Bring Peace Into Your Life by Learning to Let Go Of Regret
When you feel sorry, sad, or disappointed over something you did, youâre probably experiencing regret. Regret can weigh you down and become such a focus in your life that youâre unable to identify the many accomplishments youâve achieved.
Although itâs best not to experience regret, there may be times when itâs unavoidable. Consider the following steps to deal with your regret and move on to live an unfettered life:
- Acknowledge you feel sorry about what you did. Maybe you chose doing extra work on a project over spending time with your child. Recognize how you feel. Say, âIâm sorry for thatâ to the person you offended or if the person isnât available, at least acknowledge to yourself that youâre sorry about the way things went.
- How can you make the situation better? In the above example, you can clearly block out time to spend quality time with your child. However, other situations that bring on regret may not be so easily corrected, so do what you can to alleviate the issue.
- What did you learn from the situation? You can gain back much of your emotional strength by completing this step. Allow yourself to think about the after effects of your faulty decision and then consider what you can do differently in the future, should a similar situation arise. Noticing your new learning will help you feel less regret.
- Apply new learning to your life now. The best way to combat regret is to live a life that you can be at peace with. When youâre thoughtful about decisions, avoid acting impulsively, and say nothing (at least initially) when you feel upset, youâll begin to build a life thatâs more tranquil and satisfying.
- Reflect on Lucille Ballâs quote regarding regret. Ms. Ball once said, âIâd rather regret the things Iâve done than the things I havenât done.â What point do you think sheâs making?
- One interpretation is that itâs best to have regrets over making an effort at something and failing rather than not doing anything at all and remaining static. Maybe your reflections will move you forward to resolve your regret. You might even find something about your behavior that you can feel okay about.
- Give yourself a break. Itâs true, you messed up. But youâve gained a further understanding of the situation and done what you can to resolve it. Now itâs time to forgive yourself.
- Let go. There will come a time to sum it up, acknowledge what you did, and move on. Let go of the negativity to make room for more positivity in your life. You can experience a huge sigh of relief and embrace your life with renewal and hope. Things can be better now.
Dealing with regret could be one of the greatest life challenges youâll have to traverse. However, if you acknowledge youâre sorry and ask what you can do to soothe the situation, youâre well on your way to successfully managing your regret. Also, identify and apply lessons learned from the situation.
Find your own meaning to Lucille Ballâs quote about regret. Give yourself a break. Finally, learn to release the negativity from the regret and move forward. Find the tranquil life you want by successfully dealing with your regret.