COMIC: How to make peace with your guilty feelings
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Malaka Gharib hide caption
Malaka Gharib
You broke someone's heart. You missed your kid's recital. You weren't there for your mom when she needed you. Guilt can be painful โ but it can also be a powerful tool for connection.
Taya Cohen, who researches honesty and moral character at Carnegie Mellon University, and Han Ren, a clinical psychologist based in Austin, Texas, explain how to cope with some of the unhealthy emotions that can come with guilt โ and transform it into a positive force.
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Malaka Gharib hide caption
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Malaka Gharib hide caption
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/21/guilt-panel-3_custom-03255919e439486753b8171beeaecc76d2bc0e2c.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)
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![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/21/guilt-panel-4_custom-f7406410a4b595e5ec99189c9a1b10c6b106b459.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)
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![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/21/guilt-panel-5_custom-fb92c598b20506a4f2d0ac6ca63418bf0d9b5c22.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)
Malaka Gharib hide caption
![](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.npr.org/assets/img/2024/05/21/guilt-panel-6-copy_custom-4666a9054cef6c133b90db02dfa0172efe2e564c.jpg?s=1100&c=50&f=jpeg)
Malaka Gharib hide caption
The comic was edited by Andee Tagle and Beck Harlan. The visual editor is Beck Harlan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org.
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