Absolution
It seems to be a lot easier to absolve other people for their mistakes than to forgive your own. Why do you believe it is so hard to forgive yourself for being human? Is personal absolution out of the question? Do you think it is because of a feeling of unworthiness? Perhaps there is a deep-seated reason for this inability in most of us. There is never going to be a time when mistakes are not made. Nothing you have done is so terrible that it deserves a life sentence. If you can just start with a few little things, you could be on the road to your own personal absolution.
First, there has to be acceptance. You did make a mistake. Stop the self-talk about how stupid you were to have made such a bad error in judgment. Believe me, you are not the first person to ever feel this way. Accept what was and acknowledge that you did make a mistake and you screwed up. The object here is to learn from the mistake. You have probably heard that your entire life. Things that have truth tend to get repeated often, so you should listen.
Secondly, it is time to push forward. You acknowledged your mistake. How do you move on? Stop letting others throw your mistake up to you and send you packing your bags for that guilt trip. Every time this happens, especially when you do it to yourself, change your thought pattern right away. Do not dwell on what has happened. The past is over. The future is yet to be. The only time you have is right now.
The third suggestion ties in with the first. Learn from the mistake. There are lessons to be learned in every situation. If it is really bothering you, then make a list. Question why you made the mistake. What led up to the situation? Could you have done something to keep it from happening? There may be nothing you can do to change what happened, but you are responsible for what you do with the lessons now.
One other thing that may help is to simply realize that as a human being, there will be mistakes. Have you ever met a perfect person? Perhaps your mother is as close to perfect as you will ever likely to see, but she is human and she also makes mistakes. Everyone has, does and will continue to make mistakes. Thinking that you will never do so, is living in a fantasy.
You can minimize future mistakes by better planning. Absolve yourself now of your past, move ahead, learn from it and plan ahead. Life is about growth. Mistakes provide energy for the growth.
