People In Their 30s And 40s Are Sharing Things They Regret Doing (Or Not Doing) In Their Younger Years

"I should've started doing this at 14 — it would have prevented most of the dumb things I did."

People say to live without regrets, but we all have a thing or two that we regret doing (or not doing). This thread asked people, "What is one thing you regret not doing when you were younger?" and the responses are VERY relatable. Here is what some people shared.

NBC / Via giphy.com

1. "Socializing and giving my own interests a chance."

—u/boipoispoik

2. "Turning down invites and opportunities to meet new people and travel to new places because I was too hung up on how I looked. I was so hard on myself. And to her, I apologize."

Marchmeena29 / Getty Images/iStockphoto

—u/Welshraven9

3. "Be a teenager. I was too eager to grow up and focused almost exclusively on work from 15–25, so I missed out on the whole thing."

Jena Ardell / Getty Images

—u/DaGoodSauce

"I finally had a carefree summer when I was 26. Before then, I'd worked full-time every summer because I wanted and was expected to be responsible. My kids will get the teenage summers I never did."

—u/LordyIHopeThereIsPie

4. "Therapy. I should have started at 14 instead of 24, this would have prevented most of the dumb things I did."

—u/DeltaPavonis1

5. "Here are a couple — make working out a hobby, take care of your skin, use moisturizer and sunscreen. Take better care of your teeth, spend more time with your parents, and capture those moments through photos and videos."

Tunvarat Pruksachat / Getty Images

—u/KajjiKai

6. "Learning financial literacy."

—u/scienceforbid

7. "Looking back on how many opportunities I didn’t realize I had because I was an idiot and didn’t pick up what I now realize as heavy signals from girls to make a move."

Klaus Vedfelt / Getty Images

—u/fpuni107

8. "Learning more languages and skills."

—u/NarutoWinchester

9. "Focusing on school and going to college for something I actually want to do. I’m 34 now, and while I make $150k a year, I find my career a massive waste of time. I work crazy overtime hours and travel, leading to no life. The trades aren’t all they are cracked up to me. Hopefully next year I can enroll and shoot for a master's in psychology to be a therapist. Fuck sacrificing life for a check. I have no kids, and I’m newly single so now is the time."

—u/BatheInChampagne

10. "Being a better boyfriend to awesome girls I dated when younger."

Motortion / Getty Images/iStockphoto

—u/Own_Comfortable_4955

11. "Having the confidence to make my own decisions and not rely on people to 'encourage' me."

—u/hidemydesires

12. "Spending more time with my animals. They were gone sooner than I expected, and I regret every single time I complained about walking the dog or skipped a riding lesson because I was too busy moping in my room. Appreciate them while they're there, or you'll regret it forever like I do."

—u/eqmess

13. "Trying too hard to keep friends when they used me and took advantage of my kindness. I've learned that not everyone wants to be your friend, and I'm okay with that."

Maskot / Getty Images

—u/Electronic-Plan-725

Do you have any regrets from when you were younger? If so, share them with me in the comments below.