LW Feels Guilty About Still Working
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DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: This will sound crazy, and my parents have already told me so, but I feel guilty about being the only one in my family still working fulltime. One of my sisters and my dad have had their hours cut, and my girlfriend has been collecting unemployment since the mall she worked at closed in March.
I am way grateful to still be working, but it is a strange feeling to be doing okay financially when so many of my friends and family members are struggling. I make enough to pay my bills, and help my girlfriend and family out in little ways, like with groceries and small bills, but it does not feel like it is much.
Am I nuts for feeling as if I am not doing enough to help or because I am doing well when so many are not? --- GUILTY GUY
DEAR GUILTY GUY: These past months have been strange and uncertain, and I think what you’re feeling may be a kind of survivor guilt. So many are struggling, but so are you in a way. You’re feeling the urge to help where you can, and that’s a good impulse. Still, you also have to give yourself a break and stop believing there’s something wrong with being in a better situation than many in your circle of family and friends.
Never feel bad about being the one who can assist others. Remember most of us need a little help from time to time. Right now, you’re the one in a position to do something for those you care about. In the future, it could very well be the other way around.