Defining Regret and Its Mixed Emotions

We have all experienced a feeling of regret at some point in our lives. It can be a deep sadness and disappointment that results from realizing how we could have done things differently or a feeling of guilt or shame that we experience when we make a mistake. Regret is a powerful emotion, one that can send us spiraling. However, it is possible to move beyond it and not become stuck in the feeling of despair.

Discussing his remarkable guide, If Only...: Finding Freedom from Regret, we are honored to be joined by renowned psychologist and the Founder of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy, Dr. Robert Leahy. As we explore the impact of regret, we gain insight and actionable exercises from Robert on how it can be utilized as a valuable tool to create opportunities and inform our decisions in more productive ways. Listen in to understand and manage regret, so that it doesn't control your life!

• What is regret?
• Using the multiple selves concept to avoid regretful decisions 
• How different styles of decision-making lead to more or less regret
• What distinguishes productive regret from unproductive regret 
• How to identify when you are caught in an unproductive cycle versus using regret productively
• Existential perfectionism and regret
• Why is regret a more dominant experience in modern times
• The negation exercise
• The importance of risk assessment in managing regret

• Visit the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy website: https://www.cognitivetherapynyc.com/dr-robert-leahy/
• Watch Barry Schwartz’s, The Paradox of Choice TEDx Talk mentioned in this episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VO6XEQIsCoM
• Grab your copy of If Only...: Finding Freedom from Regret: https://bookshop.org/a/30734/9781462547821

Robert L. Leahy is the Founder and Director of the American Institute for Cognitive Therapy in NYC, Clinical Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, and Past-President of the Association of Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, The Academy of Cognitive Therapy, and The International Association of Cognitive Therapy. He is the recipient of the Aaron T. Beck Award for outstanding contributions in CBT, is the author of 29 books and is a frequent keynote speaker and presenter of workshops worldwide. His new book is If Only...Finding Freedom from Regret. 

• Episode 48. Practical Wisdom with Barry Schwartz
• Episode 130. Working Less with Alex Pang
• Episode 211. Subtract with Leidy Klotz
• Episode 226. ACT for Perfectionism with Jennifer Kemp
• Episode 232. Grounded to Soar with Brad Stulberg
• Episode 242. Four Thousand Weeks with Oliver Burkeman
• Episode 257. The Gift of Being Ordinary with Ron Siegel

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