How to Eliminate Regret
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Regret is a terrible feeling.
In fact, it’s among my top 3 least favorite feelings.
It’s a feeling that sucks every time you feel it. It leaves you feeling disappointed, shameful, remorseful, and even embarrassed.
Regret stings.
But regret can be avoided.
This article will explore how to eliminate regret from your life.
Let’s dive in!
What is regret?
Regret is the feeling of disappointment and sadness because of something happening.
Usually, this is a result of a decision made or not made.
You blame yourself for a bad outcome that occurred. And this causes you to think about what could have or should have happened over and over again.
This feeling takes a toll on your mental health.
It can leave you kicking yourself for a few hours. And it can also haunt you for the rest of your life.
Regret is a destructive feeling.
Especially when you don’t address the feeling head-on or avoid putting yourself in a situation you’d regret being in.
How can regret be avoided?
Thankfully, regret can largely be avoided.
The best way to avoid regrets is to make the best decisions with the information that you have.
If the outcome is good, then that’s great for you! You won’t feel any negative emotions from the outcome of your decision.
If the outcome isn’t good, at least you made the most rational decision based on the information you had at the time. You can use the unexpected outcome as a learning experience.
Making the best decisions possible will go a long way toward eliminating regrets.
To help you make better decisions, you’ll want to get yourself into the best mental state you can be in.
Calmness and mental clarity are crucial to making good decisions.
Journaling, walking, and meditating are excellent tools for achieving mental clarity. Use these tools daily to keep your mind free and calm throughout the day.
Another way to avoid regret is to keep the promises that you make to yourself.
In other words, do what you tell yourself you’re going to do.
This builds your self-confidence. You’ll trust yourself more. And it will make decision-making easier.
Each promise you fulfill is a confidence booster.
How to eliminate it from your life
If you currently have regrets, you can eliminate them!
The best way to do this is through honest self-reflection.
Self-reflection is all about asking yourself hard-hitting questions and answering them truthfully.
Don’t hold anything back.
You’ll want to ask yourself tough questions that aim to get to the root of issues you may be experiencing. These questions cause you to reflect on why you’re experiencing these issues.
Here are a few sample questions to ask yourself during self-reflection:
Why do I feel (insert negative emotion)?
What led to me feeling (insert negative emotion)?
How did I feel before I started feeling it?
When was the first time I felt (insert negative emotion)? Did something trigger it?
What steps can I take to feel better? How can I solve (insert negative emotion)?
This is by no means a complete list. These are just a few ideas to start out with.
You’ll want to tailor your questions to your specific situation. Sometimes your answers to questions will lead you to ask more questions. In which case, follow that rabbit hole and see what you learn.
If you hold any bit of information back from yourself during this process, then you aren’t engaging in honest self-reflection. You’re deceiving yourself.
This deception breaks your self-trust. Don’t let this happen. Be 100% honest and transparent with yourself.
Once you answer the questions you ask yourself, you must find some resolution to them.
This most often means taking action(s) to resolve them.
Or simply answering the questions can be a conclusion to them.
Letting things go is often a great way to solve problems that haunt you. Especially when the problem happened a long time ago, but isn’t a real issue anymore… It’s only a problem in your mind.
The best solution to eliminating your regret depends on each situation.
Seeking help through therapy is perhaps the best option for unlocking the power of self-reflection. Especially if this process is difficult for you.
Wrapping up
Regret is a difficult emotion that can ruin your life.
Don’t let that happen.
Regret is a feeling that you have complete control over.
Remember this, and use your power within to eliminate your regrets.
Or avoid putting yourself in situations that will lead you to feel regret.
Boost your confidence and self-esteem by making good decisions and acting upon them.
References:
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-mindful-self-express/201205/the-psychology-regret