What are some of your regrets in life that still haunt you?

[Elsa]

I regret not having transitioned earlier...

I regret not having studied harder so that I could get a better job and have a better chance of leaving this country and the people that I love but will never accept me for who I really am...

I regret not having taken better care of my health when I was younger rather than falling into drinking, smoking and overeating... 

I regret having acted like a nasty A'hole in my sad and futile attempt to be "normal" I wish I could tell them I am sorry....

I regret that I may never be able to see my parents and brother again once I transition....

I am sorry folks I have a lot of regrets... 

[Nero]

I regret the fact that I seem hell bent on squandering what meagre talents I appear to have been blessed with.

This pretty much sums up mine (other than ones relating to other people). Thanks Helena.

[Nathan.]

I regret not getting help for my social anxiety when I was alot younger.

I regret ever cutting myself, I haven't cut myself since I came out but my arms and legs are covered in scars. I was 14 when I started I wish I was as mature as I am now because then I might have seen how flawed my logic was, I thought as depressed people cut that it's would help me (for longer then a few minutes).

I regret not finishing school. I'm 19 with no qualifications and no work experience which is making finding a job very difficult.

All of these regrets aren't really my fault but I regret them none the less. My life was a hell for me then, I honestly didn't expect to live past 16.

[Lee]

Not being there for my brother more when he needed me
    -He did some stupid stuff on his own, realized he was an idiot for it, and came back as a wonderful person.  Our family is closer than ever.
Cutting and leaving scars
    -This is one of the main things that helped me sort out my gender.  The more I accept myself as a guy, the less I feel the need to cut.
Being stupid and injuring my knee
    -This made me realize that I actually care what happens to my body.  I take better care of myself now.
Not taking college more seriously from the start
    -I took a year off and worked, which was a very important time to me.  I also changed schools and career paths, which I am much happier with.
Not asking for help on several occasions
    -I would not have even considered going to see someone about my gender issues had I not realized before that I really cannot deal with some things by myself.

Edit: After taking another look at these, I added in the bullets.  I guess I don't really regret any of these things, as they have all come out better in the end.  They still bother me, but I guess, in a way, I'm glad they happened.

[xAndrewx]

Taking out my anger and pain of dysphoria on my ex's and my friends

Just letting my ex back in my life every time she wanted back no matter what she had done

Losing touch with old friends

[some ftm guy]

i regret not going to the college i was set to register at the fall after high school that i had a scholarship for. instead i sat around home for almost a year not even working and i still haven't started college.
i regret not driving anymore at 17 because it was hard and my mom was terrible at helping with it.
i regret stopping trying to get my license again in 07 for the same reason.
i regret my first relationship since she turned out to be a total manipulative, leading me on, lying....someone i barely recognize as human.
i regret forcing away my dysphoria for so many years in denial keeping me from transitioning year ago, i could have at 18...that would have been amazing but nope i couldn't figure myself out then.
i regret spending 24 years of my life being so introverted, shy, afraid of everything, just hating myself and every part of myself. it made me waste so many years.
i regret the suicide attempt i made fall of 03 when i was 17. but I'm so glad me cutting that night left no scars....well, physically.

[Naari]

I like to think that there is no reason for regrets and that everything happened the way it happened in order for me to be who and where I am at right now.

However, it is not always easy to hold that perspective and

I regret not finishing high school and getting my GED instead of a high school diploma.
I regret not sticking with college when I was younger rather than older.
I regret all the hurtful things I have said to people in the past.
I regret not believing in myself at times.
I regret not talking to my father about my gender related feelings before he died.
I regret not paying enough attention to the little things.
I regret being so caught up with myself at times that I forgot about others and their feelings.
I regret not being more active in regards to social issues I feel strongly about.
I regret taking things for granted.

[Al James]

I regret not starting the transition process 20ish years ago when i first knew what or who i was
i regret not doing as well at school and not being able to follow the career path i wanted
i regret that my dad never had the chance to know the real me
i regret all the s**t my exes had to deal with because i was hiding from myself as well as them
BUT everything i have done or not done has led me to be here today and be the person i am now and that is something i can't regret

[toxicblue]

I regret going to prom with my ex a couple years ago.  We seriously didn't click, and prom made it so much more evident.  And then I tried to fix it, cause I thought I could be more manly so that she'd stay with me.  Didn't work, obviously.  *sigh*

[E]

6 years ago, at age 16, I was sitting in front of a computer, when I somehow ended up reading an article on transsexualism. I was intrigued and looked for more information.

I deeply regret letting the demand for a year's real-life experience deter me from possibly pursuing transition back then.

[JosephKT]

@E: I know it doesn't feel like it, but you're still damn young, you have all your life ahead of your.  If that's how it feels, have at it!~

[Emmanuelle]

Maybe this is old woman's talk, but...

I could regret a lot of things, but I also realize "I" was always part of the stories that could be regrettable. So I figure, why regret something I chose to do (doing nothing being also a choice). Probably given the circumstances and the knowledge at that point in time, I made the wisest decision ever. It's only with 20/20 hindsight it turns out regrettable... In any case: the future is ahead of us, not behind us

[Yakshini]

I regret ever allowing my mental health to plummet to a degree where I was alienating my friends and significant others. I should have sought treatment and attempted self control.

I also regret ever dating my ex... I only started dating him because I was scared that he would successfully kill himself. I never really liked him, but was scared to leave him because I knew he had a history of attempted suicide, he was incredibly unstable, and he had seriously hurt other people before... in a physical way... fatally... (DO NOT DATE A MURDERER. EVER.)
When I eventually broke up with him, he tried to manipulate me by attempting suicide so I would take him back. It was almost a good thing that he found out I cheated on him just because it made him finally leave me alone. Except, being the crazy guy that he was, he used the fact that I cheated on him as a way to try and deface me, ruin my reputation, and make friends hate me. He succeeded with a few people that were very good friends of mine. Granted, his being a total and complete dick doesn't completely justify my cheating on him, but I'm still sick of people telling me that I deserve the defacement  and demonization because I cheated on him. I was cheated on by two people, and remained completely civil in both cases.
Moral of the story: seek stability, don't date someone just because you feel sorry for them, and DO NOT DATE CRAZY PEOPLE (I don't refer to mentally ill, I mean people who will use suicide as a tool for manipulation).

[E]

@E: I know it doesn't feel like it, but you're still damn young, you have all your life ahead of your.  If that's how it feels, have at it!~

You're right - it doesn't. It feels like I'm starting to grow old, and have lost my opportunity for a "proper" youth. Or even young adulthood. Not to mention my childhood, but that wasn't really my fault.

It was a moment teetering on the razor's edge. My fall could have been either way. But I nudged myself in the wrong direction, and thus lost my balance and squandered that opportunity. I chose the side of the demons, and now have to climb back up to grace. But my only handhold is the razor's edge, and the demons will not let me climb.

*sigh*

Sorry - I didn't mean to write a poem, especially not such a bad one.

[JosephKT]

You're right - it doesn't. It feels like I'm starting to grow old, and have lost my opportunity for a "proper" youth. Or even young adulthood. Not to mention my childhood, but that wasn't really my fault.

It was a moment teetering on the razor's edge. My fall could have been either way. But I nudged myself in the wrong direction, and thus lost my balance and squandered that opportunity. I chose the side of the demons, and now have to climb back up to grace. But my only handhold is the razor's edge, and the demons will not let me climb.

*sigh*

Sorry - I didn't mean to write a poem, especially not such a bad one.

It's cool, we all need to vent through moments of less than stellar use of prose   

[Nilisa]

Having sex the two (Attempted thrice) times that I did.
The on/off relationship I had with a girl.
Not building a relationship and trust with my mum like I should have.
Letting myself go in sixth form to the point where my bank balance was perpetually empty and I missed hours of lessons a week.
Taking so damn long to get a job or even go to the JobCentre.
Letting myself get walked over all through primary and secondary school.
Wasting so much money on stuff I don't need.
Taking so damn long to get counselling.

Probably a few others, but I can't think of them.

[SarahM777]

I regret believing all the lies about how i wasn't good enough, i was a disappointment,or that i wasn't man enough.
I regret that it lead me into things i shouldn't have done and also getting involved with people i shouldn't have because i really thought i deserved all the crap they gave me.
The biggest was getting involved with helping my sister and not seeing the warning signs before it got to be to late.

[lisagurl]

No regrets but I do wish they taught Philosophy in Grade school.

[~RoadToTrista~]

I regret causing this post to have ever existed. WAY TMI

[LordKAT]

Stretch marks are scars. I never heard of laser removing scars before.