Survivor's Guilt: Why You Feel Responsible

You're alive and they're not — and inside there's a question with no answer: why me? Guilt comes even when you did nothing: for breathing, sleeping, laughing, for not calling, not coming, not making it in time. This guilt doesn't make you guilty, but it's real and it hurts.

Where This Guilt Comes From

The mind can't stand helplessness. Admitting that something happened that you couldn't influence is unbearable. But if I'm to blame, then there was a chance to change everything: I should have acted differently. Guilt offers the illusion of control, which is why it holds on so tightly.