Guilt (emotion) facts for kids

This picture shows a child feeling guilty

Guilt is a feeling you get when you understand or believe you have done something wrong. This feeling often comes from your own conscience, which is like your inner sense of what is right and what is wrong. Guilt is usually connected to feeling sorry for something you did.

Sometimes, feeling guilty can make you feel worried or anxious. When someone feels guilty, they might react in different ways. They might try to fix what they did, or sometimes, they might even try to blame someone else for their actions.

Understanding Guilt

Guilt is a powerful emotion that helps us learn from our mistakes. It's a sign that we care about our actions and how they affect others. Everyone feels guilty at some point, and it's a normal part of growing up and understanding the world around us.

Why We Feel Guilty

We feel guilty when our actions don't match our own rules for what's right. For example, if you borrow something without asking, your conscience might tell you that was wrong. This feeling of guilt can then encourage you to apologize or return the item. It's like an internal alarm system that tells you when you've crossed a line.

How Guilt Affects Us

When you feel guilty, it can show up in different ways. You might feel a knot in your stomach, or you might keep thinking about what happened. This can sometimes lead to stress or anxiety. However, guilt can also be a helpful feeling because it pushes us to make things right. It can motivate us to apologize, fix a mistake, or learn to act differently next time.

Dealing with Guilt

If you're feeling guilty, there are healthy ways to deal with it:

• Admit your mistake: The first step is to recognize what you did wrong.
• Apologize: Saying "I'm sorry" can make a big difference, both for you and for the person you affected.
• Make amends: Try to fix the situation if you can. This might mean returning something you took, helping someone you upset, or doing something kind.
• Learn from it: Think about what happened and how you can avoid making the same mistake in the future. Guilt can be a great teacher!
• Forgive yourself: Once you've tried to make things right, it's important to forgive yourself. Everyone makes mistakes, and learning from them is what matters most.

Images for kids

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  Glasgow Botanic Gardens. Kibble Palace. Edwin Roscoe Mullins – Cain or My Punishment is Greater than I can Bear (Genesis 4:13), about 1899.

See also

In Spanish: Culpa (emoción) para niños