How do you get past regret?
Did you ever do something in your past that you regretted afterwards? I’m sure you have! The real question should be though how does regret affect us and how can we get rid of it?
Almost everyone has dealt with regret and you have most likely experienced a situation where you felt like you should not have done what you did before. You probably felt bad and hated yourself for what you have done. When that happens, your subconscious mind starts sending you signal so you won’t repeat anything that interferes with your current beliefs system and manners.
The real issue with regretting the past is that it makes you lose focus on your goals and aspirations and it makes you miss on living the present moment over something that can’t be changed.
How regret affects your life
So what do people usually regret that makes them stressed out?
1. Regretting something you have done
Have you said something hurtful to one of your loved ones? Have you taken something that wasn’t for you and now you feel sorry that you did? Perhaps you did something against your manners?
No matter what you have done, the emotions of guilt that you are experiencing can be harmful for you especially if that regret stays with you for years.
For example, if you have used drugs in the past and that memory keeps haunting you, with time, this ugly memory will increase the stress level in you. Unless you start making extreme changes to your mental habits, you will stay affected by it.
2. Regretting not taking risks
Another kind of regret that people often feel is when they don’t take enough risks to bring them closer to their goals. For example, if someone wants to be a professional singer, but hasn’t taken the time to invest in his voice and hasn’t taken any action to bring him closer to his goals, he might regret it afterwards.
The best way to overcome this kind of regret is by starting to take risks now and action that would help you reach your goals. When you do take the necessary steps, you won’t feel guilty later on in your life when you start to reminiscing about your past.
Regretting the past vs. living in the present
Let’s face it; you only have the present time to live and enjoy. It doesn’t matter how guilty you feel about something that has been done or something that didn’t happen, you only have NOW to live.
You can use the past as a learning experience to correct your mistakes and you can use the future to plan for. You can use them to help you lead a successful life and help you grow, but you have got to focus on living in the moment. You have got to give your attention to the NOW so you won’t let the past haunt you.
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Good article. For me I rarely regret things I have done, more the things I had the chance to do but made excuses to get out of. I’m learning though!
Jamie recently posted..How to find the courage you need
Hi Dia,
I am not a fan of regret. In fact, I don’t believe in regrets. There is value in everything, even the wrong turns we have taken on the road. Sometimes I find it teaches me something, if only just humility. When something seems to be shaping up as a regret in my life I search for the value in it. And I try to let it go.
Anything else is a waste of time!
Lori
Lori Gosselin recently posted..Are You Lost?
A great post on regret and something that I have had to deal with myself in the past. As an alcoholic I did so many things that I wish I hadn’t done. But once I started on the journey to recovery I realised that regret and remorse was pointless. Where I could make amends I did, but otherwise I had to accept that the past was in the past and move on.
I love your statement that you have to give attention to the NOW so that the past doesn’t haunt you. So very true!
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