9 Things that People Regret the Most from their Teenage Years

Every ex-teen has one if not all if them in common

Teenage is one wild ride. The experience is unique for every individual, but we stay in this transitory period from childhood to adulthood for such a short time that no teenager has been able to make sense of it.

Once we outgrow this phase, we sit down and analyze those uncertain years and suddenly they start to make much more sense when seen through a much calmer and more mature perspective of an adult.

Snippets of memories of our teen years flash before our eyes like distant memories, some of which still stir strange feelings inside of us.

The other day, I was talking with my friends and somehow the conversation led to our teenage years and our regrets about it. After that, I went home but the conversation still stayed on my mind, it had renewed some hazy memories, some of those were filled with regret while others with anger at my helplessness at that time.

Our conversation made me realize how I wasn’t alone in my regrets and how relatable some of those are, so I decided to write this article to let you guys know that you’re not alone in your regrets.

Being a douche

Being an inconsiderate teenager is one of the top regrets people have. Intimidating and shaming peers who can’t take a stand for themselves will forever be uncool.

When all those raging hormones settle down a bit, and a person reviews his actions for the first time through a more focused and calm lens, it dawns on him that he’s gonna be the villain of so many stories.

Also, with age, you realize that most of what’s considered cool and macho in adolescence is quite ridiculous.

Making the wrong friends because you didn’t wanna be alone

The most painful thing is to invest in a relationship that’s doomed from the beginning.

At the time, we were so focused on not being alone that we forced ourselves to be with those who gave us more problems.

Now, I know how damaging it is to stick to one person just because you’re afraid to be alone and don’t want people to think that you’re a loser just because you don’t have friends.

Teenage friendships are all about saying yes to doing stupid shit together, if you say no, you become an outcast. Every plan is a test and you can only pass and prove your loyalty by saying yes otherwise you are bound to be in trouble.

Forcing yourself to do things because you didn’t want to become an outcast

I was reading this story about a man who tried drugs because he wanted to appear cool to his peers and he, later on, lived to regret the decision because of how seriously the addiction affected his life.

It’s so hard to keep up in your teenage years because one minuscule mistake can get you canceled. I think it’s safe to say that many of us are guilty of doing something in those years because we were peer pressured and didn’t wanna seem boring.

Sometimes these teenage regrets continue to haunt us long after and if we get lucky enough, we only remember the experiences and laugh at how stupid we were and thank our good fortune for getting us out alive from daring stunts like drunk driving.

Being judgemental

My friend Ayra had this very interesting story about her teen years. She told how she used to be judgemental of almost everyone and how she had this moral superiority complex going on. She said she realized her regret when during the last days of high-school people were sharing the things they noticed about their friends and what they liked the most but no one had any personal insight to share about her. She realized how miserable she was for judging people who were just busy enjoying their lives and didn’t even care about her existence in the first place let alone her opinions of them.

There’s always a person or two having a strong sense of right and wrong who judge anyone who strays from their glorified views about what’s proper and what’s not.

The party goes on while they judge people from the sidelines, you know what happens at parties?

Everyone’s dancing and having the time of their lives and nobody cares about what you think because the music is too loud to hear you.

Not seeking help for anxiety which took away opportunities

Not addressing your mental health. This is a serious problem that extends into adulthood as well if ignored.

These underlying issues ruin so many relationships and take away opportunities while simultaneously butchering the confidence of a person because they can’t pinpoint what’s wrong with them.

It’s normal to feel a bit overwhelmed in teenage years because a person for the first time views the world through a much more focused perspective, but the constant feeling of dread and anxiety to the point where it starts affecting the everyday affairs of a person is not normal and should be addressed.

Not participating in extracurricular activities

One of the common regrets of the ex-teenagers is their lazy teenage lifestyle that revolved around video games, soda, and fast food.

The body tolerates it at the time but as the person gets old, the body slowly starts to whine about all the mistreatment it was put through during those careless years.

What we put in our bodies in our younger years is what we reap when we get old. Think of it as an investment, a sound investment is bound to give good returns.

Focusing way too much on school

I was surprised at this regret because who doesn’t like being an academic wizard?

But the people who took school too seriously said that it kept them from socializing and now, as an adult, they don’t have anything to look back to, just the countless hours spent in libraries and an aching back.

I think it makes sense but we, unfortunately, can’t have the best of both worlds. At Least they’ve nice jobs now!

Overthinking every situation

I was personally a victim of this. I used to overthink to death. Overthinking every situation kept me from making so many wonderful friendships because I didn’t wanna seem too desperate.

It was never easy for me to be animated with someone because I was so conscious about how people perceived me.

As a teenager I was so insecure. I was the type of guy that never fitted in because he never dared to choose. I was convinced I had absolutely no talent at all. For nothing. And that thought took away all my ambition too.__ Johnny Depp

Overthinking makes it impossible to let your guard down which makes it very tough to form meaningful connections.

Not taking better care of oral hygiene

Well, now this didn’t surprise me at all, with how many golden sets of teeth I’ve seen on campus, it’s no surprise that some of them may regret their decision of not preferring whiter teeth.

I’ve seen some of the brilliant hues of yellow, all courtesy of the day’s old plaque. People are the laziest during their teens but delaying some matters like not brushing their teeth can become a concern when they start to deteriorate.

Trying hard to figure it all out

During teenage years the highest sign of responsibility we can show is to not get fired from that corner coffee shop.

People regret worrying about trying to figure out their lives at that young age.

They forced themselves to act like adults when all they had to do was figure out their teens.

Worrying about the future sucks out the joy from the moments.

Conclusion

Being a Teenager is a perfect opportunity to experiment with the things you’re interested in because even if you fail, you can always step back and choose something else without dealing with the fatal consequences.

It’s a carefree time so take everything with a grain of salt. Learn how to enjoy yourself and know when to step back.

What’s your biggest regret from your teen years?