Many empaths experience high levels of “guilt.” Not because they have wronged someone or acted terribly. They feel guilty for wanting to meet their own desires and needs.
Guilt is a draining emotion that sits at the bottom of the stomach like a dead weight. Guilt doesn’t burn like anger or hurt like shame, but eats away at our ability to enjoy life.
Whilst a person can experience guilt for their past mistakes and actions, this post relates to the underlying guilt for living our lives in our own way and taking care of our needs and wants.
Empaths have a natural tendency to feel guilty for making their happiness, health and well-being a priority. The pressure to be everything to everyone is immense.
How often have you experienced saying yes to something out of a sense of obligation because you would experience guilt if you said no?
Do you take responsibility for the happiness, health and well-being of others whilst draining yourself in the process?
Do you struggle with the idea of living your life differently because you are afraid other people won’t agree?
Do you say yes to others when really you want to say no?
And if you do go against the grain and follow your desires, does guilt become your companion?
When we feel guilty, we assume we are in the wrong. Yet, what if the feeling of guilt is actually a signal from your soul that you are on the right track? What if guilt is an indicator that you need to say no to others to say yes to you? That it is okay to meet your needs, wants and desires, and you can’t be everything to everyone?
What if the feelings of guilt are a natural response to not wanting to do something that is asked of you? What if this feeling isn’t really guilt at all but our soul’s desires being translated into an emotion?
And what happens when we don’t listen to the feelings and go against our soul? We feel resentful and drained. We live our lives for others.
There will always be situations where we may need to consider other people such as our children or in times of real need. It’s about discerning who you are truly responsible for and not allowing guilt to get the better of you.
If we change our perception of the feelings of guilt as an indicator from our inner intuition that we should take care of our needs and wants and live our lives for ourselves, then we free ourselves from unnecessary guilt. We say yes to our wants and needs. We live life our way. We stop taking responsibility for other people. We thrive and enjoy life.
So, if you experience guilt for taking care of yourself, consider the feelings as an alarm bell ringing to let you know that you are on the right track. Listen to your body and start living life for you.
If you are plagued by guilt and would like to learn how to say no and hold your boundaries, check out my Wild Empath E-Course where I share everything you need to become a happy empath.
Photo Credit I Need Chemicalx
