couples

"I dieted instead of living my life." Older Reddit users reveal their 8 biggest regrets.

Image via iStock.

We’re told to live without regret, but we all have things we wish we’d done differently. This is especially true as we get a little older and wiser, thanks to the beauty of hindsight.

When a Redditor posed the question, “Older users of Reddit, what are some of your biggest regrets in life?” more than 900 people responded.

From choosing the wrong partner to avoiding the dentist, their confessions range from funny to heart-breaking — and they could very well teach us all a thing or two about life. Here are eight of their most common regrets:

1. Spending too long in the wrong job.

“I just turned thirty and I’ve been regretting wasting my twenties in a boring entry-level job.”

“I’m a technical recruiter now, but I wish I would have put in more effort, gone to a much better school and gotten a job in IT. I’m an introvert forced to be an extrovert with this job and it’s exhausting.”

Many Redditors regretted their career choice.

2. Putting off medical appointments.

"I've spent enough for two cars over the years in root canals, crowns and implants. Brush your teeth. Often. Even though it sucks, you should also floss. Every day. Go to your semi-annual cleanings. This can all be avoided very easily."

"I regret that I didn't go talk to a psychologist and get diagnosed with Aspergers sooner. I was diagnosed last year at the age of 39 after yet another problem at work. Before, I'd always let people talk me out of it and tell me I'm 'normal'."

3. Choosing the wrong partner.

"Got married too young and for the wrong reasons. She was not the love of my life, but we got along well, and all of our friends seemed to be marrying."

"Getting married to the wrong person. Now I'm close to 40, no kids, mostly bald. No one wants to take a chance on me... Time is the one thing you cant get back. Don't waste it on the wrong person."

ADVERTISEMENT

"Not getting married and having children. My Dad is dying and it sucks to know that I won't have someone that gives a s*** about me when my time comes." (Post continues after gallery.)

4. Not seeking help for addictive behaviours.

"[I] threw away my twenties dealing with drug addiction."

"My biggest regret was not getting into therapy sooner. I knew that I self-medicated my issues with behavior and addictions, but was too immature to face them. Now that I have, my life has such a higher quality."

"The only thing I regret is drinking too much alcohol for 13 years. Waiting to find out if it kills me like it did my grandfather makes me so sad."

5. Not branching out.

"Not moving out of my small town of 6,000 people. I got comfortable and put down roots here. Really wish I would have moved somewhere with more opportunities."

"I wish I had travelled Europe as a college-aged person."

Travel made the list.

6. Neglecting finances.

"Not starting my savings when I was still in college."

"Frivolous spending away my inheritance that my father left me instead of using it smart. Life lesson learned, I won't make that mistake ever again."

7. Being appearance-obsessed

"There are so many things that I either never did because I was 'too fat' or put off until I could lose X number of pounds. Dieting instead of living my life."

How many hours do we waste scrutinising what we see in the mirror?

 

"I do this too, I don't even go outside as often because people will just look at how gross I look."

8. Not taking the chance to say "I love you."

"I am fifty years old, a woman [and my life has] never been easy, and I believe life is easy for no person, but I don't regret anything except not saying "I love you" more times over the years. I'm working on increasing that these days."

What would you change if you could turn back time?