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Jo WertherJo Werther

A licensed clinical social worker and mindfulness-based life coach

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Jo Werther

If I Had Known Then What I Know Now…

April 6, 2017 by Jo Werther

Have you ever said these words to yourself? The thing is, hindsight is 20-20. And our regrets are usually based on what we DIDN’T know then. We live forward but we understand backward. And the problem with regret is that it drains your energy and makes you increasingly more vulnerable to sadness, depression, and anxiety the longer you live with it. Worst of all, it prevents you from enjoying life in the present.

Regret has a way of creeping up on us without our noticing.

Regret makes our world smaller and smaller. Feeling stuck in this way is about the what-ifs and if-onlys that run around inside your head like a gerbil on a wheel. If you keep going over and over it inside your head, no wonder it becomes more real than whatever is right in front of you.

There is a way to get free from this vicious circle.

The key is to raise your awareness of your self-talk. Because if regret is an issue for you, chances are it’s pretty negative. And to the degree you’re not aware of the story you’re telling yourself – about yourself, about other people, and about whatever happened to cause your regret – you’re going to continue to perpetuate your own misery. And that’s what keeps you stuck. But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Don’t Believe Everything You Think.

We all have a way of talking to ourselves about the things that happen in our lives. Everyone has a unique perspective. That’s why raising awareness of our stories is key. Because only as we become aware of them can we being to work with them in ways that are actually productive. And that’s how you resume living and loving life.

Here’s the link to my podcast “Don’t Believe Everything You Think.” In it I will:

  •  Explain why raising your awareness is the quickest way to get unstuck from regret
  •  Give you a technique to help you change the way you’re looking at things
  •  Tell you a story that illustrates the power of this technique

Listen to this episode. Post your thoughts below!

Filed Under: Dealing with Regret Tagged With: how to be aware of our stories, how to deal with regret, How to get unstuck, techniques to help with awareness, the importance of self talk

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