What is your biggest regret in life?

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What is your biggest regret in life?

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  1. thick_bf_dick Avatar

    That I’ve spent so much time being self-conscious. It can be quite paralyzing and I feel I’ve missed out on a lot because of it.

  2. Altruistic_Doctor398 Avatar

    not taking enough pills that night 😁 yup i’m good lolll

  3. SillySub2001 Avatar

    Honestly, being awful to my parents as a teenage girl. They were incredible in every way and for some reason making every decision I could to make things difficult for them was caked into my brain. I was an AWFUL teenager.

  4. AAAAAAAAAGHHHHH Avatar

    For the longest time, I was incredibly embarassed of every interest or hobby I’ve ever had. I missed out on a lot of connections because of it.

  5. LearnStalkBeInformed Avatar

    Settling down at a young age. I wish I’d dated more, had more sex, experimented. I mean I love my partner but I was 16 when we got together. I feel like I missed out.

  6. Preschien Avatar

    “In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.”

  7. LCxxxPT Avatar

    Not making more more first moves and / or not talking to girls that i wanted to talk but didn’t advanced

  8. littlemeria Avatar

    I’ll have enjoyed college more. After the pandemic, I literally just graduated again and I feel like I wasn’t social enough.

  9. Alpaca0202 Avatar

    My university studies. I picked the wrong subject. It’s not really helpful when it comes to finding jobs.

  10. MistressPaine666 Avatar

    Not going to college. I was raised in a group that strongly discouraged higher education. I wish I knew I could have said F it & gone anyway.

  11. VN_Nagato Avatar

    Not making time enough for ex

  12. RandomActOfRhymeness Avatar

    Not knowing love, I played the part,
    With borrowed lines, a guarded heart.
    I turned true feelings into games—
    Now all that’s left are ghosts and names.

    Biggest regret? It’s crystal clear:
    I hurt the ones I held most dear.

  13. ApprehensiveDirt3072 Avatar

    not letting myself love more

  14. ThomHaynks Avatar

    Not seeking help for my poor mental health earlier in life.

  15. Humble_Message_6399 Avatar

    Waiting until my 30s to address my mental health. Things during my 20s, even teens, could have been so different.

  16. erak3xfish Avatar

    I treated women terribly in high school and college. The worst part? I believed in my heart that I was such a nice guy.

  17. Mammoth_Wish_1304 Avatar

    Not defending myself in school

  18. MiskonceptioN Avatar

    I’m no crypto-bro, but I definitely regret selling 11 BTC in 2012

  19. sweetcookie123 Avatar

    Wasting time on people who meant me no good . So much time could’ve been spent on developing hobbies and exploring what the world has to offer. I’m 28 so I feel like I still have time and I’m going to use it to the fullest now.

  20. TheMostBasicHuman Avatar

    That I wasn’t born strong enough, smart enough, wise enough, to save the world.

    That I failed my one objective: save humanity from themselves.

    I let you down, and I am sorry. It’s my bad man.

  21. Wild-Preparation5356 Avatar

    The list of regrets is many. Too many to list. It’s crushing.

  22. MyUsernameIsForSale Avatar

    Not making more friends early so I could be better at making friends and hooking up today

  23. Potential-College-77 Avatar

    Not pursuing my dream of becoming a doctor.

  24. Worldneedsbadwomen Avatar

    Being Bi..should have been a lesbian

  25. innocent_toe Avatar

    leaving my first job.

  26. -ashlander Avatar

    Not investing in google when I was 3

  27. LordJuku23 Avatar

    Taking 4Gs of shrooms with my best friend. I thought he was going to die after losing his mind during the trip. He smashed mirrors at my friends house and jumped on their cars. He was eventually arrested and taken to the hospital. He developed an anxiety disorder from it. He will never admit it but he’s never been the same since that day.

  28. teeger9 Avatar

    Not buying a house when I was in fourth grade and wasted my time playing outside.

  29. flopoyamin84b Avatar

    I spent a few years being sober. Now, I am fully aware of the dangers of alcohol.

  30. PseudoStonk Avatar

    Didn’t start doing social media earlier cuz I was overthinking and afraid of judgements

  31. CubbCubbSquare Avatar

    Believing in people who didn’t deserve my time.

  32. Adventurous-Cod7028 Avatar

    Blaming myself for every bad thing that happened around me 🙂

  33. medieval_mosey Avatar

    How much time you got buddy

  34. Legitimate-Neat1674 Avatar

    Not dating guys sooner

  35. North_Cherry_4209 Avatar

    That I spent so much time being angry growing up, I was rightfully upset so I cut myself slack but yea if you can avoid being angry pls do it’s not worth your time while you’re on this earth

  36. mrswit19 Avatar

    I married at 23 and didn’t get out until last year (13yrs married). Hard to say I regret it, with who I’ve become as a person because of it, and the 4 kids from that relationship, but man, sometimes I wonder….

  37. Holiday-Piglet-4804 Avatar

    Letting my anxiety run the show.

  38. typesett Avatar

    As someone who is older: one thing leads to another so I don’t have many true big regrets.

    Only little things like I wish I called someone before they died but even then it was ok since I did see them.

  39. spicycoffee82 Avatar

    Being brainwashed into hookup culture, “to get over someone, get under someone else.” I hated sex then and I hate that I gave into something that I wasn’t comfortable with and was certainly not me. A lot of regret there.

  40. jacktherooster12 Avatar

    I’m 52 and biggest regret is not having children

  41. avacadohh Avatar

    Not getting my shit together sooner. Partying over prioritizing in my early 20s really set me back. I’ve always felt like I had to play catch up with my peers.

  42. No-Opinion2631 Avatar

    Not being more confident

  43. Serious_Bet_4717 Avatar

    not to have asked this one charming lady for her number 294 days ago…

  44. Kayobi_28 Avatar

    I think for a lot of people, including me, it’s not the mistakes we made, but the chances we didn’t take. Whether it was not speaking up, not going after something (or someone), or playing it too safe out of fear… those “what ifs” linger the most.

  45. Aggravating_Fun7031 Avatar

    Not having had wealthy parents.

  46. No_Honeydew_3465 Avatar

    Dating you’re mother

  47. Dreaming_Retirement Avatar

    Regret is for people that never learn to let go. The ones that never learn to move on.

  48. FlyingTrain88 Avatar

    Honestly not taking chances when I was younger. Not asking the girl out for fear of getting rejected. Not continuing an activity because people thought it wasn’t cool. Not trying to go to apply for schools that were far away.

    I’m still young and in my thirties, but as I get older and have a family the opportunity to take a chance is few and far between now. I wish when Inwas younger I had just gone for some things and didn’t worry about the outcomes. My life is good, but I always wonder what would have happened if I had done things differently

  49. JessieLuscious Avatar

    Not knowing what to do with my life in terms of a career This is a daily on-going regret.

  50. nezuko-mamoti53 Avatar

    Not taking care of myself sooner

  51. SOmuch2learn Avatar

    That I married the wrong man.

  52. No-Vacation9110 Avatar

    Ready to buy Bitcoin in December of 2010 till my ex wife convinced me it’s a waste of money.

  53. yrk22 Avatar

    being born

  54. TheJackBlades Avatar

    Not taking responsibility for the entirety of myself until much later in life. Trauma fucks shit up

  55. Spiritual_Time_69 Avatar

    Didn’t go to college. Really wished I had.

  56. LawfulnessOk6037 Avatar

    when i was 8-10 year old i buy so much rbx with my mom card (i really regret this sm

  57. forested_morning43 Avatar

    Marrying the wrong person

  58. Avenntus Avatar

    Worrying so much about my future throughout my 20s. I always had this anxiety about “not making it” in life but everything turned out just fine so far.

  59. GrapeSeed007 Avatar

    Not wearing a condom way back when

  60. Verylazyperson Avatar

    I studied history instead of music. I am not unhappy, but that is probably a massive fork in my quantum timelines and I often wonder…..

  61. alfrehoe0926 Avatar

    spending most of my childhood parenting my narcissistic parents. i’m in so deep now, it feels like i’ll never escape this crushing responsibility

  62. jtd2013 Avatar

    Holding my tongue. There are times I held my tongue out of fear of consequences I made up in my mind that weren’t real looking back on it. Being more direct with an ex best friend about my feelings for her when we met in San Diego and getting a firm answer instead of letting things devolve the way they did, establishing barriers with people I should have, standing up for myself in positions I instead chose to allow others to roll me over on, etc.

  63. KingHenryDaThird Avatar

    Honestly… being so kind throughout life.. like I have received a lot of good karma for what I’ve done, at the same token I regret helping some terrible people(didn’t know they were terrible, I just enjoy helping others).

  64. HeartlessUsagi Avatar

    Rushing to get married…

  65. Appropriate-Click215 Avatar

    Not taking more positive risks.

  66. Patority Avatar

    I struggled a lot with my mental health, especially in my teenage years, so I feel like I‘ve wasted my youth….
    I know it‘s not my fault, but I wish I could get a second chance to live my school years once again

    That said, I still struggle a lot BUT I try to make the very best out of my life now in my 20s!

  67. shaggypeach Avatar

    Not asking that girl out. I once saw her turning the stairs going upstairs at my gym. Gasped. She literally took my breath away. She also gave me clear signs that she was interested, I was just a giant chicken. Totally shattered my confidence for good.

    Also listening to others for investments. I should have bought TSLA when it was $120 (pre split) and BTC when it was $3k.

  68. ShowNext445 Avatar

    When I ruined the only really meaningful friendship of my childhood. I still feel tremendous guilt for what happened, and I don’t think I’ll ever get over it.

  69. Infrared_Herring Avatar

    Never having the resources to emigrate to New Zealand.

  70. youcantakeithottogo Avatar

    Changing parts of myself for others to like having me around

  71. mdhunter99 Avatar

    Going to college. The first time anyway. Haven’t done shit with my first degree, a few video editing gigs, but that was more of a side thing.

    Back now for Massage Therapy. It’s good. I should get back to studying though.

  72. ReganorRigsby Avatar

    I was undiagnosed BPD as a teenager and young adult. I regret how hateful and mean I was to those who loved me, all because I was struggling and felt crazy. I regret hurting people because I was hurting.

  73. FallenReaper360 Avatar

    Moving out of my mom’s 3 years ago and not saving more money.

  74. MrBizzniss Avatar

    Not seeing a psychiatrist in my early 20’s. Not being on the correct meds really screwed up a lot of my romantic and platonic relationships.

  75. DreamersNeverLearnnn Avatar

    Not speaking up when my brother starting dating his now wife that I knew, from person experiences with her, was very bad news. She’s ostracized him from our family and caused a lot of heartbreak. If I’d spoken up at the time, maybe things would be different. Maybe not, but that’s my biggest regret.

  76. Jane_Austen11 Avatar

    Not telling someone that I had feelings about them

  77. jaleach Avatar

    I’m still alive and presumably have some time yet to go so get back to me on that (you may need an Ouija board).

  78. Ornery_Dot1397 Avatar

    Getting married

  79. honey-bun-bun2 Avatar

    Not being more outgoing

  80. No_Result_702 Avatar

    Losing so many of my loved ones to undiagnosed adhd, the meltdowns have caused me to say things… I’ll never be able to take back.

  81. Independent-Bike8810 Avatar

    Not marrying my ex-girlfriend.

  82. Responsible_Hand2412 Avatar

    Not walking away from a very abusive relationship when I had the chance. Totally changed the entire trajectory of my life.

  83. SwimmingAway2041 Avatar

    That I got out of the military only after 5 years I wish I would’ve spent the 20 or 30 and got lifetime retirement checks from the govt although it’s not enough to survive on it can make life a hellava a lot easier

  84. andyroysteeth Avatar

    The only girlfriend that ever truly loved and did nothing but support me thru my drug addiction and now that im on methadone and getting clean , she cant trust me again because i cheated on her. Idk what do to.

  85. moanysopran0 Avatar

    It took me until about 25 to no longer be a clear reflection of my extremely abusive childhood
    or repeat traumas in young adulthood

    A lot of people will beat themselves up about ordinary stuff or bad isolated periods in their life but I think there isn’t enough discussion on how some people live life figuring out really basic human concepts if they’ve only known abuse, you are as much a completely abnormal person as you are a victim

    You can’t accept using those experiences as justification to get out of jail free so are left with huge regret about most of your life up until the lightbulb came on

  86. MNGraySquirrel Avatar

    Sticking my dick in crazy.

  87. blackmetalbmo Avatar

    Not joining the military

  88. Derplimat Avatar

    Being too scared to call the cops when I was a kid. One phone call could’ve saved me and my siblings a lot of trauma.

  89. -whyisallicanthink- Avatar

    Not confessing my assault to my partner, who I pushed away horribly because of it. Their last words were of hatred and after years I still wake up from nightmares of how awful I was. I’m so regretful and I pray my soul will not be forsaken.

  90. n0trub Avatar

    Not doing more to engage in trauma therapy years before I did.

    Who knew being an open wound isn’t conducive to healthy relationships

  91. Tiny_giraffe_ Avatar

    Pushing anyone who is remotely good in my life away

  92. Klutzy_Net8068 Avatar

    I had a bad home life growing up AND at school. Got bullied a lot. My regret is how much it made me resent and hate everyone and the angry phase I went through where I was immediately like “fuck you” to everyone who tried to speak to me. I distrusted everyone. I regret that majorly but I thought I was protecting myself by rejecting everyone else first.

  93. MollysLemonTrees Avatar

    Giving people who don’t deserve it too many chances

  94. HighHuigh Avatar

    Spending some years with people I should have not to

  95. Aromatic-Muffin-538 Avatar

    Honestly my biggest regret is being too trusting and kind to everyone. Lots of people fucked me over, especially men who don’t get what they want from you. I have had multiple people harass me, threaten me and use my secrets against me. But no more I’m changing fr

  96. Cuddle_RedBlue0923 Avatar

    Listening to my guidance counselor and NOT becoming a nurse through the Vo-Tec program in high school, when my plan was to go to college for business.
    It would have paid for my college, AND I was already looking at the administrative side of Healthcare before it was a thing.
    What do I do now? The administrative side of healthcare, but without the clinical background.

  97. cyazz019 Avatar

    Not trying harder in highschool.

  98. Romfamine Avatar

    I had an amazing job 1st job, I thought it was that easy everywhere, I was great at it, but I was also young and naive. I quit because I thought I could do better. Boy, it was a downfall from that point, until November 2024, 10 years later I’m finally starting to see the light again. I made peace with that a few years ago though.

  99. RealLiveLawyer Avatar
    • Listening to my parents, not going to college for what I wanted to.

    • Listening to my father-in-law and quitting a good job to move across country and help him with a business that didn’t really exist.

  100. Acidhouse2137 Avatar

    Not going into medical/veterinary medicine or at least architecture.

  101. Rosekun25 Avatar

    I wish I could have done better in education.

    I knew I was smart. People told me I was smart.

    But to do better I needed support and I didn’t have that. I needed food, warm clothes, a warm place to sleep, stuff I didn’t get. I ended up getting a job relatively young so I could afford basic needs;

    I worked late nights, didn’t do my homework and slept through my classes.
    I was also verbally abused and harassed by my drug addicted manager and groomed by a coworker.

    I didn’t have anybody in my life to protect me so I had to be the adult.
    That in turn, fucked up my education.
    I do my best not to blame myself. But sometimes I still do.

  102. Qheeljkatt Avatar

    There isn’t any.

  103. sir_smelley Avatar

    Trying heroin

  104. Hot_Blacksmith6359 Avatar

    Dropping out of college. It felt so hard at the time but I feel like I’ve missed out on so many opportunities. Jobs are so hard to find and even the ones I do find SUCK. Not to mention how isolating it is when all of your peers have their own life with tons of different friends and I’m still stuck in my hometown with nobody my age to spend time with.

  105. General_Sector_9892 Avatar

    Not asking a girl out when I was driving long distance because even though I was in her area often, it was too far from where I lived.

  106. No_Past_8479 Avatar

    Take more interesting classes in undergrad. I didn’t appreciate the wealth of knowledge and interesting topics I could explore then.

  107. brighterdaysaheaddd Avatar

    always being at war with my body and not appreciating it enough. everytime I look back I’m like “oh I was fit back then”

  108. glebo123 Avatar

    Choosing the wrong women to have a family with.

    That woman and her mother are literal demons.

    I’m 39 now, and I’m living my worst nightmare, worst case scenario.

    I don’t get a 2nd chance of having a family of my own, and i have to keep this freak as a part of my life for the next 9 years when I would much rather slam the door in her face and never look at or speak to her again. I have to pretend to like her, and get along with her. I have to pretend to like her new boyfriend when I’d like nothing more than to wipe that smug grin off his face and smear him across the pavement of the $1.5 million dollar home he bought for my ex.

    Yes, that sounds like a lot of anger doesn’t it? What is the root of anger?

    Hurt

    Where does the hurt come from?

    The amount of love, and hope that was there.

    I put on a smile and pretend for the sake of our daughter, and it makes me sick to my stomach.

  109. SprinklyUK Avatar

    Rather than regrets, these are some of my learning

    • boundaries are good for everyone, you and those who are given them. It means everyone knows where they stand

    • network – think about it from the beginning of your career. Pay attention to the clever people at all levels of the organisation and stay in touch with them. I wish I’d known this realising the more senior you get the greater value a network can offer

    • get therapy and nurture a growth mindset

    • always cultivate healthy habits – do sport, as you get older it’ll be what will keep you young

  110. scribblesandstitches Avatar

    Letting my first husband coerce me into giving him custody of our child, when we split up. I was in a horrible place, mentally, mostly because of the abuse in our marriage, and he was able to convince me that I was a terrible mother and not fit for our child to live with, along with using threats of violence. I didn’t know of anyone who could help me – I was very young, and it was over 20 years ago – or how to ask, and I was a broken mess. It caused irreparable trauma for both my child and myself, which still affects us every day.

    I knew better when I left a second abusive marriage, 12 years later. I took my younger children to a shelter, sought out every possible resource, and spent years fighting like hell in family court. I didn’t try to play nice or think of anyone’s feelings other than my kids and then myself. I wasn’t about to go out of my way to lie, manipulate or screw anyone over, to be clear. I just kept to the facts, oh, and decided that I didn’t give a shit if the truth affected his reputation or career prospects.

    I was awarded sole custody and sole decision making power within the first several months, but he continued to drag it through the courts for 5 years. Basically, every time he wanted to rattle me, he’d file a new motion to dispute something about custody or access. I was a total wreck on the inside, but managed to keep my shit together and not buckle. It got so ridiculous; I began to enter a statement, every time, stating that this was being utilised as court-sanctioned mental and emotional abuse, instead of caving in. It got so bad that the judge finally ruled that he was suspended from filing any motions for a full year. That finally ended the nonsense.

    I’m proud of myself for fighting so hard, and managing to raise these kids in a home that is free from abuse and any kind of harm. It still can’t change the regret that I feel, every day, for becoming so beaten down not that it never crossed my mind, that I might be able to do it for my oldest child.

  111. Western-Bag3481 Avatar

    As a woman, I wish I was diagnosed with Autism earlier. I’m not even clinically diagnosed, I’ve been self diagnosed for two years now. I’m almost 27.

  112. IdkAGoodUsername11 Avatar

    I have a lot but one of the biggest ones was not calling my grandma before she died. I was 13 at the time and randomly got the urge to call my grandma. When I went to go get my phone (I left it downstairs) my mom asked me to help her with something. It took a few hours and by the time we finished I was kinda tired. “I’ll call her tomorrow” I thought when I went to go shower. The next morning when I went downstairs I saw my mom on the phone crying. I was so confused so I hugged her while she explained that my grandma was in the hospital. I nodded and cried while she told me what was going on. I instantly felt guilty for not calling her. My mom rushed to the hospital to be with her. When my mom called me that night she said that my grandma could barely speek and that it had happend that morning. I told my grandma I loved her over the phone and she said said back. It was so quiet that I couldn’t hear it but my mom said she said it back. I told her that I’d call her once she got out kinda knowing that there was a good chance she wouldn’t. Not even a week later she passed away in the hospital. I still feal bad about being lazy and not calling her when I had the chance to.

  113. Fun_Yogurtcloset1012 Avatar

    Listening to parent’s advice to study something, believing it would help me get a good career and a stable life. What a waste of time, I never used it, I learnt on my own that its the money that is important, not some fancy job title, I am still unable to afford a lot of stuff.

  114. DressedUp2GoDreaming Avatar

    Thinking that being original was more important than doing well in college and finding a good job

  115. Sufficient-Answer-46 Avatar

    My ex boyfriend 😆 I should have exited that toxic relationship much sooner.

  116. Repentantsinner2901 Avatar

    Not saving my damn money, not taking religion serious sooner, not moving sooner, not taking undergrad serious, not taking advantage of covid life lol 😂

  117. Chicka-boom90 Avatar

    Caring what people think, not cutting my sister off sooner, people pleasing , not getting healthier sooner , living a non toxic life sooner

  118. whomp1970 Avatar

    HEY. HEY.

    It’s not your turn to ask this question today. We have a list of people who are supposed to ask this every hour of every day, and you’re not scheduled until … 3pm tomorrow.

  119. Bella702 Avatar

    Not spending enough time with my Dad, who died in 2001.

  120. poopoolagoon Avatar

    Not seeking psychiatry and therapy sooner

  121. OkWanKenobi Avatar

    Devoting all of my energy to people pleasing and ensuring everyone liked me. I was a nice person for sure, but nice is fake as hell and people know it. I’ve spent a lot of time accepting the truth that I am not for everyone, and that’s ok.

  122. EditorPuzzleheaded54 Avatar

    getting a hormonal IUD

  123. Lurking_stoner Avatar

    Spending all my settlement money on stupid shit and now I’m broke again

  124. EllaLovesYouu Avatar

    Telling my barber “do whatever you think looks best” in 2017. Still recovering emotionally 😂

  125. BMXTammi Avatar

    Trusting my family. Parents and siblings are all in it for themselves. Good riddance.

  126. Utter_Bitter69 Avatar
    1. Falling in love.
    2. Repeating point 1 even after knowing it.
  127. mcnastys Avatar

    It’s a tie between not starting to work out sooner, and listening to people that were adults/older than me who it turns out didn’t know jack shit.

  128. BeachtimeMinato Avatar

    Starting to sports bet. Lost everything I have when I could have had a really good savings

  129. ABingeThinker Avatar

    Speaking of regrets r/RegretfulParents

  130. BigRonasHouse2 Avatar

    I didn’t buy property when I was 6 years old

  131. honeyybbloom Avatar

    Not buying bitcoin in 2011

  132. GaijinChef Avatar

    Why care? I have no time for regrets. I’m busy living

  133. greyjedimaster77 Avatar

    Not finishing college in 4 years (I did it in 6) and passing on the opportunity to enlist in the army reserve

  134. Uvi_AUT Avatar

    Not learning how to enjoy sports or exercising. I am 45 now and have never exercised or played any Sport. I feel like I missed out.

  135. SpicyLittleThot Avatar

    Using ‘teir’ instead of ‘tier’ and making it my username at the time😭

  136. JudyRuelle Avatar

    Not doing my best 

  137. Consistent-Classic69 Avatar

    Not trying harder to get to the gym, marrying my ex husband, not getting help for my mental health earlier in life…

  138. CanaDoug420 Avatar

    That I never treated my boneitis