Regrets in life: Can they be overcome?

Regrets in Life

Regrets in Life? Release your past and move on. Regrets in life happen, but you can actually use regret to change your future so that it helps you in a positive way. At one point in my life, I wanted to be a doctor—a good one. Alas, I could not  because I could not get admission into any medical college. Then, I wanted to be a manager in a big corporation, There were many incidents in my life right from my early teens to adulthood that added to my list of regrets.

I always wondered how to undo those incidents or events in my life that created distress (and hence, regrets in life) for me until I learned to deal with them in a mature way.

Regret comes with life’s package, there is no escaping it. So if you think you are the only one with regrets in life, think again. Regret happens.

One regrets when something goes wrong and they have to live with it for the rest of their life. But dealing with our regrets in life is one way we can combat things that may affect us mentally and physically if not dealt with it at the right time.

Why does it happen?

Regrets in life are something that you wish you hadn’t done or you wish that you could undo—things of the past. People often regret the decisions they’ve made in the past. Things like, not accepting the opportunities, not getting the experience, or they regret the divorce, or regret over the education, the career you choose or not being socially active in the past, or treating a friend badly, etc.

It can be anything you did or you did not do. But one should always remember that regret is a part of life. Not everybody is going to have a perfect life.

How to Overcome Regrets in Life?

The best way to deal with regrets in life is to listen to what your heart has to say about the situation. It must not be based on fear, greed, social impact, or not even on the kind of outcome.

One must follow what the heart says and if done with sincerity the chances of having regrets in life are smaller (and if there are regrets they do not impact you too heavily on your life).

Decisions like moving out of town or breaking up with a spouse should be followed by what your heart has to say. Logic does play a significant role, but if the situation of regret would arise, then chances are you are going to be depressed and end up regretting more than you would if you follow your heart.

How to minimize regrets?

The other ways to minimize regret is to accept your mistake. Things of the past cannot be changed and therefore  you must be bold enough to accept them. This can relieve you and also make you work hard for achieving what you want now. If you deal with it in this way your chances of regret definitely minimizes and you will also definitely learn from your mistakes.

It is important that you let go of guilt, shame and resentment. “Focus on the present and learn from the past” should be your motto. Brooding on the regrets of the past will not help you and definitely does not improve your chances of not repeating the same mistakes. Use regret to change your future and see how it helps you in a positive way.

It is up to you how to accept regret; you use it as a ladder to climb up high or drown yourself with what you have lost. Help yourself for the future and contemplate on things like what you would like to achieve in the coming years.

Make a list of things that you would like to own or give or even build. They may be small or big. You should take a look at your life and get control of it. If your goal is hard to get, then get help and strive hard. This way you can take control of your life and minimize regrets in life.

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About the Author

Vandana Singhal writes extensively on science, technology, health, and travel. Vandana has a degree in science and is artistic in nature.

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