5 ways to let go of regret and reset your mindset for the year ahead

Have you ever been in that weird in-between spot where you are in holiday mode but still have work but want the year to be over for a reset but still need to process the happenings of the previous 12 months? Of course you have, and many of us have been in that exact spot! In this episode we take a proactive approach to making 2026 just that much better with 5 steps you can start today!

Transcript

Welcome back, everyone, to another episode of A Tale of Two Hygienists, podcast episode number 517. I'm your host, Andrew Johnston, and thank you so much for being with us today. And happy holidays to all of you.

Having just wrapped up Thanksgiving and heading toward the end of the year, I think it's natural for many of us to start reflecting and planning a little bit for what's ahead. I feel like a lot of us are excited about the holiday season-but at the same time, we're really ready for the new year to begin.

Honestly, I want to take all the baggage from this past year, roll it up in a carpet, wrap it in tape, and toss it into the deepest grave possible. That's kind of the space I'm in right now.

I'm excited for the new year, but I need to shed the last one first-like a snake shedding its skin-just get rid of it and start new.

Reflecting on the year

In many ways, 2025 has been a great year. Allison and I celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary. We sent kid number one off to college, where he's thriving. Kid number two and number three are doing well in school, happy and healthy. The middle one graduates high school in about six months.

Even our dog Otis—who's not much of a puppy anymore—is doing great and is still super cute.

But there were also plenty of challenges this past year that I'm ready to move past. And that's the key—we have to keep moving past the noise and keep heading in the right direction.

That's really the theme of today's episode: things I'm planning to do, and things I hope you might consider too, so that when we get to this time next year, it hits differently.

5 things I'm working on

1. Letting go of past mistakes

You know how movies have that breakup scene where someone burns a photo of their ex? I think that's where we need to start.

The "ex" here is the painful mistakes we keep replaying-embarrassing moments, things we said wrong, missed opportunities. When we ruminate on these events, it can lead to serious mental health challenges because our brains don't always let us move on.

We know logically we can't change the past, but our brains keep us stuck in it.

I recently read a Psych Central blog post that talked about rumination, obsession, and compulsion. One of their key points was the need to quiet the inner critic.

Why are we so mean to ourselves? We'd never talk to our patients, friends, or kids the way we talk to ourselves. Yet our inner monologue is brutal.

Learning to forgive ourselves takes practice-daily practice. Sometimes that means setting reminders. We need to forgive, forget, and stop carrying that burden forward.

2. Practicing appreciation

This one hit me hard recently. I was traveling with a friend who loves wildlife; she notices birds, colors, patterns, details I barely register.

One night, we were on a boat tour in complete darkness when we came across a tree full of fireflies. It looked like it was glowing. It was incredible.

Everyone on the boat just stopped and watched. There was reverence in that moment. And I realized: I rush too much. I don't slow down enough to appreciate what's right in front of me.

If you're bad at appreciation, find someone who's good at it and let them teach you.

3. Who did you meaningfully help?

This is tricky, because many of us help people all the time, but often we're paid to do it. Patients, coworkers, family—that's part of our role.

I'm talking about meaningful help: something intentional, something beyond obligation.

Helping others gets us out of our own heads and gives us perspective. So ask yourself:

• Who do I want to help?

• How will I help them?

Write it down. Make a plan. Whether it's a dental mission trip, mentoring a new grad, volunteering with a professional organization, or something completely outside dentistry-this matters.

4. What's the next challenge or skill?

What's the new skill you want to develop this year?

Learning something new occupies mental space and gives you something to look forward to. It changes how you experience time.

It could be a language, cooking, public speaking-anything that rewards future you. You may not feel the payoff immediately, but a year from now, you'll be glad you did it.

5. What does ten years from now look like?

This has been a big topic among my friends lately. Our kids will be out of school soon. What does life look like then?

Where do you live? How do you work? What do your days look like?

When you can picture that future, you start working toward it now. And that reduces regret later.

Closing thoughts

Those are the five things I'm working on. I hope some of them resonate with you too.

We owe it to ourselves to be kinder-to ourselves and to others. Forgiveness is huge. I don't understand how people carry grudges for years, yet I struggle to forgive myself for tiny mistakes.

That's a conundrum I'm still working through.

I appreciate you listening. Hopefully next week we'll have a big announcement about our new co-hosts. Until then, have a great week, everyone.