Wednesday, August 6, 2008

The Guilt Update

The internet ate my follow-up post yesterday, so I'll try again. I did exactly what I said I would - made a schedule including the things I needed to do and the fun things. At first it was tough to stick to it. Half my problem with guilt stems from worrying too much about what other people are thinking about what I'm doing. Right after I made my schedule several other adults in the group I'm staying with decided to do something differant than what I was doing.

Instant guilt! But I stuck to my plan and repeated my mantra - "I am at peace - there is time for everything," - and gradually the guilt slipped away. By the end of the day, while there had been hiccups and irritations, I didn't feel guilty at all.

Today was harder. I didn't make a plan, and therefore felt unsure all day what I should be doing. That was a mistake. But I did manage to slip back into the moment as the afternoon progressed. I rehearsed mentally my list of "to-do's" and "want-to-do's" and realized that there was time for everything. I tried to note consciously the things that were important in the here and now.

Halving your guilt is something that takes time, I think. I'll come back to it more in the future - it's worth working on, don't you agree?

1 comment:

Jeanne said...

I've read many reasons for making a schedule (get more accomplished, children work better), but this is the best yet - to relief yourself of guilt. I feel guilty that I didn't read to the children, guilty that I didn't put up another load of laundry, guilty for spending too much time at the computer. And then by mid-afternoon, I'm exhausted and just want to veg out in front of the TWTM board or TV. You've inspired me to put together a schedule for today. Thank you!