Willie Nelson once sang, “I can cry for the time I’ve wasted, but that's a wasted time in tears.” As with all of his songs, there is something very profound in the message he is conveying. Willie is addressing how to deal with one of life’s most ubiquitous and complex of emotions; regret. He is artfully pointing out the futility of regretful thinking. Even though regret really serves us no purpose, we will all experience it at some point or another. Every week regret walks through my office door in one of its varying forms and/or degrees.
Along with regret comes guilt; feeling bad for something we have done or did not do. Guilt is a weighty emotion. It can drive depression, it can raise anxiety, it can initiate change, and it can start the healing process. More often than not guilt is a maladaptive feeling and can become pathological. Leading us down the path of mental instability.
When regret and guilt are “singing” together, the outcome will always be a sad song (or negative emotion), which can lead to depression and/or increased anxiety. If you suffer from overwhelming regret or deep guilt, if there is a moment in life you can not get past or a decision you lament. Psychotherapy is an effective tool that can get to the heart of the issue and relieve the tension caused by these feelings. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me to set up an informational call.