If You Could Go Back in Time What Advice Would You Give Yourself?

You can’t change or undo what has happened to you, but you may wish you could tell your younger, less experienced self some things. What would you say if you could? Would you warn yourself about something specific in order to avoid making certain mistakes?

You’ve learned a lot in your life, and there are some experiences that you wouldn’t trade for anything. When you look in your rearview mirror, however, you’ll always notice some minor flaw or crack that you’d like to fix. They cause you to feel regret, which awakens a subtle desire in you.

In fact, you wish you could go back in time and warn yourself about certain things, as well as whisper some advice in your ear. Of course, this will never happen. After all, there are no time machines. However, this does not stop you from fantasizing about going back in time and changing the past.

In fact, due to mental health-related factors, science has paid a great deal of attention to this subject. This is because some people live in the past rather than the present. They live in the past, far from being in tune with the present, where the best opportunities are. In effect, they exist in a sliver of time where nostalgia and emotional pain coexist.

Going back to the past

Oscar Wilde said that “the one charm about the past is that it is past”. This is unquestionably true. However, the human brain appears to have an obsession with this type of charm, as we frequently return there.

For example, you could spend the day remembering where you put your keys, how you know a specific person, recalling a happy memory from yesterday, or regretting not doing something.

In essence, life is made up of memories. However, memories can be painful and make you wish you could go back in time to counsel your younger self. Dr. Robin Kowalski, a professor at Clemson University in the United States, looked into this proposal.

Indeed, because this desire is so strong in humans, he decided to conduct an investigation. The Journal of Social Psychology published it. This is the information he obtained.

We all regret something

The weight of regret motivates the desire to return to the past. Many people have this sensation. Kowalski’s study was based on a survey administered to 400 people over the age of 30 who agreed on many points:

• Most people want advice on missed educational opportunities, poor decisions, money wasted, and risks avoided.
• There were also plenty of comments about relationships that they wished they hadn’t started. As a result, warning themselves against falling in love with or marrying certain people was a very common wish.

Think about it: you’ve come through many crossroads and, although you’ve made more than one mistake, you’ve also obtained a series of lessons that define the person you are now. Why regret what no longer makes sense or is useful in any way?

If you’d like to go back in time, remember this…

There are undoubtedly numerous experiences that you wish were different. Everyone, indeed, has regrets. In fact, we frequently believe that certain events have put a stop to our dreams and have led us to different, less inspiring destinations. Furthermore, these errors are painful.

You can’t go back in time, but you might want to tie up all the loose ends from yesterday and, perhaps, improve your current situation. But, would this actually work? According to a Cornell University (USA) study, we are more likely to regret the opportunities we missed than the mistakes we made. This feeling slightly distorts the concept of the ‘ideal self,’ leading us to believe that the present is nothing more than the result of many doors we did not dare to open. If you have this feeling, consider the following:

In the past, you didn’t have the experience you have now

Most of us are harsh on our former selves. For example, you might reject your teen self, that impulsive young adult who failed to make the best decisions in more than one area of their life.

However, you must recognize that your past self lacked the wisdom and experience that you have now. Furthermore, all of your mistakes from yesterday have enabled you to gain the knowledge you now possess.

Be kinder to yourself

Why go back in time when the best opportunities are right now? Why punish yourself for every blunder and condemn yourself for every missed opportunity? If you regret every bad decision, you invalidate yourself and feed your self-criticism and self-disgust.

Avoid doing this and have compassion for your younger self. Furthermore, recognize that no one is perfect. Treat yourself with more compassion and stop looking back to a place that no longer makes sense or has any meaning. Put your current self in the present moment, use your experience, and go after what you want.

What would you say to your best friend if they always regretted yesterday’s mistakes?

It’s not worth going back in time. There is nothing new growing there. It’s like a piece of burned paper being blown away by the wind. However, you can become obsessed with holding it in your hand at times. In fact, depressed people frequently fix their gaze on this plane, feeding their feelings of sadness, resentment, and regret.

If this describes you, consider what you would say to your best friend if they were constantly regretting the past. What would your advice be to them? What are your thoughts? How would you assist them? Consider it, because nothing is more important than treating yourself the same way you treat those you care about the most.

As an Arab proverb states, “The past has already fled, what you hope for is absent, but the present is yours…”.

Source: exploringyourmind.com