The 'could have or should have but didn't' stress scenario'‏

Many of us, when feeling stressed, do not take the time to consider what it is that is causing the stress. Alternatively we focus on the latest perception of what we think caused the stress eg. being late because traffic was heavy or public transport was unreliable.

Another source of stress is one that has been caused by ex-post knowledge or better known as hindsight. This comes from the realization that 'if only' you had done something (that was within your power ie 'could have or should have') you could have had a better result. Examples include investment decisions, career decisions, asking out someone you're attracted to or even buying items before the sale occurred.

The stress affects those who are generally short-term focused because they do not realize that opportunities exist continuously and you cannot expect to make the right decision each time. The same people live in the past and the stress is caused by the fact that they feel they have 'lost' something that was theirs or something they deserved - a fact that is completely not relevant and baseless.

The solution is to identify what you can do going forward to put yourself in the position to make a more informed decision or choice. However you must note that ex-ante or future results will always be unpredictable and hindsight is a dangerous platform on which to critique your decisions. In addition you have to be honest and ask whether you put in the time and effort to obtain the information required to make the informed decision you want to make. Remember the quality of the decision made depends on the information you have available to you.