4 Steps to Let Go of Regret and Embrace Acceptance

I made a big mistake today.

I did something out of anxiety.

I took action without fully thinking it through.

And I almost immediately regretted it. Because I made a problem for myself that had to be addressed. A problem that didn’t exist before my mistake.

Then I got angry and beat myself up.

I was full of regret, anger, and self-recrimination.

Pretty far from peace of mind.

So I did the only thing I could.

I determined what I had control over.

And I took the action I could to try to fix the problems I had created.

I got some help from a friend. To both fix the problem and provide emotional support.

I did all I could, and then I needed to find a way to let it go.

So I went for a walk with my little one and burned off some excess energy climbing giant snow piles.

And while I was out, I realized that if I’d done all I could, there was no reason to hang on to the regret, the anger, the upset.

So I let it go.

I accepted the situation. Because what’s happened is in the past. The past is out of my control.

Yes, I made a mistake. But I can learn from it. I can take action to correct what I can. And I can look for the positives.

It could have been worse. I think I’ll be able to recover what I thought I might have lost. And even if I don’t, I’ll survive, I’ll be fine.

And I feel better. Acceptance is a balm. It is letting go. It is peaceful.

I remembered that for me acceptance takes time.

Some people can step into instant acceptance, but I have to allow myself a period of adjustment. To what happened. To what I can do about it. To let it go. I have to allow myself some time.

What are you regretting today? Can you use this process to let it go?

1. What do you have control over? What action can you take to address/resolve the situation? Reach out for support.

2. Take the action(s).

3. Accept that the past is out of your control, and you’ve done what you can to address it. Accept the consequences. Find ways to deal with the fall-out.

4. Let go. Embrace peace.

If you want support for working through to acceptance, let’s talk. You can have peace at any point. There’s always a way to get there no matter what is going on in your life.

Image by Nebraska Department of Education from Pixabay