“Facing Regret” By Breanna C.

Ian Cox Speas states, “No pain is unbearable except that of regret.” What makes regret one of the most unshakable feelings individuals have? How is it so impactful?

            The dictionary definition of regret is a feeling of sorrow or remorse for a fault, act, loss, or disappointment. It is felt around the world, whether it is about education, romantic relationships, finance, health, etc. I strongly believe it stems from the possibilities of the “what if.” Endless scenarios, thoughts, and feelings go through your head when you ponder about how different the outcomes of your life could have been. It is something I have experienced and struggled with a lot more than I anticipated growing up, and I continue to battle these constant “what ifs.”

            Choosing between one thing over another, whether it is work or fun, a stable career or true passion, and a decline or acceptance all have one thing in common. Opportunity. Opportunity provides a variety of possibilities, and with many possibilities comes success and failure. This is where regret comes into play when you choose something over another, and it ends up not being as glorified or expected as it was in the moment. You begin to rethink your choice and how differently things would have turned out. Sometimes regret can come later in life, when you’ve gone through many ups and downs to know what you took for granted or overlooked. Due to the strong emotions connected to failure and disappointment, it is a reason why the feeling of sorrow can linger for longer periods of time, even when the situation has passed.

Although it is strictly seen with a negative connotation, the feeling of regret can be a significant eye-opener and a way to learn from past mistakes. Self-improvement and reflection can be derived from the overbearing sense of guilt one has due to personal decisions. I regret not being a better daughter and friend at some points in my life. I regret not making good educational choices when it came to procrastination and building discipline. I regret not being nicer to myself when I made mistakes or when something did not go as planned. So much regret but little I can do to change the past. With this being said, all that could be done is to stop dwelling on previous circumstances, but rather pinpoint what I could do better from now on so I can avoid feeling even more remorse in the future. It is unfortunately not a nice emotion to feel, especially when you know you could've done better or did more. However, like any other emotion, it won’t consume you if you don’t let it.

Everyone will face situations in their lifetime where they will feel regret, some more than others. Living in the past does not help overcome the guilt, but rather just replays it. Instead of trying to relieve it as a way to degrade yourself, it can be used as a way to self-reflect and move on with your life knowing what you could do for your future. Regret is not always bad, but not learning from it is even worse.

 

 

Work Cited

“REGRET Definition & Meaning.” Dictionary.com, https://www.dictionary.com/browse/regret. Accessed 19 April 2024.