflect on the fears and worries coming up and where these might be stemming from.
Ask yourself again, why am I making this decision?/why did I create this boundary in the first place?
Ask your highest self if it's more important to stick with the boundary/decision or if you're wanting to shift your decision.
Reflect on the consequences of shifting your decision & ask yourself, what would be the consequences if I continued to make this decision over and over and over again?
RELEASE WORK
Practice EFT tapping on the challenging emotions coming up
Practice breathwork to clear out lower vibrational energy related to wounds we carry (which affect the decisions we're making)
Practice healing meditations such as Self-Love, Acceptance and Worthiness Meditations
** Practice continuing to use & strengthen your throat chakra by continuing to state your boundaries with love and kindness. When fear bubbles up, practice EFT tapping.
IF YOUR GUILT STEMS FROM SOMETHING YOU DO REGRET/WISH YOU HADN'T DONE...
(I.e. You're recognizing that your actions weren't aligned with your desired self/highest self)... congratulations - you've uncovered some of your shadow self! (I.e. Parts of yourself that you don't particularly like). And this is OK (as hard as it is).
What you can do with this is....
1. Reflect on why you acted the way you did (does your shadow self have hurts and wounds that it's operating from?)
2. Healing & release work can then include things like...
Forgiving Yourself Guided Meditation
Having Compassion for Yourself Guided Meditation
EFT Tapping on feelings like shame and the challenging emotions that arise when we are faced with our shadow self
Most important thing to remember when working with guilt is to recognize when you're carrying around the emotion as well as all the fears and worries that come with it...and choose to STOP and actively work with these emotions.
Why?
Lower vibrational emotions (such as guilt, fear, worry) can bear a heavy weight the longer we carry them around without acknowledging and working with them.
Good luck!
xx Shawna
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