THURSDAY MEDITATION
Avoid the Guilt-Spiral If You Want to Grow in Life
Guilt-Spiral takes you into a vortex of no return
The guilt starts to set in after finishing a Netflix binge-watching session.
You had promised to reduce binge-watching. Only to promptly break the promise.
You feel guilty, of course. You can’t look at yourself in the mirror. You’re a self-sabotaging loser who doesn’t deserve anything in life. The guilt overwhelms you to a point where you can’t function.
To numb yourself from the pain, you decide to watch more Netflix.
Voilá — you have entered the guilt spiral.
Replace Netflix with alcohol, cigarettes, chocolates, or any one of a million undesirable habits — the above scene remains the same.
Guilt is Addictive
Have you noticed how often you fall into guilt spirals?
Guilt is addictive. At a subconscious level, you repeat your patterns because you want to experience guilt.
So that you can repeat the behavior again and feel guilty again.
If you choose not to feel guilty, you will empower yourself to take steps to give up the habit.
Time Spent in Guilt is Time Wasted
Time spent wallowing in guilt is a monumental waste of time.
The time that can be spent pursuing a hobby.
The time that can be spent with loved ones.
The time that can be spent making the world a better place.
Awareness is Key
It takes awareness to avoid the guilt spiral.
On occasion, if you enter the guilt spiral, awareness will help you catch yourself in time so that you can exit the spiral.
Strengthen the awareness muscle with repeated practice.
Say Goodbye to the Guilt Spiral
Reflection is essential for growth.
Learning from mistakes is how we grow.
We must be careful to be objective in our analysis. The mind is looking for opportunities to send us down the guilt spiral.
We must be alert and tell our mind, “Thanks, but no thanks.”
Let us say goodbye to the guilt spiral for good.
