In my last post, I promised I’d follow up this week with how to break free from a ‘Guilt Button’. You might recall, I wrote about a woman whose daughter was very skilled at pushing hers!
Over the past 25 years of clinical work, I’ve discovered guilt will usually show up in 3 ways:
- We have DONE something in the past we regret.
- We are DOING something in the present which doesn’t feel right.
- We have things others want us TO DO which don’t feel right to us.
What makes #1 and #2 different from #3 is they originate from within us.
Meaning there is no one pushing our ‘Guilt Button’.
Instead, they are our own emotional responses and require a different approach than what we are focusing on today!
Steps to disconnecting the ‘Guilt Button’:
Step 1 – Identify the source
- Take a piece of paper, any size, and draw a circle big enough to write inside it.
- Focus on the feeling of guilt for a moment by taking a couple breaths and then asking yourself: “Is this guilt coming from within me or is it coming from an outside source?”
- When your answer is ‘an outside source’ – write the word “guilt” on the outside of the circle. Write the name of the person it is connected to!
Step 2 – Disconnect the wiring!
- Say this out loud to yourself 3 times: “This guilt DOES NOT belong to me.”
- Tear up the piece of paper & throw away!
- Repeat as many times as needed until you…
Disconnect the wiring!
Using this LifeTOOL allows you to take back control from those who like to and may be very good at pushing your ‘Guilt Button’!
Depending on how strong that wiring is – it may take you some time of practicing this before you notice a difference. DO NOT GIVE UP!!! This wiring CAN be disconnected with practice!
Let me know in the comment section below how this LifeTOOL works for you!
~ To Living Well TODAY! ~

via Esperanza – Hope To Cope
(This and our other articles are provided by some of our curated resources. We encourage readers to support them and continue to look to these sources in times of need and opportunity.)