Shame.......

As said by C. G. Jung: "Shame is a soul eating emotion.".  And shame is a constant companion for many of those living with mental illness.  In my experience, shame actually makes depression worse.  And shame prevents people from fully participating in life.  Shame comes from a variety of factors.  It is more than simple guilt over what someone did or did not do. It isn't necessarily about one mistake.  Shame goes to the core of a person.  It's about worth.  Or more accurately, lack of worth.

Guilt can help a person to be accountable.  When you do something wrong, you can usually make amends for your actions.  Of course, this doesn't mean saying 'I'm sorry' solves everything.  But recognizing that you have hurt someone is an important step.  However the next step is kind of obvious.  You have to actually make changes in your behavior.  People don't believe apologies unless they are accompanied by some kind of action.  And the willingness to take the next step can help you with your feeling of guilt.   And being accountable leads to being able to deal with feelings of shame.

We are all capable of change.  Sometimes people do things that are so horrible and destructive that there are concrete consequences.  But even within that context, it is possible to be accountable.  Accepting responsibility is at the core.  For all of us, being able to separate our worth as a human being from mistakes that human beings make is important.  We can learn from mistakes.  Let go of the shame.  Having the disease of mental illness is not shameful.