Recently I made an appointment at the vet, and ended up an hour late because I misread the timing. I immediately declared myself a selfish and thoughtless person, dwelt on it all day, and replayed the interaction between the vet and me over and over in my mind late into the night.

I started to spiral, and the more shame I felt, the more things I found to be ashamed of.

'Down The Rabbit-Hole' is dedicated to those of us that constantly seem to find ourselves in a shame spiral. We focus on an insignificant event and replay it over and over again.

Shame hurts us so much because it’s often tied to our sense of identity. When we shame ourselves, we’re making the judgement that we’re not good enough, or are not living up to expectations.

In an attempt to face my shame head on, whenever I find myself caught in a shame spiral, I keep asking myself questions. I question why that one thing made me feel that way, why it had such an effect, why it matters to me.

Of course, while shame is an unpleasant feeling, it’s also a very normal emotion. Next time you find yourself with the purple feeling of shame, let yourself off the hook, and remember that we all mess up from time to time – it’s what makes us human.