Feeling Guilty about Being Happy May 16, 2008

Are you that person who feels like you don’t deserve 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 admired. 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 the positive emotions are included.

Fortunately, you can begin to shift the way you respond to happiness right now. From now on, when happiness begins to blossom in your heart, close your eyes and have deep conscious breaths, allow your heart to open up and accept the feeling. After a couple of deep long breaths, now feel how the feeling of the happiness affects your heart, and affects your whole body. Feel the sweetness and the calmness of this subtle happiness. And again remember back to your conscious loving breaths!!!

It isn’t about you deserve or don’t deserve the happiness. It’s about allowing your wholeness and your connections with life to be a part of the oneness. The next time happiness appears for you, try not to feel guilty about it. Instead, welcome your happiness in like a long-awaited friend.