LOADING

Type to search

Reflections Shared Stories

Dwell on your persistent, intense regrets: a counter-intuitive guide to dealing with midlife regrets

Next Step to Nirvana February 10, 2015
10070 Views 2 Comments

A whiff, a touch, a gentle breeze, someone’s child, a couple at the coffee shop holding hands, a distant memory, someone’s vacation home, pictures of travel in South America, a grant denied, a gift received, a cupcake eaten, a promise broken, a drink taken, love unspoken, an unkind thought spoken, an expense incurred, a trip deferred, bridges burned– all sorts of regrets lurk through the alleys of the midlife brain. Seemingly unique to one but common to many – pedestrian regrets about relationships, careers, uncoupled loves, and unfulfilled dreams. Secret regrets that surprise the holder and the listener.

The thought of regret is on my mind because of this blog. I had almost forgotten that I used to blog years back when livejournal was a top blogging platform. As an immigrant single parent-doctoral student, my vantage point was a rare perch. I started it as a release from my all-consuming dissertation. I quit after I finished my dissertation. Now I wish I hadn’t. The writing was fun and therapeutic but my regret is that without even a proper goodbye, I abandoned my followers who cheered me on in my journey. And with that, a minuscule chance that I may have been on the list of Big Bloggers today.

Most long term regrets like mine are regrets of inaction, about opportunities missed. Yesterday, I met an ex Mormon with whom I had the most interesting conversation about her loss of faith and a lifetime of regrets. Regrets of inaction stay longer with you. Regrets about actions taken are usually short term. “I wish I hadn’t had that drink last night; I wish I hadn’t said No to my spouse; I wish I hadn’t bought that dress that I didn’t need; I wish I hadn’t lied to my mother when she asked me how I was.” Most people’s regrets are about education, career, romance, parenting, self-improvement, and leisure, in that order. On a side note, women harbor more romantic regrets than men who move on to other relationships far more quickly. But paradoxically, women also initiate 75% of divorces.

There is a lot of information about the psychology and neuroscience of regret. Most advice focuses on how to forgive oneself and move on to banishing regret. I think you should do the opposite. Dwell on your persistent regrets because opportunity breeds regret. Diminishing opportunity means diminished regrets, which is why most healthy older adults let go of regrets. Your persistent and intense regrets have a message. They tell you that that you are open to possibilities of renewal; that you can correct your decisions, do something different, and change your life. Midlife is when you are old enough to know what you want and young enough to go for it. So hold on to those regrets, nurture them, and ask them to talk to you and listen to them. Don’t banish them. Instead make friends with them.

Check more stories at https://wordpress.com/posts/poonamallee.wordpress.com

You Might also Like

2 Comments

  1. samergler February 19, 2015

    I very much appreciated this article. Great perspective that really resonates with me with some midlife struggles of regret that I currently face. I have been told by family members, etc to move on but as a very analytical thinker who tries to put an answer with every question while trying to figure out what every experience has meant in the context of my life, I can sometimes stay stuck on issues and often feel guilty when I can’t move on. This was great advice that I am going to heed as I keep looking for the greater lesson in these regrets that will eventually free me to move on, sans the guilt!

    Reply
  2. Next Step to Nirvana February 21, 2015

    Samergler,

    Thank you. I think analysis by paralysis is not uncommon among those of us who are analytical thinkers but I really think there is a role for structured critical reflection in our life. By creating it we can deepen our experience and the learning from it. I am so glad that this article resonated with you. Good luck with everything. You might like my other work on my blog as well. I write about what matters to me. https://wordpress.com/posts/poonamallee.wordpress.com

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *