Guilt and shame are two different feelings that often come together. Guilt is a signal that you did something against your own values, and it can be helpful. Shame is a signal that often makes you think bad things about yourself. You feel it when you have gone against the values of other people, and they don’t like you because of that.
Guilt is the feeling you have when you know that you’ve broken a rule. This feeling is telling you to make a better choice next time or to try to remember the rule so you don’t break it again. Allow yourself to feel guilt for a little while. It will help you remember to make a better choice next time.
Shame is different from guilt. It can happen when guilt is too big and turns into feeling bad about yourself or disliking yourself. For example, if you break a rule on accident, maybe because you forgot, and then start to think that you are stupid because you forgot and that others won’t like you anymore, you are feeling shame. Remember that all people are good inside, and do not let the shame stick around. Letting the feeling of shame stick around will make you feel bad about yourself as a person, and that will not be helpful.Don’t Let Your Emotions Run Your Life for Kids