Do These Things Every Day to be Happier and Filled With Less Regret
2. RECOGNIZE WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL
Some sources of unhappiness and regret in our lives are beyond our control. Ruminating over them won’t make them better, but it can sap joy from our lives. Conversely, taking ownership of what we can control and making decisions accordingly can lead to fewer regrets.
One of the very small things that we can all control is just to be nice to other people and to be responsive to when other people go out of their way and do something well for you or just they do a good job. You can be more generous with compliments. Also, if you see that there’s some way that there was a misunderstanding then being quick to take proactive action can help to settle things more quickly.
Nieves says that regret can become a habit. If you’re a regretful person, you may find ways to look at a situation from a negative perspective. If you can find ways to reframe the decisions you made–looking at why you made them and learning from them–and treat yourself with compassion, you can dilute feelings of regret, she says.
