A dear friend of mine took the time to tell me not to worry about being consistent on my blog. She told me to post when is convenient for me. So, off you go Guilt. Leave this place. There is no room for you here.
On that note, let's talk some more about casting off guilt. I'll spread it out over a few categories.
~Emotional~
The problem: I am an impatient person. I get anxious and easily excited about something. So, naturally, waiting in anticipation of something drives me nuts. Sometimes people do too. I can be short of temper. This results in having an attitude with my parents, yelling at my brothers, or saying something spiteful to a friend. Afterwards, I feel terrible. No one likes inflicting pain on others (if you do, you have psychological problems).
Casting it off: As embarrassing and humbling as it is, apologizing works wonders. Take the time to let people know you're sorry for hurting them. And let people know you appreciate them! I know how much it hurts to feel unappreciated. One approach I took was to write a letter to a family member and leave it under their pillow for them to find. That's a nice way to say what you need to say without the awkwardness of saying it face to face.
~Physical~
The problem: I used to do taekwondo, but I haven't trained for about two years. It felt so good to go in to the school twice a week and get a really hardcore work-out. I prided myself in being able to do crunches for who knows how long and punch a bag for 5 minutes straight without faltering. I am not keen on the idea of trying that now for fear of failing. To top it all off, I've never been good at running, so I can't do that either.
Casting it off: Since my schedule is so busy and I can never seem to find time to exercise, I have trouble casting off this guilt. BUT I am finding little ways to feel better about myself. As silly as this sounds, shower daily. Yeah I know most of us do this anyway, but actually think about it. Relax while you're showering. Try not to think about your schedule or what's bothering you. Think about the warm water splashing off your head, clearing your pores, and refreshing your soul................... aaaaah. If a shower's not physically healthy, I don't know what is. Another thing I've tried is doing 25 crunches right before every shower. Those are great for making your tummy smaller. Directly affecting your physical health? I think yes. One more thing on the physical note. Smaller portions. I like food. Lots of food. I eat food. Lots of food. Food is yummy. So... slow down with your food. Enjoy that bite. Chew it slowly and purposefully. If you savor your food, you'll actually eat less. What a great way to enjoy your meal while still being healthy!
~Spiritual~
The problem: I think this section can speak for itself. Yeah, we sin. A lot. All day, every day. No wonder we feel guilty about this one. It's directly spiritual in the sense that sometimes we don't appreciate church. We go because it's routine. Things like that. As if that's not enough to get our guilt machine going, the emotional and physical guilt also ties in to this. Dang.
Casting it off: As cliché as this sounds... read. your. bible. I hardly ever take the time to read God's word. Right now is Lent; a time of prayer and fasting. As well as giving something up this year (caffeine if you're wondering), I've also decided to do something this year. I'm working my way through the gospel of Matthew every day. I'm also doing a daily devotional. I have found this to be extremely refreshing and incredibly beautiful. I'm learning how to incorporate God in to my every day life. Another thing to do is really focus on church. Whatever denomination you are, think about why you are there. This morning at mass, I almost started crying. I was a Eucharistic minister today and I was serving wine. I suddenly became so excited to be sharing the blood of Jesus with my community. I was so joyful and I could feel Jesus' joy at my being so in love with Him at that moment. So take the time to see that beauty. If you can't, as God to help you. And most importantly, know that He is a merciful God and ask Him for forgiveness.
A lot of guilt comes from these mindsets: "I need to do this" or "I need to do that." "I didn't do this" or "I didn't do that." St. Therese of Lisieux focused on the little things. What if we did as well? Start with a few small things that you "need" to do. Don't look at that huge workload in front of you. Do things one at a time. Then, appreciate the things you've already done. Be satisfied that you found the time to call that friend or wash that dish today. Then build from there.
Now go out there and live life. Laugh, cry, apologize, forgive, exercise, pray... plus more!
