Reflection on Past Actions: We have all been in a situation when we wonder ‘Why did I do that?’ or ‘I wish I had done that differently’. Sometimes our behaviour is an outcome of thoughtlessness or insensitivity, but repeatedly behaving in a manner and regretting it later is something that undoubtedly causes pain. It is something that we must make an effort to change, even if it means seeking help in order to feel better about ourselves.
The Impact of Repeated Regret: Being connected and making positive steps to “own” your life’s story are great ways of nurturing, reconnecting, realigning, recalibrating, and protecting your inner self (the soul). Owning our stories helps empower us to make difficult or necessary changes, reflecting and acting upon aspects that we wish to modify, allowing us to break through barriers and feelings of inadequacy.
Empowering Change through Ownership: How we deal with guilt and anxiety affects our recovery; how we evaluate and manage these feelings is important to our health and wellbeing. Acknowledging and identifying behaviours that cause regret and identifying things that need to change is the most important first step. Dwellings on past mistakes and subjecting ourselves to shame prove unproductive and should be avoided. Instead, a forward-thinking, positive approach is essential.
Breaking Through Barriers: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, popularly referred to as CBT, allows us to examine closely and begin to identify patterns of thought that shape our behaviour and cause us pain. CBT helps us to tweak our responses and modify our behaviour by improving how we regulate our emotions and learning coping-up strategies. Behaviour patterns that can be addressed through CBT are many and varied and therapy sessions provide the space and opportunity to start the process and trigger healing.