We’ve all hooked up with someone and regretted it as soon as it happened. It’s unfortunate, but sometimes hookups and regret go hand in hand. It could be an ex-boyfriend you ran into, a best friend who you always swore was a friend or just someone you probably definitely shouldn’t have hooked up with.
And the second you wake up the next morning, you’re flooded with feelings of embarrassed, regret, and guilt and try to rush out of the situation as soon as you possibly can. But the only thing you can do with a regretful hook up is to accept the fact that it happened and try to move on. You can still regret a hookup, but it’s important not to let that regret linger for too long. So here are some ways you can positively and effectively move on from a hook up gone wrong:
Don’t put yourself down
One of the first things we do when we regret a hook up is to put ourselves down or slut-shame ourselves. There’s nothing wrong with having sex and hooking up with people, and even if the person wasn’t right, there’s no reason you should feel about it. We’ve all been there before.
Think about your feelings
Even if you try to deny it, often, sex and emotions go together. And that’s why it is essential to think about your feelings after you have a regretful hookup. It’s important to find the cause of the regret: why do you feel like hooking up with this person was a mistake in the first place?
Think about the positive
Even if you think there couldn’t possibly be anything positive about the hookup, try to think of at least one upside. Maybe you will end up learning something new about yourself from the situation, or perhaps you found out the type of person that definitely isn’t for you. There’s always a positive!
Let yourself off easy
We all make mistakes. Remind yourself this every time you regret something- notably a hookup. Being too hard on yourself is only going to make you feel worse about yourself and the situation. The first step of moving past a regretful hook up is to forgive yourself.
Be able to laugh about it
It might take a little bit to get to this point, but being able to laugh about a lousy hook up is one of the best ways to move on from it. There’s bound to be at least one hilarious moment from the situation, even if you can’t think of one right away. And nothing says you’ve successfully moved on like being able to laugh about it.
Think about the future
Okay, you hooked up with the wrong person and are completely, totally freaking out about it. At the moment, it feels like the world is ending- and that is why it’s important to remind yourself of the future. You’re going to get through this! Who knows, you might end up even learning a thing or two about yourself from it.
