I’m not going to get into Thanksgiving, but, some of us don’t want to do it. But we do. And when we don’t, some of us feel guilty.
After years of grappling with this emotion, I’ve come to realize that it’s the guilt that I feel that makes me feel guilty that I feel guilty, and I start to loathe myself for it.
Sounds strange but here’s a tiny example:
“Have some pie!!”
“No thanks.”
“Come on. I made it fresh this morning.”
“Ok. I’ll have a piece.”
I don’t want the pie but I say ok, and I eat it, cause for some people no doesn’t mean no, which is fine, but, why does guilt set in and make me do something I don’t what to do. The guilt takes on a whole new face. Now I feel guilty toward myself for feeling guilty to begin with. Sometimes we need to stick to our guns when we say no; and not let guilt set in when we say yes when we really don’t want to.
Guilt is a weird thing. It’s an emotion that we don’t necessarily refer to as an emotion that drives our will. But it’s a powerful force that presents itself in situations like take some pie when you don’t want to.
Pay attention to your guilt creeping in these Holidays. It might be crippling and hurt your being if you fall to pressure through guilt.
I’ve learned that when I feel guilt in a situation, I stop and ask myself why I feel that way; what is the source. Cause most of the time I feel guilty about feeling guilty about something I shouldn’t feel guilty about to begin with.
Take care of yourself. Be kind to yourself. Be aware. Watch out for the guilt. It’s you testing yourself.
Pie photo available from Shutterstock
