What do you regret about not doing in your 20's and would change?

[Trainermat]

Title says it all. I'm 20 and looking for some pointers! Feeling very lost atm.

You can still interrail!!

I don’t regret anything here’s what I did:

1. got an education
2. worked, saves and buggered off travelling for 18 months
3. partied lots
4. had lots of sex
5. made some terrible choices
6. met new friends
7. ditched toxic people
8. went to lots of music festivals
9. started a career
10. bought my first property
11. met the one

Interesting thread

Main points I can see it reading through

More sex

More travel

More awareness on relationships and financial affairs

Gather experiences and be wise with your future

Done more therapy, studied more to give myself better career options, gotten into better skincare habits.

Things I'm glad I did; slept with lots of different men before I met my husband, dated lots, travelled, bought a house relatively young, had my first kid aged 30.

Some of these comments are grim.

I forgot to buy a property in my 20s. My only regret really.

I wish I had:
Got therapy and sorted my confidence out.
Binned off my shitty relationship.
Been selfish and put myself first.
Had more fun.
Forged myself a career before the ties of having a family.

SUNCREAM. Suncream suncream suncream. Factor 50, everyday, even dec 23rd.

Definitely be sensible with money! Try and not have any credit cards and save if you can, pay into a pe
nsion.
Travel.
I wish I'd appreciated having wrinkle free skin and no grey hairs - enjoy that while you can!!! And with that in mind, get in place a good skin care routine and get in the habit of drinking lots of water!
Don't change for anyone - be yourself always.
Enjoy your 20s - it's a great decade!!!

wish i'd tried to get into the civil service.
also to use sun cream every day.
and been nicer to my parent.

To my 20 year old self
1.. Shag more
2.. not to spend money on shite
3.. invest in property
4.. drink more wine 😀

I wish I'd bought a house. Starting to look unreachable

I wish I'd not spent almost my entire twenties with one man, I should have been braver to step out into adult life on my own, travel, get to know the world.
I wish I had been kinder to myself, and taken better care of my mental health.
I wish I'd realized earlier how mediocre most men are in the workplace and that I'm just as good if not better than them.

Learnt to ski / got a professional qualification / slept around more / bought a house

Had more sex. I bought a house at 27 but I wish I'd done it a couple of years earlier - I could have but I couldn't be arsed to do it. I'd have saved ££££. Been more confident at work, even now I get imposter syndrome.

I wish I’d had more babies. Went through menopause in my thirties so I couldn’t have any more.

If you find someone and you want to start a family, do it. Don't wait 10 years down the line. You can always retrain and still being young have more options once your kids are grown. Speaking from experience

Moved further from my parents.

God, I wished I'd travelled more. Seen the world. Worked abroad - I did one summer, I should've done more.

Yeah. Wish I'd seen more of the world while I was young and unencumbered.

Actually

i met my dh when I was 21. I regret nothing about my 20s. Maybe I’m unusual but I got married, had 2 kids, bought a flat,, went to uni for the first time, went to loads of gigs, made good female friends to go clubbing with, saw a wee bit of the world for the first time on holiday, oh and learned to drive. It was pretty good tbh, my advice would be love whatever you are doing. And learn!

@Unforgettablefire because I am now 53, and though my mind is the same as 30 years ago my body really isn't.

Given who i am and my circumstances, which i can't change, there's nothing i didn't do that i wish i had done. I made the most of the opportunities that came my way. And thinking of friends who struggke to make decisions, I am lucky that i never felt i had more than one equally good option, so it was easy to make decisions even though i didn't have a long term plan, it was just that each step made me a little bit happier.

The one thing I didn't do that I regret was pulling out of a Pacific island tour to be with a boyfriend. He later dumped me too.

Also if you can, buy a house/flat. I understand wanting to "see the world" Luke other pp have mentioned. But you need to think more long term. You can always safe up and travel later

Met bf at 18, was tied down in that relationship until I was 26. It was abusive and he had a severe addiction (his parents had to remortgage house/ sell their cars for cheaper ones etc). He was convinced- as were we, he would be ok. So I hung on for about 5 years. Complete waste of my time, thankfully I had friends but I didn't enjoy life as I should have.
Wish I'd have left as soon as alarm bells rang.