People mess up. We’re human. It happens. Ever woken up with a pounding hangover, a creeping sense of guilt and completely anxiety riddled? If you answer yes, keep reading.
The majority of people who have been to University will have had this sensation- the cocktail of naivety, forced independence, binge drinking and 100 ‘firsts’ perpetuate an environment where it’s easy to mess up. And although this very particular guilt does rear its ugly head from time to time in life post-uni, trust me, it happens less.
So, you fucked up. Maybe you upset a friend, or drunkenly sent your ex an essay full of cruel words, or you broke a promise. But don’t sit in your dark room and think about every bad thing you’ve ever done. Don’t tick box all the times you upset someone. Don’t make everything black and white- you’re not all bad, you’re not all good. Most people sit somewhere in the grey area.
Personally, I see guilt as an indication of goodness. That pit in your stomach is important because it tells you what’s right and what’s wrong. If you didn’t have a pit, then there would be cause for concern. Guilt shows that you care, and that you understand the errors of your ways.
Get out of bed, draw the curtains, make yourself a cup of tea. Take a deep breath. Apologies. Profusely. Sincerely. Without pride or pettiness- just say sorry. Say sorry to yourself too. And then accept that internal apology.
It may feel like you’ve fucked it, ruined it. But, you do countless good deeds every day, week, month, year. Messing up once in a while doesn’t make you bad. Just human.