Why Do I Feel So Guilty All The Time?
We’ve all felt the gnawing of guilt—especially if you’re a working mom. We feel guilty at work because we’re not there enough for our kids. If we take time for our family we feel guilty about work.
8 ways guilt shows up in our lives:
- Self sacrifice – you often neglect your own well-being, self care and personal boundaries
- Can’t Say No – you often pick up the slack for others because you believe you should always be available to help
- Self-Care is Selfish – you experience guilt when you take time for yourself or spend money on yourself
- Self-Criticism – you have a harsh inner critic that lambasts you for sitting down when the house is a mess or leaving the laundry when you’re tired etc.
- Comparison – you often compare yourself to others and believe that they are doing more or handling similar responsibilities better
- Sense of Responsibility – you always fulfill your duties even when sick or tired because you feel guilty about letting others down
- All Or Nothing Work Ethic – you associate being available 24/7 with success and anything less means you’re slacking
- Making Do – I’m the strong one so I can take the hit
There’s a cost to letting guilt drain our energy, impact our ability to focus and drag down our emotional well-being. That’s why a big part of our coaching process is helping clients work to set themselves free from self imposed guilt. We can’t wait for someone else to give us permission to say no or finally do what we really want to do.
As we try to live more authentically we are bound to come up against conflicting priorities. This is where we need to build skill around how to show up for ourselves by NOT wasting time and energy second guessing our decisions. You can wisely stand by what you’ve chosen because you know how to be in a high quality relationship with yourself.
This is a difficult area for so many women because expectations are constantly ratcheting up. If you could use some help to make more supportive choices for yourself please reach out.
Coach Liane Wansbrough | High-Performance Coach
