Sometimes in our lives we made a bad judgement, or took a wrong turning in life. Rather than continually regretting the past, try writing it out to change your perspective.
If you are confused about something, writing down your thoughts can process your emotions and make sense of them.
Research shows that writing our life stories and editing them can dramatically increase our happiness, as it changes the way we see ourselves.
Write about a difficult relationship or issue in your life for as long as you feel comfortable. Then write about it again - but from the other person's perspective. This makes you feel more empathy and gentler towards the other person and yourself.
Another technique is to write for 10 minutes about a challenge in your life - perhaps something that seems out of control, like being made redundant. After you've expressed your negative feelings, note down what you have learnt from the experience - like resilience. Then write down how it could have a positive impact on the future; perhaps you've always wanted to set up your own business. This shift in perspective allows you to draw on positive emotions while handling life's challenges.
Caroline Macrory (who runs expressive writing workshops Write as Rain) in Good Housekeeping, August 2015.
