More often than not, you feel a sense of guilt or shame if your boss points out your mistakes and failures, but it’s important to grow past those emotions and learn from them. You shouldn’t continue beating yourself up over a past mistake, because that will cause you to lose energy on future projects and not perform as well as you could’ve.

The first step to handling a mistake at work is apologizing to those you’ve affected, especially if you’re in a leadership role, and if they forgive you, then you should stop feeling guilty. If you receive criticism instead of reassurance, don’t panic, because as long as you did everything in your power to set things right, there’s nothing else you can do but move on.

Ask yourself if your mistake is the end of the world, and the answer will always be no, so don’t fall into the trap of self-pity and guilt. If you still feel guilty, have an honest talk with your co-workers because you’re most likely not alone, and they’ll help you realize it’s just a minor setback. Don’t compare yourself with anyone, because prolonged stress is not worth it.