I really like your line about intentionally causing yourself guilt. It sounds so simple that it shocked me when I finally understood it: "Why in the world do I keep doing things that cause me pain? If I don't like this feeling I'm having, and if I did things to cause this feeling to occur, then wouldn't the smart thing be to not do those things in the future?"
I try to use that all the time now. If I'm questioning whether or not I should do something, and I think doing it will cause me pain or problems, then I better not do it. And that's saved me on many occasions.