What is your biggest regret in life?

[Teadrinker11]

At 26, I know I'm still at an age where I'm somewhat young enough to make good decisions to prevent more regret in the future, but I still do regret a lot. I've wasted so much money on things I didn't need, I neglected my health for so long, it's taken me to 26 to somewhat have my life together. I'm studying law and love it, but hate how I spent so much time after school messing around wasting my life. I didn't go to college straight after school like so many of my classmates did and I still pine over the years I lost, when people in their early 20s are having the time of their lives. What is your biggest regret?

@YingMei

Doing a music degree. It was fun but it's a shit degree to have and I will be a low ish earner forever. Wish I had done a science or something vocational

I very nearly did a music degree but decided against it because I didn't want to lose the joy I had for music by intellectualising it too much. I loved the performance and composition modules of A-level music and excelled at them but really didn't enjoy studying scores and the history of music.

My friend did a music degree at a red brick university and in her words spent 3 years studying Gregorian chants and was bored to tears. She later trained as a lawyer and was a high earner but found that impossible to juggle with 3 young children so then retrained as a fitness instructor which she enjoys but struggles financially. The grass is always greener.

@Sunnytwobridges

Not answering the phone the last time my first BF called me

Going to uni as it didn’t pay off

Letting my parents influence me instead of following my heart

Not answering the phone the last time my first BF called me

Me too - we never spoke again because he took his own life.

Not messaging my cousin when I was about to, I picked up my phone then changed my mind. She died suddenly and unexpectedly later that day.

Giving up a chance at a good job at 19 as my mum didn't want me travelling to study for it. Instead of supporting me she was just worried I would have to get the train on my own to the city once a week. How ridiculous. I could've been on 40k or more by now.

Giving up my job to be a SAHM.. we split up and I was left with nothing.

How I treated some of my nicer ex's.

Having a baby in a failing relationship. Love the said child to pieces and wouldn't change her for the world but being single when she was a few months old wasn't and isn't ideal.

Wow my life is full of a lot more regrets than I realised

Spending more time with my grandparents before they passed …and finding out more about their lives and stories.

Letting men treat me badly in my 20’s and 30’s due to poor self esteem.

Wish I’d got therapy sooner after childhood trauma.

Started having children late- only have 1 - would liked to have had more.

Trigger warning

Telling my parents about the sexual abuse I was subjected to as a child. I recently had a huge breakdown. I have a "successful" job and family life.

Therapist told me to tell parents etc

Worse thing I ever did was to deposit that guilt on two people I love

@DontKeepTheFaith in my Trust they do employ RMN's on general wards - might be worth some looking into :)

@theqentity

I regret not quitting a very very stressful job in a toxic workplace where my head of dept bullied me, gleefully, every single day for four years. I still bear the mental scars to this day. I wonder sometimes about writing to her, but I'm too afraid of her.

What a nasty bitch. Put it behind you, thequentity, and try to move forward.

That woman clearly had issues. She must have been a really unhappy and fucked up person to have felt the need to be so nasty and spiteful. Don’t waste any more emotions on her.X

@PrincessConsuelaBananahamm0ck

I regret not getting a degree. I could have, but I didn't want to, so I went straight into work after my A-Levels. I'm now 40 and recently finally realised what career I might like to do. But it all feels too late and too long a road to go down now (teaching). I wish I could travel back to 1999 and have a word with myself.

I am 40 in 6 weeks and just started a degree for a new career (part time OU) it's not too late. We have 25+ years until we retire. My friend is 50 and a teaching assistant doing teacher training alongside! If you want it, be brave x

Travelling more when I had opportunity.

@CatRamsey

It's weird seeing so many people say they regret not buying a property or doing it sooner. I bought my house when I was 20 and I regret it. I missed out being in my early twenties with no responsibilities and went straight to being a homeowner. I was with my ex at the time but now I'm alone at 26 and a three bed house almost feels too much for me - I kind of want a cozy little flat!!! Obviously I know getting on the ladder young is a good thing but I do feel I rushed into it.

Rent it out snd then rent a flat

Late to the party with this but…

Biggest regret was not calling my dad for a chat the night before he took his own life. There were no warning signs, nothing outwardly amiss. I used to ring and we’d have a few hours worth of chatting. I went to call, but I was tired and thought I’d call after work the next day. Unfortunately I never got the chance to. My uncle knocked on the door around 6pm to break the news to me and rush me back home before his body was taken to the morgue. He’d, in a weird secret way, said bye to people the day before but we didn’t live locally at the time and I’d not spoke to him in over a week. I’ve never gotten over the loss, almost 5 years and it still hurts just as much.

I also regret currently being ridiculously in love with a man who I can’t seem to disentangle myself from. Apparently I am a ‘close, special friend’, though I have no idea what that actually means. Coupled with the fact he has on occasion called me his partner I’m completely in a bit of a head fuck. We haven’t had a sexual side to our friendship (situationship?) for almost two years now, but there has definitely been sexual tension on both sides and usually we end up cuddling on the couch at the end of the evening if I am at his place. Whatever way I look at it I’m going to be monumentally hurt one way or another. I kind of wish I’d never agreed to have an open relationship with DH, it was always going to end badly.

Being fat. It’s taken me years to get to the point of doing something to work on it and the weight is coming off, but I’m going to be left with loose skin and I’ll end up looking a bit of a mess I think.

Being an anxious, panicky mess. Especially when it comes to the DC. I always think in worst case scenarios and I can’t stop overthinking. I’m currently stuck taking antidepressants for GAD/panic disorder, which reared it’s ugly head about two years after my dad died..I think I’d been running on adrenaline and I just crashed.

Agreeing to move in with MIL. It’s damaged my mental health beyond repair and she’s a nightmare to live with. No end in sight yet as the housing market is awful.

Sometimes I do think I’d just like to go for a very very long sleep. And maybe not wake up.

to everyone. Life is hard.

JorahFriendZone
I couldn’t help see your post x
I’m so sorry about your dad . There are no words to comfort you , but it reads like he loved you back and - I don’t know but suivide is death of mental health in my view
And not preventable , no more than any other fatal illness
He’s at peace now , and not suffering
and I pray you can find it too

1. Settling down too young and missing out.
2. Leaving London and heading back to my shitty town due to 1.
3. Doing a job that I don’t like just because the money is good.
4. Not following my heart when I should have done.

Other than that….🤣

The people on here telling others not to have regrets; that's pretty invalidating and reeks of toxic positivity. Sure don't let regrets define you but you feel what you feel.

Marrying my ex, I found him cheating online before the wedding and I still went ahead with it as I was too scared to be on my own. I wish I had told my mum and not married him. The whole time I was scared and sad. He was emotionally, sexually and financially abusive to me. I'm free now but I wasted a lot of my life with him.

Of course I have regrets but having your life dominated by a toxic isn't a choice, like some other things. Yes I could have stood up to her, but it was made clear to me that my life would have been made a misery if I had. Even after she died it didn't stop. I am so envious of people who have a loving relationship with their mum - I can't bring myself to call her that as it sounds like a mum is a nice person. When I see those things on FB extolling wonderful mums and saying to treasure them as you'll miss them so much when they've gone, I think "If only you knew what some people have to put up".

Why have kids if you're going to be horrible to them?

Staying in a shitty relationship, not looking after my health/weight.

Being scared of change!!

I regret most things I have chosen to say and do. I am really crap at life.

@HorrocksToThem

I regret most things I have chosen to say and do. I am really crap at life.

I reckon most if not everyone In your life would be sad to read that and disagree

@HorrocksToThem
Everyone has rain in their life..
I hope now it's time for sunshine for you.. hugs.

@peasoup8

Falling for the ‘natural birth is best’ rubbish, trusting the doctors and not absolutely insisting on a C-section. I still get upset today when I think of the trauma my baby must have gone through.

Exactly the same. My son is a grown man now and has significant learning disabilities. I’ll always care for him. It can’t be proven but I know the trauma of his birth caused it.

Marrying my exh but at least I'm a divorcee instead of a spinster

Different ex but 20 ish years ago I was offered the chance to represent my club at a kickboxing tournament in the USA, it was a really big deal to me and I went home and excitedly told my then-partner. He was FURIOUS and told me if I went, our relationship was over - he didn't want me to become a 'kickboxer's moll'. We'd just bought a house together and the thought of separating was difficult. I told my instructor I couldn't go so he offered my place to another girl in the club. A few days later my ex announced he'd thought about it and he was ok with me going, by which time it was too late.

I never forgave him for it and myself for pandering to him

I regret not having lots of sex when I was young and single.
I was always a bit of a prude and saving myself for Mr Right.
I am happily in a relationship now (22 years and counting) but feel that I really should have had a bit more fun in my twenties!

Not going to sixth form and then university. I was fed up with being the clever one at a very bad school
Then under pressure from family not joining the police
I wish I'd had more confidence to be different from the pack and stood up to family

I wish I had never divorced my first husband. He was the love of my life.

I regret not taking better care of my skin when I was younger.