How to deal with the I should have, and I shouldn’t have thoughts

Clive Ngwenya Avatar
Verified by Emotional Intelligence Developer Community-written · Human experiences · Lived insight

Two emotional triggers which sway your decision making capabilities

How to deal with the I should have, and I shouldn't have thoughts
  • How to deal with the I should have, and I shouldn’t have thoughts

You make mistakes when you don’t trust yourself, and it makes you judge the way you handle different situations in your life. The ‘Why did I do that!’ Feeling when you realize that you could’ve avoided it. Or the ‘Why did I not do that!’ Feeling when you realize how beneficial it would’ve been.

  • Before you commit to something, How do you know when it is right or wrong for you?

If I ask you how many opportunities slipped through your hands because you lacked self-confidence? I’m sure we’d need a lot of time to go over them. But what about bad decisions? For example, The Lottery traps you because you don’t want to miss the day your winning numbers are drawn. Your emotional trigger would be, I should’ve kept on playing because one day is one day when it comes to lottery. Criticizing yourself for not playing consistently in order to win.

This triggers you and manipulates you to buy more lottery tickets which leads to a gambling addiction. It’s not worth it. The second way it can trigger you is the depression stage of gambling. The I should have not played lottery for all those years. How much money would I have saved if I didn’t gamble it all away?

How to deal with the I should have, and I shouldn’t have thoughts

Do something which backfires and it triggers you. Miss an opportunity because you lacked self-confidence and it triggers you. So how do you balance it?

Practical ways to build self-confidence

You learn as you grow… unfortunately life lessons are the best teacher. You lose some and you win some, you miss opportunities and you learn which emotions triggered you to not commit to something. You learn that listening to the wrong fear limits you because there are good emotional fears you can use to avoid danger. And there are bad emotional fears which stop you from living your life.

Learn to use the correct fear to avoid danger and it will help you survive. But also learn which fear prevents you from doing something which can benefit your life. For example, anxiety can build bad fear which limits you. Stopping you from chasing important things in your life. So when you overcome anxiety you’re able to differentiate actual danger and fearful thoughts which prevent you from trying new things.

I’m not saying don’t fear jumping off a cliff. Because that’s a good emotional fear to have. Learn to differentiate good and bad fear. It will make choosing what you do more effective. Self-confidence goes a long way when you understand your emotions. You will stop playing the lottery because your winnings in life come from doing something you like which brings joy in your life.

Conclusion

How to deal with the I should have, and I shouldn’t have thoughts? Emotions are there to be controlled. Don’t allow them to control you, learn to use them as how they’re intended to be used. You can fear danger, but don’t fear life. Life is there to be lived. With moderation and vision you can achieve anything you set your mind to. Take it one day at a time and you will learn to manage your emotions which will work for you.

Author

  • Clive Ngwenya

    Clive Ngwenya is a visionary advocate for holistic well-being, dedicated to empowering individuals to enhance their physical, mental, and emotional health. As the founder of this transformative website, Clive’s mission is to provide accessible resources and support for people on their journey towards improved well-being.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognise, understand, and manage emotions in yourself and others. It helps people communicate better, make thoughtful decisions, and build healthier relationships.

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Emotional intelligence helps people handle stress, manage conflict, and respond thoughtfully instead of reacting emotionally. These skills improve resilience and personal wellbeing.

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You can improve emotional intelligence through self-reflection, learning from emotional experiences, practicing empathy, and developing awareness of how emotions influence behaviour.

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You can explore exercises, quizzes, and reflection tools on our wellbeing tools page. You can also learn more about emotional intelligence concepts in our Emotional Intelligence Learning Hub.

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