Allow yourself to release
feeling any guilt about being happy
Happiness is an experience we all long for and deserve in our lives. We may
wish for the happiness that comes with a much-needed vacation or an exciting
new love affair, yet when the actual experience of happiness emerges, we may be
too overcome with guilt to enjoy it. If guilt is interfering with your ability
to feel joy, you may find relief in looking at the beliefs you hold about
yourself and what it means for you to be happy.
Guilt about feeling happy can arise for different reasons. Deep down you may
believe that you don't deserve to be happy because you hurt someone in the
past, had more than others growing up, or maybe you received a mean comment
from someone you admire. Perhaps it once seemed that painful experiences always
followed happy ones; now whenever you begin to feel happy, you find yourself
waiting for the other shoe to drop. Happiness may even just feel uncomfortable
because you've gotten so used to feeling down. The truth is that when you feel
too guilty to let yourself enjoy positive emotions, you are denying a part of
yourself that has a right to exist. By limiting your life experience to just
the negative feelings, you are cutting yourself off from the fullness of life
-- which includes all of the positive emotions as well. Fortunately, you can
begin to shift the way you respond to
happiness even in this moment.
From now on, when happiness begins to blossom in your heart, try to accept it,
relish in it, ask it to stay. It's okay to feel happy even if you believe you
don't deserve it. Feeling good is an expression of your wholeness and your
connection with life. The next time happiness appears for you, try not to feel
guilty about it. Instead, welcome your happiness in like a long-awaited friend.
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