Regret can be an unwanted companion in life, whispering to you about what went wrong or what you missed out on and keeping you stuck in the “what could have been” loop. 

Constant regret is tiring, and if not used well can be detrimental to your emotional well-being by dragging you down and fuelling feelings of guilt, sadness, and sometimes even self-loathing. 

So, what could you do instead. 

I suggest that a more useful approach to dealing with regret is to acknowledge the feeling, extract the lessons it offers, and then consciously let it go and move forward. 

And why is this important? Because of two things:

1. Being preoccupied with regret can prevent you from seeing opportunities in the present moment and make you hesitant to take new risks or try new possibilities. You end up missing out on the opportunities right in front of you. 

2. Regret diminishes learning and growth because if you’re drowning in regret, you miss the chance to understand what went wrong, why it went wrong and how you can grow from it. You miss out on the wisdom mistakes can provide.

So, when regret pays you a visit, don’t dwell there. Instead, acknowledge the feeling as an opportunity to learn, extract the lessons and move forward with your new found knowledge.