What to Do If You Feel Guilty About Success

If you've felt guilty about your own achievement, you're not alone. It happens more often than you believe! And there are plenty of things you can do to get past these feelings and enjoy the achievement you've earned.

Feeling guilty is an individual experience, and your guilt about success could stem from a variety of sources or past experiences. These are some of the most typical reasons why people feel guilty about their accomplishments.

It may feel unfamiliar if you are the first person in your family to achieve success. You may feel as if you have abandoned or elevated yourself above your loved ones.

In our culture, we are constantly told that we must work hard in order to succeed. We encourage young people to "buckle down" when they aren't working hard enough, or to "grow up" when they aren't taking life seriously enough.

Fortunately, there are ways to deal with uncomfortable emotions. While some shame can be good motivation in life. Although can help you accomplish things like improving your attendance at work, there's no point in being unable to enjoy your achievement because you're ashamed of it.

Being able to sit with your feelings of guilt might also help you realize how powerful they are. They may fade rapidly if you allow yourself to experience them. That's fantastic! They might not, however.

The capacity to see how your accomplishment can directly benefit others can be quite relieving for your feelings of guilt. Knowing you're making a difference in the lives of others might make you feel great and reassure you that you're making the best use of your success.

References

[1] Verywellmind, 'What to Do If You Feel Guilty About Success' (online, 2022) <https://www.verywellmind.com/what-to-do-if-you-feel-guilty-about-success-5221081>