The journal topics I find most interesting to write on have to do with life regrets. They’re telling of what you deeply desire and what emotional needs still need tending to. With a little structured journal writing, where you probe the regret and what it symbolizes in your life, you can filter the judgment out of your “mistakes” and turn those seemingly heavy memory-burdens into fodder for self-improvement, compassion, and wisdom.
Remember, it’s inevitable: we all regret something in our lives. Maybe it’s a missed romantic opportunity or a career path unexplored. Or perhaps it’s the artistic pursuit you didn’t follow through on or the traveling you failed to do. I can personally check all those boxes of regret and more.
So here’s what I think: take these journal topics seriously and just see what mental shifts about regrets takes place. I bet that if you do this journal work, you’ll walk away feeling like you’ve processed a lot of lingering emotions and gained some insight and hope as to how to walk into your future. And then perhaps those regrets won’t so much as haunt you as have a path-of-growth story to tell.
The Importance of Sorting Out Emotions
Clinical psychologist, cultural commentator, and creator of the Self-Authoring method, Dr. Jordan Peterson , says that if there’s a painful memory you still dwell on, you haven’t healed it or fully processed it’s lesson in your life. The importance of coming face-to-face in honesty about our past cannot be overstated. It’s the old adage that what you fail to learn you may repeat.
In my life, I’m struggling with a lot of regrets I have about my early 20s. I’m haunted by a thick case of the coulda-shoulda-woulda’s. I can’t seem to stay present for very long before my mind wanders to idealizing how much “better” my 20s could have been if only “insert-value-judgment.”
I’ve bought Dr. Peterson’s Self-Authoring program (it’s so reasonably priced it’s ridiculous) and working through it helps me greatly sort out these unresolved feelings of past disappointment. I highly recommend the program if you are inclined to do the dirty but rewarding work of deep self-discovery. But you can easily start to process your emotional “baggage” through structured journal prompts about regrets. Let’s look at some good questions to pose when journaling on such deeply triggering topics.
Journal Topics for Dealing with Regret
Take some time every week to write about regrets that still wear on your heart. This is not to keep your mind wrapped up in your negative past thinking but to really give yourself time to fully process events that have effected you negatively in some deep way. Pick the most impactful regrets and use these journaling prompts to explore each memory. I recommend designating a special journal just for regret work and to carve our a few pages where you can draw, color, or do art in order to sort of decompress after you’ve dug in so deeply. Art really helps to release emotions! Here goes:
15 Questions to Ask Yourself about Regrets
- What specific actions or decisions do I regret the most in my life, and why?
- How have these regrets affected my emotional well-being and overall happiness?
- Are there any patterns or recurring themes in my regrets? If so, what can I learn from them?
- How have my regrets influenced my relationships with others and my ability to trust or open up?
- What opportunities or experiences did I miss out on due to my past regrets, and how do I feel about that now?
- What lessons or insights have I gained from reflecting on my regrets, and how can I apply them to my present and future?
- Have I taken any steps towards resolving or reconciling with my past regrets? If not, what is holding me back?
- How might acknowledging and facing my regrets help me grow as a person and free up my emotions?
- What strategies or coping mechanisms can I develop to deal with the emotions that arise when revisiting my regrets?
- Are there any specific individuals who were directly impacted by my regrets, and if so, how can I make amends or seek forgiveness?
- Have I forgiven myself for the mistakes and choices that led to my regrets, and if not, what steps can I take towards self-forgiveness?
- How might embracing my regrets as part of my personal journey lead to a greater sense of acceptance and self-compassion?
- Are there any regrets that I can still take action on or make changes to in the present? If so, what steps can I take to do so?
- How can I reframe my regrets into opportunities for personal growth and learning rather than dwelling on negative emotions?
- What positive actions or experiences can I focus on moving forward to create a future with fewer regrets and a greater sense of fulfillment?
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The Healing Path of Journaling
By utilizing selective journal topics to help you write about your life, you’re not only keeping an amazing document of your being but are healing the “broken” parts of yourself. You’re integrating your own inner wisdom into your past, present, and future lives and are becoming mentally and emotionally stronger because of it. This can only be a good thing as you’ll live with more hope and purpose and those are, let’s agree, the foundation for a meaningful existence. I hope you’ve found these prompts helpful and that you continue to have compassion for your past and for who you are at your heart.