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January 14, 2020

Hassle-Free Ideas That Will Help You Get Over Past Mistakes


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Mistakes – they’re an occupational hazard of life. At some point, you’ll make one and it might haunt you forever. That’s the worst part about them because specific situations stick in your head. Sure, forgetting about errors and moving on is excellent if you can do it, but it’s not as straightforward as it sounds.

Failing to erase your mistakes from your memory banks only leads to anxiety and stress. You’ll constantly think about and overanalyse them in your head, which is unhealthy. What you need are coping mechanisms that encourage you to get on with your life without dwelling on the past. You might have tried this before, yet you’ve never had these incredible tips that are hassle-free and accessible!

Here is the advice that you should never forget regarding making mistakes and moving on. You never know when it will come in handy next because you can’t second-guess your next error.

Define It

The chances are it might not be an error of judgement. It could not be a mistake at all, depending on your definition. Here’s why – a gamble isn’t a step in the wrong direction. Yes, it didn’t go the way you planned, but these things are never guaranteed. Still, it doesn’t mean you should stop taking risks, or else you would never do anything productive in life.

Therefore, the first thing you must do is to qualify whether it was a screwup or something that happens in life. If it was the latter, there is no reason to fret. For the former, the next step is to decide if it was intentional. Mistakes that you make on purpose are problematic, but the same isn’t true for unintentional errors. All you did was misread the situation, which happens to everybody. 

In this case, the best course of action is not to be too hard on yourself. Instead, realise your misjudgement and learn from it for the future. However, there’s no reason to let it get you down. 

And Forgive

Holding yourself to a high standard is commendable, yet it isn’t always very healthy. For one thing, there’s a chance that you will never hit your targets, and it will destroy your confidence. For another, it’s pointless treating yourself more harshly than you would anybody else. It isn’t very honest and doesn’t do your mental health any good.

With that in mind, it’s always a wise idea to gauge whether you are too harsh on number one. By doing this, you should gain perspective. Imagine it was someone else who made a mistake – would you react the same way? If the answer is no, it’s essential to imagine your reaction. Then, you’ll see how you would respond typically without your high standards getting in the way. 

Remember that you deserve the same crack of the whip as everybody else. Although it’s cliched and cheesy, it’s pretty difficult to lead a happy, fulfilling life if you can’t love yourself.

Fix It

There’s no point dwelling in self-pity when you can take steps to rectify the situation. And, this is usually possible regardless of the situation. For example, a humble apology will help you and an offended party to treat the incident as water under the bridge. Even if your behaviour is out of line, all people want is a sign that you understand your mistake. This is especially true for friends and loved ones.

If the error was a long time ago, it still doesn’t mean you can’t take action now. Do you hate your smile? Does it make you self-conscious to the point you wished you had work done when you were younger? If so, don’t assume you’re too old to fix your smile now. Instead, talk to your dentist about clear braces and improve your perceived flaws without the stigma of standard ones. This advice goes for pretty much anything you did previously.

The trick is to tackle it head-on and to forget about old-school stereotypes. You are never too far gone to improve yourself and make yourself better.

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Ask, “Did I Do All I Could?”

Of course, not every situation is fixable. Sadly, there are irreversible circumstances, and you have to get over the fact that they will never be solved. Some people hate this because it gnaws away at them for the rest of their life, which is something you want to avoid. The excellent news is that you can with this straightforward question. 

The reason it’s useful is that it shows you that you can’t control all the elements of the equation. You can do your part, but the rest is up to the other person. If they can’t find it in themselves to grow, there isn’t anything you can do but to give it time. Maybe they’ll change their mind in the future. Until then, to stress out about an unsolvable problem will only lead to mental and physical health issues.

Once you’ve done everything in your power to rectify your mistake as quickly as possible, all you can do is declare it over. The other party might not agree, yet it’s their behaviour that’s preventing the situation from going away, and that’s not your concern.

Qualify Your Mistake

Gaining perspective is essential when it comes to making mistakes. At the time, they feel as if they are the worst things ever to happen in life. However, that’s the emotion of the situation boiling over and intensifying your feelings. In reality, it’s never as bad as you imagine because you’re not a terrible person with malicious intent.

So, to qualify the error, you should think relatively. Okay, it’s not pleasant, but is it the worst error of judgement you’ll ever make in your life? Or is it quite insignificant and will fade away in a short time? Thinking in this way could make you understand that there are worse things in life, and that makes mistakes easier to stomach. As long as nobody got hurt, there is always a worst-case scenario. 

Can you remember these tips? They might be the difference between letting go and being your worst enemy.

Leave a comment
  1. Claire says:

    So hard to forgive yourself for so many things that aren’t your fault. So much shame learned as a child. Thanks for your help!

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