Just as you're about to do something good for yourself, guilt can creep in.

Maybe you're closing your laptop at 4pm instead of 6pm one day.

Booking a mini break.

Saying no to something you don’t have capacity for.

And then, the guilt voice arrives:

"You should be doing more."

"You'll get behind."

“Have I done enough to stop?"

This was the topic of our recent Master Your Mind session in The Women Entrepreneurs Group.

The deep and often unspoken guilt that comes with slowing down.

Especially for solopreneurs and entrepreneurs who are growing a meaningful business. Something purposeful and often very personal.

So many of us are creating businesses that are meant to allow more spaciousness, joy and freedom. But we’re still operating under old conditioning that says rest must be earned. That success must be proven, and if you’re not pushing or hustling, you're falling behind.

 Where Does This Guilt Come From?

This exploration begins by building awareness.

- When was the last time you felt guilty for not doing more?

- What were you telling yourself in that moment?

- What did your body feel like when guilt arrived?

It might have been after a slower workday, deciding not to post on social media, or saying no to an invite.

And the inner dialogue can be brutal: "I'm lazy," "I'll lose momentum," "I'm letting people down."

But guilt isn’t always logical. In fact, it often has nothing to do with truth.

We’re carrying stories passed down from family, culture, schooling, even our earliest jobs about what it means to work hard, succeed, and deserve.

Understanding Guilt From Within

Here is a simple neuroscientific framework to help us understand this more deeply from the three decision makers in the body.

🧠  The Head Brain plans, predicts and analyses. It worries and wants control.

❤️  The Heart Brain feels, connects, and creates meaning. It wants to belong.

🧬  The Gut Brain protects and survives. It reacts fast, based on instinct and fear.

When these three parts of you are disconnected or pulling in different directions, guilt (along with anxiety and overwhelm) can arise. But when they collaborate, you feel whole and clear.

TRY THIS

Here’s some reflective questions to help you check in with all three areas of yourself:

•  What is my head telling me I should be doing?
•  What is my heart feeling in this moment?
•  What is my gut trying to protect me from?
•  And What would it feel like if these three parts of me worked together as a team?

The Closer You Get, The Easier It Becomes 

One of the most important takeaways from this session is that guilt loses power the closer you get to it.

When we ignore it or try to push it away, it stays loud. But when we listen to it, when we give it space, it starts to soften.

Guilt is often just trying to keep us safe, but you get to redefine that now.

Reframing Guilt Into Gratitude

Take a moment to journal with these questions: 

🖋️ What is your current relationship with gratitude?
Can you allow yourself to say, "I'm grateful" without the caveat? ("I'm grateful but I still should be doing more") 

🖋️ Who are you without the guilt?
Can you visualise and nourish that version of you?
What do they look like, feel like, act like?

🖋️ When guilt shows up around rest or slowing down, what do you need to remember about the life you're creating?
This is your anchor. Come back to it again and again, as many times as you need to in order to embed this intention.

You deserve rest and ease in your life. You deserve to build something beautiful without burning out.

When you next notice guilt showing up, you now have a way to meet it with compassion and guide it gently into gratitude.

Want to join the next Master Your Mind session?

Get The Women Entrepreneurs Group membership here and join our next conversation.

💫  It will transform how you work, rest, and feel…