Dealing With Regret

Have you ever noticed how really agonisingly painful it is whenever you reminisce about the events in your past that you know could have gone better but didn't? Things you should have said, things you should have done...or shouldn't have, as the case may be. Truth is, we all have varied levels of grace when it comes to dealing with such feelings. Some of us are fortunate enough to have the ability to handle regret gracefully, the rest of us just suck at it. I've seen a lot of people wallow in regret for much too long, becoming shadows of their former selves and - as a resultant - rendering themselves utterly unproductive. So here's the question. How do you deal with regret?

I remember there was a time I would beat myself up and refuse to forgive myself when I made certain mistakes. I always thought I was too smart, too exposed, to make certain blunders. Eventually I realised no matter how much I thought about the mistakes I had already made, I could never unmake them. All my unhealthy thoughts of regret only stopped me from making optimum use of the present.

I realised that the best I could do was get over the past and try to make up for those errors. However, I made sure every sour experience made me wiser and stronger. I mean, the least I could do for myself was learn my lessons and try never to repeat the same mistakes. I think that only works in theory though, mistakes are simply inevitable. You'll never stop making them. That's why you're human.

So please my dear friend, the next time you find yourself brooding over your mistakes, the fact that you put all your trust in the wrongest of persons, or that you lost some extremely valuable things as a result of your carelessness, or that you allowed yourself be deceived beyond your wildest imaginations, cry just as much as you need to (yes, it's healthy, bottling it all up will only aggravate the situation), but realise when the time for that is over, forgive yourself, learn the appropriate lessons and move on with your life.

Maximise the use of your today. A lot of things will happen in your future that will bring you much more happiness than you could ever imagine, but how would you know if you decide to never let the past go? No one ever said it was going to be a walk in the park, but I can assure you, it'll be one of the wisest decisions you'll ever take. Peace!