In this episode of #FeelingsMatter, hosts Tina Schweiger, Heather Hampton, and Michelle Stinson Ross explore the emotion of guilt - that feeling of responsibility for wrongdoing, whether or not harm has actually been inflicted. The conversation distinguishes guilt from shame, examines how guilt particularly affects women in society, and shares strategies for reframing guilty thoughts. Tina vulnerably shares a recent experience of standing up for herself with a healthcare provider and the conflicted feelings that followed. 

Episode Highlights:

• Tina clarifies the distinction between guilt and shame: "guilt is I did something bad and shame is I'm a bad person because I did something bad," noting that guilt relates to behavior while shame attacks identity
• The hosts share Tina's experience with an unprofessional healthcare provider who made inappropriate comments about her appearance, exploring her conflicted feelings about standing up for herself and requesting a refund
• Michelle identifies guilt as particularly common in the female experience, noting how women are socialized to "don't make a fuss, don't make noise" and be accommodating, leading to guilt when they advocate for themselves
• The conversation explores "overly responsible syndrome" as a generational issue for Gen X women who hold themselves to impossibly high internal standards that others don't expect from them
• Tina shares her strategy for managing guilt through reframing, choosing to focus on how she "probably provided that office a service" rather than dwelling on guilty feelings, and training herself to redirect from guilt to gratitude when her mind returns to self-criticism

Podcast theme music by Dubush Miaw from Pixabay

This episode of the #FeelingsMatter Podcast was recorded and produced at MSR Studios in Saint Paul, MN. No reproduction, excerpting, or other use without written permission.

This episode is sponsored by 
FeelWise - bridging the gap between reflection and resilience, offering practical tools to help people overcome obstacles, embrace change, and grow stronger emotionally. https://www.feel-wise.com/

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