DITCH THE GUILT FOR GOOD

Are you carrying remorse, regret and guilt around with you? You’re not alone...

An incredible 96% of women have revealed they find something to feel guilty about at least once a day. ‘Guilt is a symptom of living a complicated life, not a symptom of being a bad person,’ explains psychologist Professor Windy Dryden. ‘Guilt itself isn’t a bad thing – it depends what sort of guilt it is. It’s important to be able to distinguish healthy remorse at having done wrong, from destructive guilt that really serves no purpose other than making you feel negative about yourself.’ Writer Rachel Porter explains it simply. ‘In my head, at anypoint, there’s a long list of things I feel guilty about. It’s constantly evolving, things are added and – occasionally – removed. Right now, for instance, my misdemeanours range from forgetting to send a present to my friend’s new baby, to not contributing as much as my husband to the household finances.’