Why Do I Feel Guilty When I Rest? A Counselor Explains
You finally sit down. The coffee’s still hot. The house is quiet. Nobody needs you for the next ten minutes. And before you take a sip, you’re already making a case for why you deserve to be there. I did get the laundry done. I answered those emails. I’ll get back up in a minute. You’ve got ten minutes to yourself, and you’re spending them defending yourself to an empty room. If you feel guilty when you rest, pay attention to what the guilt is accusing you of. Sometimes there’s a real obligation you need to deal with. Other times, sitting down just makes you feel lazy, selfish, or like you’re letting somebody down. That difference matters. You can finish a task. It’s a hell of a lot harder to finish proving you’re a good person. Why Does Resting Feel Like Doing Something Wrong? Maybe you were the dependable one. You picked up the slack. You figured out what needed doing before anyone had to ask. People appreciated that about you, and you probably appreciated it about yourself. ...