Guilt: For some people, guilt can be paralyzing. A person may feel guilty for what he did, for what he did not do; for something he feels he has done, or not done enough, for another person. Of course, if you harm someone, then guilt and remorse are appropriate and natural. This feeling can motivate a person to apologize, correct mistakes, and change in the future. In this case, the reactions are adequate. But, quite often, these feelings are excessive and destructive. Children begin to experience feelings of guilt between the ages of 3 and 5 years. Some children suffer greatly from guilt and are unable to express themselves, carrying this feeling into adulthood. There are people who suffer to such an extent that they take the blame upon themselves, even if it is not justified. A person who feels bad about themselves, for example after thinking badly about someone else, may experience extreme feelings of guilt. You may suffer from overthinking or depressive thoughts, which is a sure recipe for mood disorders. Guilt, Shame and Shame Shame can be called the servant of guilt. These are two closely related emotions, although guilt also relates to the external (that is, a person separates himself from the action, reproaching himself for having done something unworthy), and shame is a more internal feeling. In the case of shame, a person identifies himself with the perfect: in this case, in the person’s mind it no longer sounds “the action should not have happened,” but “I should not have done this.” And this is an extremely difficult feeling to experience. The person may not have done anything special, but the shame is already eating away at him inside. You can feel ashamed of yourself, but not feel any guilt towards other people. At this moment, the internal dialogue that occurs shifts attention from other thoughts and feelings and takes over the personality. Some people are overly shy and prone to self-blame and shame. A good example is an obese person who may feel an unbearable shame about their weight, feeding a cycle of self-blame, shame and low self-esteem. This can be helped in therapy, through the legalization of the feeling in the case of shame and, in the case of guilt, through identifying personal values ​​and making a decision to follow them.© Maria Ivanova.