Hello! I live an average life and am average in every way. But I am so blessed and grateful to live an average life where I have family, friends, my health and life, shelter, clothing, food, love, education etc on an average lifestyle. However, sometimes I feel I don’t deserve it when so many other people in the world (as strangers) or even some friends (people I know well or even mildly associate with) are less fortunate. And comparing me to them… there is no connection/comparision. Was I just lucky and they weren’t? Why is it that I have shelter,food,health,family and love when others have so little or none at all? Or is this feeling of guilt tied back to my sense of inferiority complex?

Example 1 of smaller thing: I have shelter/roof over my head. I would go out to meals with friends or family usually once a week. Or if I am craving something, I would go out to buy it. Each time dining out would be around $10 or so. I didn’t really thought about what I spend on dining out and I become picky over food at times. And of course, these events add up financially. Then I would be reminded that there are so many people in the world who would go hungry for days or even people I personally know who struggle with lack of food or struggle with paying the rent as well. I have never been homeless or be cold/hungry on the streets so I feel so guilty that I have become picky/forget to feel grateful at times when so many other people in the world suffer. This is a small example of me feeling guilty over being more fortunate.

Example 2 of a bigger thing: I have a lot of teeth problems (many fillings, root canal, and two crowns to say the least). Insurance doesn’t cover everything so my out of pocket was quoted for thousands of dollars. I did some procedures and already paid about $2000 total so far. Yes I saved up my money for my dental health all this time for the last 2 years by working overtime. But then an distant aunt was in terribly need of a root canal and she didn’t want to spend the $500 for the procedure that would stop her months of pain and crying from the pain, months of being unable to chew, feel happy, etc etc. because $500 was a huge amount that would be going to rent, food, her kids etc versus one little tooth. In the end, she decided to just pull out the tooth for a fraction of the price to relieve the pain. I felt very guilty because I spent thousands on my teeth (before it started hurting me) in order to save my teeth when others I know would rather be in dental pain for months and be miserable than spend a fraction of what I spend for my own teeth. I have gone for second and third opinions so I know I need this dental work to save my teeth. But this makes me feel very guilty and I regret that I was stupid/crazy to spend such a huge amount of money thousands on just a few teeth. So basically… I spend that crazy amount of money b/c I was scared of losing my teeth so early in my 30s and having an ugly smile = I was more worried about cosmetics more than ability to chew. This shows me how shameful my reasons were in this example.

The two examples above are only two examples out of so many I could think up at the moment. I volunteer and find ways to help others as best as I can. But feelings of guilt surfaces more so than not. What can I do to relieve it? Any similar experiences or suggestions/advice?

Again, as always, thank you so much for taking the time to read!