Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
No fees, cancel anytime 
then open in external browser
and click "Open in External Browser" 
A recent survey of 2,000 U.S. adults split evenly by generation found that only 11% of Americans don't have regrets. Between not speaking up (40%), not visiting family or friends enough (36%), and not pursuing their dreams (35%), those bad decisions add up.
In fact, a third (32%) of Baby Boomers have a regret that spans three decades and still crosses their minds an average of three times per month.
So, in an attempt to see what kinds of choices weigh heaviest on people's minds, we gathered a list of honest, anonymous confessions from around the internet. Some are heartbreaking, some are funny in hindsight, and a few are the kind of stories that make you pause and reevaluate your own path.
This post may include affiliate links.
#1
Drinking/allowing my alcoholism get as out of hand as it did. 263 days sober, though! So thats something.
RELATED:
#2
Lighting up that first cigarette.
But there is a happy ending, I haven't had one in 5 weeks!
#3
When I was in middle school I didn’t walk my dog. She’d get walks from my parents in the mornings, and on the weekends...but every afternoon I got home from school first and I was supposed to take her. She loved walks. She’d scratch at the door and I’d pet her and tell her I’d take her soon, but I was lazy and selfish and always ended up sitting on the couch watching TV. Mom would come home and I’d lie and say I’d walked her hours ago, like I was supposed to. I’d feel a little bad but the next day I’d forget and it’d be the same.
I got my act together by sophomore year. Then college came, and I missed her so much I spent as much time with her as I could when I was home. We walked to the park and the beach and we’d run and play.
After college, when she got sick and started to lose her vision, I moved home for the summer to give her special eye drops four times a day. Her infection got better but her sight got worse. I had to help her see where the porch steps were, and later lifted her down them when it was just too hard. I tied a bell to her collar and slept on the couch next to her bed so I could hear when she got up at night and take her outside.
And every day, I walked her. We walked together every morning, twice in the afternoon, and again before dinner if it wasn’t too dark. I guided her around cars and through lawns. Sometimes she’d sniff the grass, tail wagging, and sometimes she’d walk so close to me she’d bump her nose into my shin on purpose, making sure I was still right there. When we got home I’d scoop her up and lift her over the stairs, kissing the top of her head and telling her what a good girl she was. And I’d think about all the times I let her down and tell her I was sorry. That I wished she understood me. That I was so sorry, that she was my darling and I loved her, and if I could go back in time to make the choices I should have I’d do it in a heartbeat.
The last time we walked together was on Labor Day. I’d come home again for the weekend, mostly to see her. My parents called the next Saturday to tell me.
I miss her. And I still wish I could’ve loved her as perfectly as she loved me.
#4
Not breaking off my last relationship sooner.
It was 2.5 years long. I was hit, scratched, guilt tripped. She made me believe my friends didn't like me, she would message them from my phone pretending to be me, and I lost my friends.
She blamed everything on me, ever her parents' divorce. She would self harm with scissors, attempted to o******e on paracetamol twice and blamed it on me. I would be at work and receive a text saying "I'm not feeling good, I'm going to cut myself or do something bad, you need to come and stop me". I'd freak out because I couldn't leave work, but didn't want her death to be my fault.
She'd drag me into the street at 3am to have an argument so all her neighbours could "hear what a terrible person I was".
I became depressed because I couldn't understand why I was such a bad person. I had panic attacks daily, I began losing weight, and so I took myself to therapy.
I sat down with her one night and broke up with her because I genuinely believed she deserved someone better than me. A few weeks later, I had a revelation of what had been happening. I deleted her number, changed my number, threw out everything of hers and my life instantly became colourful again.
Before this relationship, I would think "I don't get why people in a*****e relationships don't just leave", but now I get it. You don't know you're in an a*****e relationship until you're out of it.
EDIT: Also, she was playing with my cat once and he accidentally bit her, so she kicked him. She f*****g kicked my cat against the stairs.
StrangeOne 3 weeks ago
That is so true. You're so busy trying to make the other happy and be a better spouse you end up gaslighting yourself into believing you're the major problem. It's double when their parents gang up on you, too, and list all your faults.
#5
Trying h****n.
Currently on another attempt at sobriety though. 40 days clean currently. If anyone in your life struggles with a*******n, I can't recommend a 12 step program enough.
Edit: I'm getting a lot of messages suggesting that I just smoke weed or take kratom instead. As an a****t, that just isn't possible for me. Any mind or mood altering substance will just lead me back to dope. That's just the program I work, and the program that's successfully helped many others maintain long term sobriety.
#6
Not properly managing my money. It's easy to dig yourself a hole but man is it hard to climb out.
The Majestic Opossum 3 weeks ago
Absolutely. But again, so many of us are in this same boat. Many of us were never taught proper financial tools, and credit card companies took advantage of that to prey on us and make themselves rich off of people's misfortunes.
#7
I didn't speak up after what my grandfather did to me. I couldve protected my cousin from him but I was just a scared 12 year old.
*Edit: Thank you everyone for your kind words, It really means a lot to me.
Mel in Georgia 3 weeks ago
No one would blame a 12-yr-old for being too scared to speak up. F**k pedophiles.
#8
Getting upset with my father and slamming the door. This was the last moment I ever saw him alive before he passed away that night from a heart condition he had.
Edit: Thank you for all the kind words, this is really a learning factor for me.
Upstaged75 3 weeks ago
The last time I slammed a door in my father's face I was 16. He kicked it in. And I totally deserved it. 😄 (It was my bedroom door - one of those lightweight internal doors. He just broke the hinges so it swung inward) Lesson learned. I was an obnoxious teenager.
#10
I'll tell you a story about my nan. When conscription began in WWII, her husband was called up. He was getting ready to go to the train station, uniform and kit on, but she refused to say goodbye because she was angry with him and the situation. So he left. A few minutes later she realised her mistake and ran to the station after him. You can imagine how busy it was there, but she fought through the crowd. He was already on the train, looking out of the window for her. She saw him, but he never saw her.
That was the last time she saw him, he was tortured to death by the Japanese some time later. Even though she married again, to the man who became my grandfather, she kept a picture of him on her bedside table until she died.
EDIT: So in answer to your questions, I think they did manage to exchange at least one letter before he was captured, so I'm sure my nan apologised for putting him through that. I think he died working on the Burma Railway. They sent her a picture of his grave which she kept in her jewellery box. My grandpa was in a reserved occupation so was not called up, he had to work with bombed houses making them safe. He had to recover a lot of mangled bodies, including a lot of children which must have been horrible considering he was still a teenager. He was a great man, I wish I had an ounce of his moral fibre. Taught me to code on my C64 too.
#11
Getting annoyed when my mom would call me a lot. She died when I was 22. Now I am lucky to get a call here and there from my dad...There isn't much that I wouldn't do to get one more phone call from her.
Beak Hookage 3 weeks ago
Thinking about regrets like this was the reason why I started calling my grandma once a week, right up until not long before she had to be hospitalised. She died a couple of months ago, but at least we had more of a relationship by then (she lived on the other side of the country).
#12
Throwaway because this is the biggest shame of my life.
When I was in high school, I was in a relationship with a guy that was a straight up sociopath. I was crazy co-dependent on him, because he was older and I was just excited that a guy was paying attention to me because I was young and insecure. He would emotionally abuse and physically r**e me on a regular basis, berate me in front of his friends, and sometimes share me with his friends.
We were at a house party one night, everyone was underage and everyone was drinking. I had gone to sleep in the spare bedroom in the basement. The basement also had a living room area and the walls were thin.
I heard my then-boyfriend and one of his friends and a girl that went to my highschool through the wall, and she was clearly too drunk and s****d to know what was going on. I listened to them r**e her, I listened to her crying, and I just laid there and was glad it wasn't me. I didn't try to stop it, I didn't tell anyone, and I never offered her help or support later on.
She k**led herself later that year. I don't know if I could have helped her if I intervened, but I think about it almost every day.
Edit: I kept dating him for almost a year afterwards.
Sally Moen 3 weeks ago
That's very sad that you blame yourself for another person's actions. Reread your first paragraph: you describe yourself as vulnerable. People in that position aren't going to run in to that room and somehow stop 2 men who are physically stronger. You were afraid. You may feel responsible. You weren't. Would you do something if it happened now? Of course, because you are wiser and strong and experienced in life, not vulnerable. Please take good care, we all need people like you in the world.
#13
Not flying to see my grandfather on his deathbed.
It haunts me.
When I was told to call him they said that he couldn't speak anymore and to just say what I wanted and that he could understand for now.
I pulled some words out of my a*s and told him that I loved him and that as long as live I will honor him and keep his memory alive. He made some sounds. I heard my grandmother tell him not to try and speak. He forced himself to speak to me using what energy he had to tell me he loved me and was proud of me. That he did that for me when he wasn't supposed to made my heart break.
I will never forget how hard it was for him to say those words. The strangled tears in his throat as he tried with all his heart to say goodbye to me one last time.
I should have been there. I was too afraid. Too ashamed. I know that he would have wanted me there. I know that I was his favorite. I was the only one that followed in his footsteps even remotely. I feel like I failed him when he really needed me, after everything he did for me.
Ariom Dahl 3 weeks ago
You didn't fail him. Live a good life and remember he was proud of you and loved you.
#14
Cheating on my ex girlfriend for stupid reasons. Don't know how some people can be repeat cheaters. F****d me up for a solid three years. DON'T CHEAT IT'S NEVER WORTH IT.
#15
Going to Bible College.
Initially I was going to go to University for Aerospace Engineering, but I wound up going to this tiny private bible college that charged 4x more, credits that wouldn't transfer, and an administration that kicks people out for having s*x because it's unholy.
That was a lovely waste of $50,000 and 4 years of my life.
Edit: Since this is getting more attention than I anticipated, I will take this opportunity to tell people to stay away from these types of religious colleges *regardless of your faith or beliefs.*
Leaving is a hugely traumatic and sudden process. It took me several years and being involuntarily committed for a week after multiple s*****e attempts to begin getting past it.
These places are dangerous in the social pressures they exert and the enormous amount of control they wield in robbing you of your entire support structure in family and friends in order to coerce you to stay.
I am being completely serious when I say barely survived the process. One of my closest friends didn't.
Mel in Georgia 3 weeks ago
And they say regular college brainwashes kids. No - they open you to new ideas and a variety of people. If that leads you on a path that's different from your church or parents, that's not brainwashing - that's education.
#16
When I finished college I had banked a good amount of cash from working my internship and had a sweet job offer right out of school.
A friend suggested that I take a month off between jobs and travel. Instead I gave my future employer a start date a few days after graduation.
I should have taken the time off and had some fun.
Michael Largey 3 weeks ago
Travel can be nice, but having an emergency fund at hand can turn out to be nicer.
#17
Listening to my teachers, family, and peers when they said I was naturally terrible at math and should focus on the humanities in high school and college.
I've always been fascinated by biology and human behavior, and I devour books and articles about genetics, neuroscience, and computer science. But I have this phobia (or used to, I'm realizing that I'm not as clueless as I thought) of very basic math, and am terrible at simple equations.
I wish I had really gone for a fresh start in college, away from all the negativity and preconceived ideas about what I could or couldn't do.
#18
Not making a better effort to make and keep friends. Through a mix of depression and social anxiety, I ended up cutting some really great friends out of my life. For some reason I had convinced myself they didn't like me anymore and would only talk and hang out with me because they felt sorry for me. So I stopped sending them messages and declined invites to hang out making up stupid excuses. Eventually they all stopped trying. Looking back at it I realize I was being ridiculous and letting the anxiety win. Yet this has caused me to now be afraid of making friends... Even though I desperately want to make friends.
#19
Having kids. I'm not cut out to be a mom, which I knew from the get go. Birth control failed and here I am. I do my absolute best by them every single day. This parenting stuff is tough. I love them fiercely, but I miss having freedom and money and space. I feel like an a*****e for saying this.
Mel in Georgia 3 weeks ago
You might not enjoy the young years, but it's possible having older kids will be much better. Hope that's the case for this person!
#20
I really, really regret being a stay at home mom. I have a master's degree in food chemistry but after having kids decided to stay at home. My husband's career escalated and he got offered positions overseas. In the last twenty years, we have lived in many countries and I have traveled world wide. My kids can speak a handful of languages and are in university now. Despite all these seemingly great things, I haven't ever done anything personally for myself and I really regret it. In my late forties, I feel like life has passed me by and I really, really regret not keeping a career.
Thee8thsense 3 weeks ago
Life's not over, and late 40s are only as old as you allow yourself to feel. I say find a passion and go for it in your latest chapter of life.
#21
I don't need to think hard about this one at all. My biggest mistake is thinking a lump in my breast was just "nothing" and would go away on its own. Took me months before I went to the doctor and by that time it was too late. The resulting mental breakdown destroyed the people closest to me and I just can't forgive myself for it.
I'm still alive only by the grace of modern cancer treatment progression. I was supposed to be dead a few years ago, but I'm still kicking a*s, in remission, and starting to rebuild my life. It's been a journey I wouldn't wish on my worst enemies.
#22
I had a friend reach out to me to hang out and buy some pot, back in 2015. I was pretty f****d up, so I ignored that text and figured I'd chill with him the next day.
He hung himself that night. I'm not self-centered enough to think that I could have been a deciding factor, but d**n, I think about it a lot. What if I had just said okay and gone over that night? Maybe he'd still be alive.
StrangeOne 3 weeks ago
Tbh, his buddy may have had his s*****e planned for a while and would have done it that night, after he left. He probably had a night of some lowkey fun one last time with a good friend. But it's not Op's fault and nothing he could have done, really.
#23
Quitting college to take a management promotion at my fast food job.
StrangeOne 3 weeks ago
Every job I've had has had that one older lady who's never ranked up. Every time they've been asked why they have all stated "because I'm not stupid." LOL You would get paid maybe a dollar or 2 more an hourly wage that your colleagues but with crushing responsibility and stress. Now everything is your problem.
#24
Dropping out of college, because I didn’t know what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
Upstaged75 3 weeks ago
I went to college AND grad school, and have been working for the last 25+ years. I still have no idea what I want to do. 😆
#25
Ignoring depression for a couple decades and convincing myself that it wasn't chemical, but that my life just sucked.
Orwell 3 weeks ago (edited)
I was 40 when I ran out of excuses and rationalizations for my misery. People are recognizing the symptoms much earlier now that the stigma is fading. Research is continuing to evolve, not only for d**g treatments, but for intervention and management strategies and life-changing habits and practices. It's tough to be a GenX, but it was way beyond what we can imagine for the generations before us. You figured it out and did something to help yourself. That's all anyone can reasonably do, and more than many are capable of. Don't slight yourself!
#26
Serving a mission for the Mormon church.
Was two years long, and my personality/social skills are pretty bad making it a terrible two years where I didn't help whatsoever. I did it right after high school, so every girl I liked was married with kids by the time I got back (and I mean every girl), and a lot of my friends were now two years ahead of me in college. Its an awkward gap in my employment record that I've had to explain in job interviews (had a job in high school). I didn't even stay in the Mormon church as of a couple years afterwords. So now I have these frustrating memories of trying to help that church grow. Even when I do have a story from the mission that I want to share, I always disguise the setting. I can hardly stand scrolling through my Facebook news feed, since half my friends are either missionaries I knew or Mormons from back in the day. I never did go to college because I felt too old. Oh and I suffer from anxiety and depression. It was the worst two years, and it won't go away.
Sally Moen 3 weeks ago
You have much in common with alot of other people. One group is adults who grew up in an a4us1ve home and now have the difficulty explaining why their work history is spotty, having to deflect questions about their childhood. It is nor too late to make connections with others, start to share with people as you start to trust people, and create a new life. Also, it's not too late to attend college or trade school or whatever schooling you've missed. You're more focused now so your chances of finishing a degree or certification or license is much better than when you were just out of high school. Give yourself a break, you've made it so far. Best wishes on your future
#27
Law School. I'll be paying back the loans for 20+ years. I don't even want to be a lawyer anymore but I can't afford not to be.
The Majestic Opossum 3 weeks ago
Ouch. But, a law degree can translate into different careers beyond just being a lawyer. But either way, that's an expensive mistake to realize too late.
#28
Everything so far. I’m so unhappy with who I am and where I am. And I feel as though it may be too late to turn it around.
#29
Not marrying the love of my life. I'm only 26 but I had been with her for the better part of 7 years. I purposed after the first year because I knew she was the only girl for me. I even asked her father for permission. I got cold feet and we didn't get married.. one thing happened after another and now I find myself 3000 miles away from her and single. I miss her everyday. I should've married that girl
#30
Waiting so long before seeking help for my mental health issues. I silently struggled for well over a decade before deciding that enough was enough.
#31
Developing an eating disorder. I'm 19 and half of my life has been in hospitals, avoiding food, and hating my body. The other half is holding it all together, or trying to.
#32
I went on a second date with a guy I didn't like because my on again off again highschool boyfriend blew me off to hang out with another girl. I wanted to make him jealous.
Instead I ended up spending two years being beaten and r***d and I dropped out of college. I had hopes and dreams and I destroyed all of them when I fell for the guy's "nice guy" act.
#33
Basing decisions about my life on what other people think.
Always make sure you are making decisions based on what YOU want in life, it may be hard but it is so worth it. not only can it save you time in terms of years wasted doing something you don't like, but also money and most importantly, your **own emotional health and well being.** Constantly worrying about what other people think of you is not only distracting for you're career and personal development, but it can be discouraging and damaging.
Know what you want in life, and make decisions to help yourself get you there.
Have a great day!
Surgichick 3 weeks ago
It's so hard when it's your father making judgments on your actions/people you're with etc.
#34
I'm pretty sure I'm making it right now by wasting my life away, but I can't think of anything better to do, so here we are.
StrangeOne 3 weeks ago
It's an epidemic of boredom and being consumed by unproductive activity any spare time we have. But here I am... here... on BP.... f**k it. I work hard all day, I deserve to relax and do what I want on my own time.
#35
Trying to join the military. I shipped off to boot camp completely unprepared and they chewed me alive for 12 weeks straight. I was held back in training twice, covered in bruises from the training, and pulled every muscle in both legs and my left shoulder. One recruit looked at my bruises and told me I looked like a battered child. I was in constant pain and they didn't care. I became so sick I had mucus coming out of my eye and I practically drowned every night on my own phlegm. They didn't care. They told me I was in pain because I wasn't drinking enough water then they got mad that I had to pee all the time. I was punished when I did things wrong and punished when I did things right and after a while I developed anxiety. I was terrified of anyone who held rank higher than E-2 and started having panic attacks. Even then they didn't care until I gave my squadmates a preemptive apology. I wasn't s******l and I don't think I would've hurt anyone, but I was losing my grip on reality and I was terrified that I would lose control.
R.C. 3 weeks ago
12 years in. Everyone thinks they're ready for boot camp until they're at boot camp. Thinking you know something is going to be hard and experiencing it are completely different things. I had severe bronchitis almost the entire time I was there. Was on 2 different inhalers and some kind of med (can't remember now) but you're right, you get no special treatment for anything. I didn't get better until after grad and I was able to get a few good nights of solid sleep. I went through it and looking back I still don't know how I managed it lol.
#36
I'll honestly never know if it was a mistake, but I flipped a coin to decide whether to go to college or leave home and hike the Appalachian Trail.
Heads I went to college and spent the next four (ended up being five) years working on a degree. Tails I grabbed my already-packed gear and went on an adventure.
It landed on heads.
College led to job which led to responsibilities. I still camp on the Trail, but my hopes of doing a through-hike are mostly behind me. I'm not as young and spry as I used to be and those responsibilities require a constant paycheck.
I recognize anything could have happened if it landed on tails. I could have wimped out half-way through or less, then gone right back home to do the college thing. I could have finished, been proud of myself and then gotten a job. I could have also had a life-changing adventure. Or I could have been eaten by a bear.
I'll never know, but I do wonder.
Upstaged75 3 weeks ago
A friend of mine did this after he graduated from college. Hiked the entire trail. I think it took around 6 months. He looked like a Yeti when he came back. 😄
#37
Not going out and dating and doing sports while in my 20s.
I was reading books instead. It was still awesome. But now I am a bit pudgy and socially awkward and alone.
I am still not going out and still not doing sports. I do date. Now and then. Reading is still awesome. I just need to eat less chocolate.
Sally Moen 3 weeks ago
Knowing books is not as flashy as having sports knowledge, but it personally makes me happy. I'm glad you like yourself now
#38
When my ex told me, "I'm not good for you and I'm going to ruin your life", I should have believed him.
#39
Wasting so much time on video games and other forms of media and entertainment.
Green Tree 3 weeks ago
An old boss of mine used to say that there are two things no one has ever said on their death bed: I wish I would have worked more and I wish I would have watched more TV. That was in pre-smart phone days so could be updated to scrolling/staring at screens with the same truth punch
#40
In the mid 2000s I used to work a call centre job while finishing up uni. It was a startup fintech type job. People got promoted quickly and they paid above minimum wage. But I was naive and didn't realize how backstabby some people could be to get ahead.
I carpooled with who I thought was a friend until he started secretly recording our conversations in the car to curry favor with my managers. Thinking I was safe I was honest about my feelings about certain things at work and sure enough he played the recordings to my bosses and soon after I noticed a change In how I was being treated.
They let me go with severance when I caught on to the fact that I was being asked to train my replacement.
This led to about 10 months of unemployment with employment insurance and me finding a much better paying job. It was a blow but I learned from it and I'm glad I'm not stuck in what is ultimately a dead end call centre job, no matter how they spin job titles.
Continue reading with Bored Panda Premium
Unlimited content Ad-free browsing Dark mode 
What do you think ?
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
Choosing my boyfriend over my cat when he told me "It's me or the cat". I boarded her for two months (to hide her from him; I couldn't bear to get rid of her entirely) and it changed her personality entirely. She still isn't the same snuggly purr bundle she was before that. It took me another 7 years, but I finally chose the cat over the bf and now he's an ex XD But I regret those 24 years of emotional prison. I'm 43 now and I don't think I really want to dare dating ever again.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
BTW, this is the aforementioned cat XD 9 years old and still my little lady! kohl_kohl_...70a772.jpg 
Little Bit 3 weeks ago
I screwed my life up when I was 16. I'd never been kissed by a Bog and I was desperate to be liked and to be wanted that I literally threw myself at the first person who took an interest in me. He turned out to be a narcissistic a****r and I wasted the best years of my life staying with him because I was too frightened to leave him.
Wintermute 3 weeks ago
I don't know if I should feel better or worse for how many of these I can relate to.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
Choosing my boyfriend over my cat when he told me "It's me or the cat". I boarded her for two months (to hide her from him; I couldn't bear to get rid of her entirely) and it changed her personality entirely. She still isn't the same snuggly purr bundle she was before that. It took me another 7 years, but I finally chose the cat over the bf and now he's an ex XD But I regret those 24 years of emotional prison. I'm 43 now and I don't think I really want to dare dating ever again.
LakotaWolf (she/her) 3 weeks ago
BTW, this is the aforementioned cat XD 9 years old and still my little lady! kohl_kohl_...70a772.jpg
Little Bit 3 weeks ago
I screwed my life up when I was 16. I'd never been kissed by a Bog and I was desperate to be liked and to be wanted that I literally threw myself at the first person who took an interest in me. He turned out to be a narcissistic a****r and I wasted the best years of my life staying with him because I was too frightened to leave him.
Wintermute 3 weeks ago
I don't know if I should feel better or worse for how many of these I can relate to.
You May Like People Share 94 Things To Do While Young To Avoid Regrets In The Future “Feels Wrong And Backwards”: 50 Hospital Workers Share Creepy Moments That Left Them Speechless People Might Not Realize That These 40 Of Their Behaviors Scream That They’re Insecure
Eligijus Sinkunas
Indrė Lukošiūtė
Mindaugas Balčiauskas
Related on Bored Panda
