Regret is a pointless emotion that most of us have wallowed in at some time or another. Some fleetingly experience regret while others linger in its insidious grasp, consumed with reliving a situation over and over leading to a state of bitterness over what could have been.
It is easy to fall into the pit of regret over almost anything we experience in our lives. We can regret relationships, regret the car we bought, regret having children, regret being born, but the overriding factor is that we cannot change the things we have done and the decisions we made at the time.
Regret consumes our energy, robbing us of the time we have now. Regret belongs in the past because no matter how much time we waste on useless regurgitation over a situation that has occurred we are powerless to amend it.
Every single decision we have ever made whether we perceive it to be positive or negative moulds us into the person we become. What is the point of yearning to go back and change those life experiences which would also erase the valuable lessons learned along the way.
Instead of feeling regretful in regards to a decision you have made ask yourself what knowledge you gained, how you can apply what you have learned to enhance your life and how the situation could help you grow as a person.
Regretting also suggests to yourself that you have made a mistake. You should have known better, have avoided something or someone and then where you are now in life would be so much better.
Maybe, maybe not. This kind of senseless negative way of thinking makes you start to yearn for something that is not real and you prohibit yourself from experiencing something genuine in the here and now. Not only are regrets a source of unhappiness but if we continue to fuel these fantasies of ‘what if’ we are essentially opting out and blaming something we can’t change for our present moment.
The more you indulge the feeling of regret the more regret you will feel. Acknowledge your feelings, let go and move on.
Living in the past is a futile occupation and blinds you to the opportunities of the future.
Don’t allow regret to steal the here and now. It is over and done with. Turn the page and focus on the next chapter of your life, leaving the past where it will always remain, in the past.