How much should I regret my mistakes?

Sometimes I feel guilty about not feeling too guilty about my mistakes. I make mistakes often, but sometimes I tend to make light of them like they're not a big deal. Feeling haunted by my mistakes all the time, is that the right way to feel? Or is it enough to just have one moment of regret, learn from it, and become a better person? What do you guys think?

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DrWatson · 70-79, M

I think there is healthy guilt and unhealthy guilt.

Guilt can move us to set things right with the person we have wronged, to make amends.

Barring that, guilt can encourage us to amend our ways so that we do not do the same thing again in the future.

Or, guilt can lead to self-reflection so that we come to understand ourselves better. It can even lead to a major change in our priorities in life.

Guilt might lead us to be more understanding toward others when they have engaged in similar wrong-doing, in that we can understand them better, and maybe have constructive conversations which would be more likely to get them to improve than a scolding rant would.

But, guilt can also be something that we merely get mired into, and I don't think that does anybody any good. It is one thing to say, "I have done bad things." It is quite another to say, "I am bad by nature."