Biggest regrets?

I regret allowing my mental health to consume me and kill off any hopes and dreams I had when I was younger. It’s really taken the spark out of my life and hangs over me like a cloud. Some days I feel like I’m on autopilot, I’m just muddling through trying to get to the finish line.

I regret not speaking up for myself when I was younger.

I regret wasting my teens and early 20s being heartbroken repeatedly because I had low self esteem.

I regret not telling more people to piss off.

Studying my first degree, I hated it. I enjoyed my second one a lot more and it led me to my career so I wish I'd just originally done it. I don't really regret it thought as when I did my second round of studies I was more mature and in a much better headspace so perhaps its for the best, and I still learned a good deal in my first one.

My other regret is having my wedding the way it was. I didn't enjoy planning it or having it, I wanted to elope but compromised as my husband thought he wanted something traditional. He even admits with hindsight we should have eloped - but we're married now so thats what matters.

Not leaving home when I was younger, being hopelessly in love with an absolute idiot who has no drive to do anything more. Not having enough self esteem/worth to push myself more in my career, giving it up completely for my son.
lots of things really, but I’m settled enough where I am in life at the moment and who knows what life would have been today if I’d done those things, I have no way of knowing if it would be better or worse.

I wish I'd taken more notice of my gut feelings and not just settled for some things and people, worrying that was as good as I was going to get.

I am hugely grateful for a couple of amazing things in my life which I'm confident still would've come along if I hadn't had to go through all the hard stuff first ... I often find myself ruminating over the past a fair bit, wishing I hadn't gone down a few of the paths that I did (nothing dangerous or crime-related, just that I had relationships with a couple of men from which there were red flags from the outset and caused a heck of a lot of heartache, and trusted the wrong people).

Getting married when I was 20. The whole time throughout the ceremony I wanted the ground to swallow me up, in my head I was screaming "get me out of here, I don't want to do this"

Annulled said marriage 3 months later.

Picking the wrong person;
Having a child when I was not ready to.

Not going to Cardiff University when they gave me an unconditional offer

I regret going to my senior school and to uni, however I truely believe that if I had not I would not be where I am today. If I had gone to the college I wanted to I would have met my husband 2 years earlier and I am sure he would have given me the ick then he was having a long hair phase!

Going to uni has not helped my career in any way, but again, I don’t think I would be where I am now without it. I would still be in retail.

I can’t say there is much I regret because of the path it has put me on, perhaps not spending as much time on hobbies and pushing myself. Working on that now.

Choosing language A'levels when they are really not my thing
Attempting to become and spending nearly 18 months training to become an accountant.
Both very miserable enterprises which did nothing for my self esteem

1.Not standing up for myself when I was 14 and girls in my class were spreading rumours about me. I spent the last three years of secondary school so miserable. It was when I first started self harming.

2.I had one week after I'd finished one of my exams. I knew my grandmother was in the hospital but 100% believed that she would get better. I looked at ticket prices and it was £150 one way as it was early august. I chose to wait a week for them to drop down to £80. The night that I arrived home my grandmother was in a coma and died the next day.

3. I've worked on and off in a pharmacy since I was 16. It was a small independent one run by a family of three brothers. I don't have a good relationship with my father, and they were all like fathers for me in the small things they did. Like giving me lifts home if it got late. When they ordered pizza they also gave me some, let me have free drinks. One of the brother's sat down for a full hour after I started crying about my grandmother and I also told him the truth about how much I was struggling in school instead of pretending that it was all wonderful like everyone wants to believe it is , and he just listened and was super kind. Said that my brother and I had both blossomed since we first started working for them and that he was proud of us. He told me he would be in the shop and gave me days and times if I wanted to talk but I was embarrassed that I had cried in front of him, so I didn't go back. He also died 8 months after my grandmother but that was the last time that I saw him and the last things he had said to me.

4. I used to spend a lot on make up and clothing. At one point I had 26 red lipsticks nearly all from MAC . I liked the buzz buying gave me and having the next new collection to look forward too. Not bought any new make up since 2017 as so much of it was still new and unused.

I regret letting someone dictate my life, walk all over me, control me and ruin my self esteem

I regret not speaking up for myself and not fighting back

Not going to uni when the rest of my year group went. I'm now 25 playing catch up, some of my friends are now qualified doing the job I want to do and I'll be touching 30 before I even get close.

I also regret worrying constantly what people thought of me, following trends to "fit in" rather than being my own person. To some degree I still do it now as an adult, I care way too much what people think about me

-Not breaking free from my toxic parents earlier.

- Moving to the area I live now.

- Giving up my career to bring up my children as I cant get back in.

- Not losing weight sooner.

Picking the wrong baby daddy

I'm back with more!

I wish I'd had the guts to cut off contact with my toxic, narcissistic family permanently. I managed to go NC (no contact) for a year, but then felt sorry for my mother because she's old (old and cunning, and never changes).

I wish I had studied harder at school. I'm the sort of person who is mediocre at everything - not the best at anything, nor the worst; just always in the middle.

I wish I'd found my calling in life. I try lots of different things because I don't know what my calling is, which others are quick to give their opinion about ("Oh, given that up now, have we?"). And yep, I definitely wish I'd learnt to be more witty with my comebacks and developed a tougher skin.

A light hearted one but something I often think about, was seeing a married guy (MG) and was supposed to hook up after work one night but I met a hot young thing and decided to go for a few drinks with him instead, I wasn't really planning on taking it further so told MG where I was going (although not who with) and to call me there to organise a time for him to pick me up, 3 phonecalls later I couldn't really put him off any longer and he came to pick me up, me and hot guy came downstairs and he got in a cab and I got in MGs car, pulled up at lights next to the cab and I honestly nearly jumped out and into the cab, the only thing that stopped me was MG was an amzing shag and I actually thought 'a bird in the hand' Honestly its been nearly 30 years and I still wonder where my life would've ended up but for that.

Choosing hubby (before he was my hubby) and sticking with him and settling down and having a family because I felt like I'd made my choice so I had to stick with it, even though I had the chance to stay with the love of my life instead.

Now I see my ex love of my life living a happy life with another woman that could have been me.

I regret not studying harder and had a career rather than a succession of jobs. I have been well paid but the jobs have always been meaningless and unstimulating. I wanted to be a journalist. It was mentioned to my parents that I should apply to do a journalist course. My mum sadly died when I was still at school and I lost my way for a bit so it did not happen.

I regret not saving more. I have had some amazing holidays and experiences which I do not regret at all, but spending money on stuff, I really do regret.

I regret not moving from where I live before now and being a bit more savvy about trading up to a better property.

I regret trying to fit in. I was a people pleaser. My dad was quick tempered and not adverse to violence (to me and my mum) so I spent a lot of time trying to appease him, reading the room, sussing out the mood. That has carried over into adulthood, I have spent too much time worrying about other people’s moods, or trying to get them to like me. Thankfully I am past that stage now. I am definitely not into people pleasing now.

I regret not doing a balance transfer to get 0% interest on my credit card balance sooner. Been ‘paying it off’ regularly but not really because of the interest

I regret buying a house so close to my parents. The future I envisioned is certainly not what came to pass…

I regret not pushing myself in to a proper education and career.

I regret not investing in friendships when younger. I’m in my 40s and have no close friends outside of family.