The Power of Feeling Your Regret: Letting Go for the New Year
As the year wraps up, it's easy to focus on goals, wins, and highlights—but what about the regrets we quietly carry?
Regret is an emotion everyone experiences, no matter how successful or content we may feel. Regret doesn't have to mean you wish your life had turned out differently; it just means there are feelings you need to acknowledge and release. Ignoring regret only makes it linger and quietly affect our joy, sometimes even our physical well-being.
Regret Reflection Exercise: Action Steps
Sit down with your preferred tool (I use Notion and Notion AI for support)
Create a simple table.
In the first column, list out all of the regrets your body is asking your to feel.
In the second column, write your answers to the prompt: What were you afraid would happen in each situation?
In the third column, write your answers to the prompt: What lessons or boundaries did you gain from each experience?
This practice brings clarity to the shadow side of our choices, and creates space for growth and self-kindness.
For example: Regret avoiding a hard conversation? Maybe you realize you feared conflict and abandonment. The lesson could be to embrace honesty earlier, knowing discomfort is cheaper than months of resentment.
Processing regret isn't about ruminating in the past—it's about making peace with it so you can move forward lighter and more grounded.
