“You Can Talk Back To Your Brain”: 30 People Share The Best Advice They Wish They’d Heard Earlier

Some people regret that they didn't embrace a healthier lifestyle earlier, and we were curious about what could help them move past these feelings.

"While some people may feel regret, many people can transform this into motivation to focus on the things that are important in life," Dr. Castel, from UCLA, explained to Bored Panda via email.

"This can take the form of nurturing relationships, and also developing new healthy habits at any age in life," he said.

We were also interested in what could help motivate someone to continue developing new habits even if they're not seeing the results they hoped for.

"While some habits may not immediately yield benefits, people may appreciate that the reinforcement will occur if it is discussed with others," Castel, the author of 'Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging,' said.

"Thus, having a social connection and talking about how to nurture healthy habits can be beneficial so that they become long-term programs of behavior, such as exercise, eating well, and being around the people that one cares about."

One thing that everyone needs to understand is that there is no such thing as a ‘perfect’ life. No matter how skilled, resilient, resourceful, or lucky you might be, at one point or another you are going to make mistakes. And lots of them! They might be one-off behaviors or even full-fledged habits that you regret (not) doing. 

But instead of agonizing over all of this, you must embrace this ‘imperfection.’ Yes, your life would have been better if you took better care of your mental health or stopped trying to please everyone in your social circle. However, you did the best that you could with the knowledge and tools that you had at the time. What matters now is that you learn from those mistakes, identify the habits and type of lifestyle you want, and put consistent effort to reach those goals.

Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., points out in a piece on Psychology Today that, practically speaking, there is no possible way for your past self to have known what you know now. The advice you so wish you could give your past self could still be incredibly useful to you now.

All it takes is acknowledging its usefulness and integrating it into your life. It takes a lot of maturity and humility to admit that, yes, you probably should have behaved differently. However, you would not be the person you are today if you had not made those mistakes in the past. And, if we’re being totally honest, it really is never too late to learn something new. We’re never ‘too old’ to live the life we truly want.

In our experience, some of the most important factors that help us live a happy life include prioritizing our physical and mental health, developing strong relationships with the people we care about, and spending time on activities that we truly love.

Living well starts with the absolute basics: from eating well and getting plenty of exercise to drinking lots of water and getting enough sleep every single night. Next, you have to find a healthy balance between work or school and your free time. That might mean different things to different people, but so long as you’re not neglecting your passions (whether that’s dance, art, travel, music, or anything else), you’re doing things right. 

Though if you’re struggling or feel utterly lost, there’s no shame in asking for help. If talking to your family and friends doesn’t help, seek out a therapist for advice.