Bullying has certainly been in the news this fall in a number of contexts. Students of all ages have shared stories and concerns with us as we travelled to school after school presenting our bullying prevention assemblies.

A boy came to us following a high school presentation, and shared a situation that had been weighing heavy on his mind. He just didn’t know what to do with the feelings of guilt he had been carrying with him.

Guilt is often an emotion that people struggle to deal with, yet it does have a purpose. It can actually help keep people on the right track. This kind of guilt is helpful.

Guilt can also become overwhelming when we feel guilty about something in the past that we can’t change. In this case, talk to someone you trust about your feelings of guilt.

Here are 3 Tips for Dealing With Guilt.

1. Identify your guilt.
Can the guilt you are feeling actually help you to make better choices in the future? If you are feeling guilty about stealing something, realize that by making up your mind to never steal again, it will also help to end your feelings of guilt. If you are feeling guilty about something that isn’t necessarily wrong or unacceptable, focus on the facts and make up your mind to move on.

 2. Make changes right away
Use the guilt feeling to immediately change your behaviours so you won’t be dealing with more guilt about similar situations. Can you make changes in your life to become a better person as a result of the guilt you are feeling? Do not dwell on situations that have happened in the past that you can’t change. Instead, use them as a learning tool for the future and look ahead rather than back.

 3. Accept that we are all learning
Life is a process of learning from our experiences. There are no perfect people and we all make mistakes. Realize that guilt is a normal part of what makes us human.

 To book school bullying prevention assemblies contact us at www.standupagainstbullying.com