Hello gents,

Has anyone been working on overcoming a deep sense of shame in their lives? I sometimes am so shameful about myself that I can never seem to stand up for myself at all.

Whenever I make a mistake or slip up, it turns into a death spiral of self-blame and anger. If another person is involved, I end up supplicating and apologizing so much that I lose all my self-esteem. Needless to say, doing this over and over has fed a vicious cycle of shame, hurt, resentment and low self-esteem that is really hurting me in my career and my personal life too.

I'd like advice on how one manages their guilt when they make a mistake, how is an accusation best dealt with and how to not hold on to past mistakes and let it eat into one's self-esteem. How would one also not blame one's self solely, when there is a mistake clearly on both sides. Basically, I need to learn to stand up for myself and be assertive and lot let a mistake rattle me as much as it does right now.

Please help!