Over-Functioning Guilt and Learning to be Self-ish

An over-functioning experience of guilt is often hidden.  Guilt hides on the other side of people-pleasing, over-responsibility, over functioning in relationships, over giving… It can be so well hidden that a person doesn’t even recognize that guilt is involved in making many of their day-to-day decisions.  Issues come up when exhaustion sets in.  It is eventually physically and emotionally exhausting to continually put others first and to deny priority to your own personal needs.   The unfairness of relationships leads to feelings of obligation, resentment, and eventually anger.   Anger is the body’s protest to unmet needs.  Have you ever been “hangry” (ie. hungry-angry) before?  

Now, with an undertone of anger, it is unpleasant to be around the very responsible, super giving, high functioning, people-pleaser.   And now this bitter expereince is more for the person with an over-functioning experience of guilt to feel guilty about.   

It’s time to attend to unanswered personal needs and to learn how to be self-ish.  Want to develop a healthy relationship with guilt?