Wolf, it really sounds like this is something that you should discuss with a Rav. It is true that you can’t disagree with the Chofetz Chaim, but it is also true that if something the Chofetz Chaim says makes you feel bad about yourself, you must be understanding it or applying it incorrectly.
The Chofetz Chaim was the Gaon of Shmiras Halashon and Ahavas Yisrael, and he would never have said anything that was meant to make Wolf feel bad about himself.