It blocks you, drains your energy, and keeps you stuck in past mistakes.
Have you ever felt guilt? If the answer is yes, then you should know that this is an emotion that has a very negative impact on the psyche and overall health. Spanish psychiatrist Marian Rojas Estapé explained why this emotion is so destructive to mental health, in an interview with the newspaper The Razón.
She warns about an everyday emotion which, if not managed properly, drains energy and blocks any change, explaining what causes it and how it can be transformed.
Guilt is a toxic emotion that ties a person to the past, a feeling that drains energy, causes depression, and hinders decision-making.
The emotion that holds us captive to the past
Marian Rojas Estapé emphasizes guilt, an emotion that often appears after mistakes, unfulfilled expectations, or reproaches from others. It can come as a result of excessive self-criticism, but also from the surrounding environment, through comparisons, criticisms, and judgments.
If not recognized and treated in a timely manner, guilt takes up a large amount of mental space and negatively affects one's emotional state.
- Guilt is a toxic emotion that ties us to the past and prevents us from moving forward., emphasizes the psychiatrist. According to her, there are few emotions that can be as destructive as guilt, when we remain trapped in it. It steals energy, makes decision-making difficult and can lead to deep negative emotional states, reports the Telegraph.
Why guilt enslaves us and where does it come from?
Guilt arises when we feel that we have not acted correctly or that we have not met our own or others' expectations. The problem arises when it turns into a vicious mental cycle with no way out.
The more we revisit the mistake, the stronger the emotion becomes, as we retreat:
• avoiding conversations
• we give up trying
The result is a life focused on the past, instead of the present moment.
How to initiate change – a short guide
• Name what happened, without dramatization.
What did I do? Who did I touch? What is in my power?
• Fix what you can.
A concrete apology, correction of a mistake, or compensation.
• Learn a practical lesson.
What will I do differently next time?
• Stop constantly returning to negative thoughts.
If you have taken responsibility and acted, return to the present. Then guilt loses its function.
- Guilt does not build, but it can become a starting point for change., Marian Rojas Estapé advises. Her message is simple but powerful: it is necessary to close accounts with the past to restore energy to the present and to transform every mistake into an impetus for personal growth. /Telegraph/
