5 Regrets We All Have From Our Teenage Years, And How We Can Overcome Them

We all remember our teenage years.

From bad hair and bad fashion to bad relationship choices, many of us look back on those years fondly – but mainly because they’re not our reality anymore.

For some of us though, the woes that plagued our teenage years didn’t really leave us. They can be very jarring, especially since the adult years are usually seen to be ones in which we finally get our act together.

Here are 5 that I’m sure you’ll still say, “Same here!” to.

Before getting our full-time jobs, there were better times when our parents funded us not only for our meals, but for little expenditures via our allowances.

Because we couldn’t really feel the pinch that comes with spending some hard-earned money, we tend to live from allowance-to-allowance, buying items on a whim.

I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I’ve definitely gotten more kiam (aka stingy) after my allowance stopped coming in, and I needed to take on the role of being a financially-independent adult. From phone to credit card bills, I find myself looking at the now-useless items I splurged on in my younger years with disdain.

Some ways we can alleviate this now is to, well, start saving up! I’m sure we all know about insurance agents selling us Savings Plans which basically force us to set aside a sum of money every month, but what about those of us who prefer to have full control over our dollars and cents?

This is where budgeting, and online tools come in. For example, Moneysense’s Goal Savings Calculator is good for those of us who have aspirations, but don’t know how much to put aside each month.

When travelling, opting for hostels and Airbnbs as compared to hotels is also a good way to ensure your holiday doesn’t drain -too- much of your savings.

Money earned is meant to be spent, but it also doesn’t mean that we should be splurging indiscriminately.

Perhaps many blame their raging, unstable hormones for the outbreaks we all hated.

Back then, Oxy pimple cream was our last line of defense, and pimple patches were last ditch attempts to cover up the red, embarrassing spots on our faces.

Partially knowing that it was the fast food and, salt and sugar-laden snacks that we consumed in copious amounts leading to the dire states of our skin, we still continued to feast on these during our recesses, and during after-school activity breaks… because YOLO right?

Many of us have since gotten out of the phase, mostly due to our hormones stabilising, but there are still some who suffer from adult acne, or commonly, scarring from previous outbreaks.

While we now know better than to pick at our pimples and indulge in skin-killing food, some scars and breakouts are simply relentless, and there are no off-the-counter medications or treatments that could possibly come to our rescue.

Fortunately, though, there are skin clinics around Singapore, which offer acne management programmes – even ones for men!

Amaris B. Clinic is one of those clinics, and their tailored skin therapy programme not only helps those with the usual pimples and blackheads, but even those with cysts and scarring.

For those who want to rejuvenate their skin and restore their youth and confidence, the clinic also has treatments to reduce the appearance of wrinkles, fine lines and pigmentation.

The truth is, the condition of your skin (especially on your face) is what helps you make a good, or not-so good first impression, so it might be a good idea to your skincare game from just face wash and pimple cream.