Share your personal experiences on how you overcome shame and guilt.

[Flower]

My path toward defeating shame and guilty feelings has been individual for me. I got professional assistance to recognize and fight the negative thoughts that ran through my mind.

Through self-compassion practice and mindfulness training, I developed awareness about my emotional state. I redirected my self-doubts by concentrating on successes I had achieved. That's my personal experience. Share yours!

 

[Hazel]

Shame and guilt were emotions I didn’t even realize I was carrying for a long time. I used to replay mistakes in my head, constantly judging myself for what I should’ve done differently. It created a cycle of self-blame and low self-worth.

What helped me begin to break free was talking about it, with someone I trusted. Saying things out loud softened the grip those feelings had on me. I also started journaling, not to dwell on the past, but to understand where the guilt was coming from and what I could learn from it.

One powerful shift came when I learned to separate what I did from who I am. Making a mistake didn’t make me a bad person. That change in perspective helped me extend the same compassion to myself that I often gave to others.

I still feel shame and guilt sometimes, but now I use them as cues to reflect, grow, and then let go.

 

[Shree]

I’ve never experienced such a thing as shame and guilt personally, but I’ve reflected on it. If I was experiencing it I’d acknowledge feelings, practice self-compassion, like affirming my worth during walks in the park, and forgiving myself for mistakes, perhaps over coffee with a friend, would help me heal and move forward confidently.

 

[Commode K]

I had been taught to always have a positive mental attitude to overcome shame and guilt. Sometimes, the people we are ashamed and guilty about approaching, they don't even have anything against you. Sometimes, not is all in our heads and we need to face our fears to overcome it. Mental strength is the key here.

 

[eLdavis]

While i was in secondary school ( highschool in most countries) i repeated a class after i had lost my father and a few years later i repeated another class. While i was still in the same school. It was shameful once but two times? It was not i was the dullest or i wasn't smart, i guess i was just moving with the wrong crowd and i never understood what life was all about back then. My mother being a disciplined woman said i had to repeat those classes in the same school, even my head teacher said there was a way to correct my score since i was only missing two marks to be promoted.
I could no longer laugh or freely play with anyone cause there was so many side talks and gossip about me, some would say i have been there for five years now, some would laugh and insult me to my hearing. I think that's one of the reasons why am so timid even now. I was able to move on by acting tough, i pretended like it didn't affect me and from there i stopped caring about what they say about me. Even when i know they said something about me i still laughed with them like i never heard it. The truth is no one cares about the weak, to move on you need to be strong. From there i actually had genuine friends.