Another Desert Father saying for today:

We have abandoned a light burden, namely self-criticism and taken up a heavy burden, namely self-justification.

On the face of it it seems much easier to justify what we are doing or have done when things go wrong. The result is we back ourselves into a corner. The result is a much heavier burden.

Self-criticism is flipping painful in the short run, it hurts and we feel dented. But, with the issue in the open, we can look ahead to the next time and get on with making more mistakes, rather than spending time on consuming avoidance strategies.