Taking Control of Regret

We would all like to make the right choices and decisions all of the time, but we don’t. It’s just not realistic or possible. Inevitably everyone will occasionally take the wrong path, miss an opportunity, or say something we shouldn’t have. And later on we regret it.  Regrets are a normal and frustrating part of life. They come in all sizes and often daily. But there’s a big difference between regretting your choice of latte for the day and regretting your choice of career or a lifetime’s worth of parenting decisions. Unfortunately, for some people the larger regrets we experience can become all-consuming and cause psychological problems.  Problems Caused By Unresolved Regrets Regrets are often accompanied by uncomfortable feelings like guilt, disappointment and sadness. If left unresolved they can lead to a very unhealthy state of mind. They may play on a loop through the minds of affected individuals and become focal points that dampen happiness and the ability to progress through life and have new, positive experiences. As a result, people who focus on things they regret are susceptible to developing problems with depression, anxiety, or both. Focusing on regrets can also lead to extreme reactions to the things or situations that caused the regret in the first place. These reactions can range from complete avoidance of people or things that remind you of the regret, to obsessive attention to those things in an effort to fix things. For instance, if someone reg...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Aging Men's Issues Midlife Crisis Optimism regret Rumination Source Type: blogs