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10 Things To Stop Feeling Guilty About In 2014

10 Things To Stop Feeling Guilty About In 2014

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Sometimes, guilt is a good thing. It tells us we need to right a wrong, apologize to someone, or even apologize to ourselves. But most of the time, guilt is a useless emotion with no actionable cure and the only way to get rid of it is to decide to. Here are 10 things to stop feeling guilty about in 2014.

ThinkStockPhotos
ThinkStockPhotos

Being happy

Next time you’re walking along smiling, and somebody asks with a snarky tone, “What are you so happy about?”, Say, “Guess what? I don’t need a reason to be happy! I’m alive and that’s reason enough!” They might tease you, but it’s true. Don’t feel guilty for smiling and appreciating the good things in your life just because some people don’t have good things. Your feeling bad won’t make their lives any better. Gratitude for your life is a virtue, not a crime.

burgered.com
burgered.com

Eating gluten/meat/dairy

Even if you’re vowing to cut some of these out of your diet, don’t mind the other diners who look at you like you’re evil, ignorant, uneducated, or uncaring when you indulge in a patty melt — a meaty, cheesy, gluten-loaded patty melt — because you’re hungover and that sounds just right. Some of these unhealthy foods carry warm, wonderful memories of a carefree childhood and a more carefree time in general, and those warm memories make you a happy person and, as a result, a kinder person, at least for a while, anyway. So really, you’re doing everyone a favor.

fitsugar.com
fitsugar.com

Not going to the gym every day

Yes you pay $30 a month for the membership but financially, that means you’re wasting one measly dollar each day you don’t go. But more importantly, working out is supposed to make you happy, and if you’re doing it on a day when you’re crunched for time, stressed out and physically exhausted, you’ll be less happy walking out of the gym than you were when you walked in. And that’s detrimental to your health. The best way to respect the money you spent on that membership is to go on the days you have the energy and time to enjoy the workout.

crapshed.blogspot.com
crapshed.blogspot.com

 

Only calling friends once a month

Hey, newsflash: nobody catches up with long distance friends and relatives as much as they’d like to. That friend you’ve been meaning to call has 10 friends she’s been meaning to call! Cherish the times you get in touch, but don’t spend the rest of the time worrying the relationship is falling apart. It’s not. Most people are happy when they receive a call, and don’t think anything of it when they don’t. Do you sit around thinking, “Jen never calls me!”? Probably not.

garnerdesigns.com
garnerdesigns.com

 

Buying material things

You can be a spiritual person and still enjoy this very physical, material life. What’s the point of being in your body if you can’t enjoy this world? Like delicious restaurants, clothing you feel beautiful in, drives along beautiful coasts in convertibles…You work hard, it’s your money, you can do what you want with it. You aren’t materialistic just because you appreciate material items.

chacha.com
chacha.com

 

Cutting people out of your life

It’s great that you like to help people, but not if helping someone comes at the cost of your own mental and emotional energy, or even your health, your job, or your sanity….! At that point you’re doing a job that isn’t yours to do. Some relationships only take from you, drain you and exhaust you and that is not a friendship at all. That’s a leech.

cbsnews.com
cbsnews.com

Being a little anti-social

If you lead a life that brings you around crowds of people all of the time, don’t feel like you have to be “on” all the time — talking to everyone, engaging at every moment and asking people about themselves. There are a lot of personalities out there — a lot of different energies — and the truth is that you put yourself at risk of letting in bad energy every time you open up. Don’t feel bad if you keep to yourself a little and evaluate the situation in crowded places before baring your soul.

AP Photos
AP Photos

 

Working the low-paying job you love

So what if you can’t afford the timeshare your friend has? Or a bigger house? Did you even want those things before someone else pointed out that they have them and you don’t? If you, on your own — no comparisons to anybody else’s life — are happy with your life, then you may just have the perfect job.

ThinkStockPhotos
ThinkStockPhotos

 

Staying in more

Ignore your friends who call you lame and send you texts teasing you for staying in. Your time is precious, and you have limited free time. You should be able to do what you want with it. Sometimes, your brain needs quiet. Sometimes your body needs to go to bed early. You can’t enjoy the times you do go out if you push your body on the nights you want to stay in.

123rf.com
123rf.com

Liking “stupid” shows/music/magazines

You don’t need to pretend you don’t watch “Keeping Up With The Kardashians.” You don’t need to make a joke at your own expense when you turn on Miley Cyrus. They’re popular for a reason — they’re enjoyable! Enjoying “shallow” things doesn’t mean you’re not a deep person. Anybody who thinks you have to choose only serious, deep, intellectual shows is a poser who secretly loves Miley Cyrus.