I still feel guilty when I disappoint people by having limits

Dear Delyara, That guilt arrives fast, even when I know the limit is healthy. It comes after the no, after the slower reply, after leaving early, after saying I can’t help this time, after choosing quiet over attendance. It does not ask whether the decision was wise. It simply asks whether someone somewhere now has a reason to feel let down because I protected myself first. I know adults should survive each other’s limits. I know this. But guilt in me still behaves as if every disappointment is an accusation.