Guilt is a common emotion we feel when we believe we have done something wrong. And although guilt can be a good emotion that prevents us from making mistakes or hurting people again, sometimes guilt is not so helpful.
Unfortunately, we can feel guilty about actions even if they are ultimately good for us. Or we may feel guilt for something we did wrong but don’t appropriately process it so it continues to hurt us. Guilt can prevent us from feeling joy and success in many areas of life, including our careers.
Read on to learn five ways that guilt can interfere with your career. For more general information about guilt and how it affects other areas of your life, you can click here.
Prevents Your From Making Positive Career Changes
You’ve probably felt guilt after quitting a job or when considering a career change. Maybe you’ve enjoyed your job and feel guilty about moving on to something else. Or perhaps you don’t like your job but still feel guilty about abandoning your coworkers.
This type of guilt keeps many people from pursuing better jobs. They may look at job postings and consider applying to new companies or positions, but ultimately let their guilt prevent them from making positive career changes. Others may take the leap and find a new job, but will later feel guilty about leaving their previous job behind.
Guilt is a common feeling among women, especially working mothers. Mothers who are ambitious and choose to pursue their careers are often shamed for not focusing entirely on their families. This guilt may be why some women do not pursue better opportunities or put more dedication into their careers.
Hinders Ability To Learn From Mistakes
Some guilt is healthy and pushes us to be better people and learn from our mistakes. However, remaining stuck in guilt or allowing it to transform into shame is more of a hindrance than a help. It can be easy to focus on past mistakes and wallow in them rather than learn from them and improve the behavior. However, we must learn to forgive ourselves and process our guilt if we want to be better people and enjoy career success.
Hurts Relationships With Coworkers, Superiors, Or Clients
Guilt can keep you from connecting with others, including those you work with. Employees who feel guilt or shame are more likely to isolate themselves than participate in teamwork or teambuilding activities. They may also avoid the water cooler or talking with coworkers during lunch.
Furthermore, guilt can prevent employees from connecting with superiors or clients. These connections are essential for career improvement and advancement. Clients are less likely to work with individuals they cannot connect with, and supervisors are less likely to reward employees with whom they don’t have some rapport.
Reduces Productivity
Severe emotional pain in any form can reduce and hinder productivity. Guilt is no exception. Feeling guilt can keep you concentrating on the task at hand or slow down your work speed altogether. It can also prevent you from learning and improving skills that are essential to your career. Guilt may lead to shame, which will make you feel unworthy of your position, especially if you are in a specialist or leadership position. It is difficult to work hard and be ambitious when you don’t feel worthy of career success.
Lowers Self-Esteem
As previously mentioned, guilt can easily turn into shame, which means you believe you are a bad or unworthy person because of your past actions. This has detrimental effects on self-esteem, which is crucial to career success and satisfaction.
For example, low self-esteem may decrease productivity and hinder relationships with colleagues. It also can contribute to various mood and psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety. So not only does guilt hurt your productivity and skills, but it can make you more miserable while working the 9 to 5.
Final Thoughts
Everyone makes mistakes and feels guilt at some point. Feeling guilt does not mean you are a bad person or don’t deserve success. Guilt is just an indicator of a mistake you made and points you toward better behavior for the future.
Therefore, if you feel guilt, make sure to process it through inner work or by talking with a therapist. This is essential to maintain your happiness and well-being. Holding it in or letting guilt turn into shame will not only hurt your mental health but can also hinder your career.
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