People share the things they will definitely leave behind in 2024

It’s that time again! Many of us are looking back at 2024 and making resolutions for the next year.

That’s why we recently asked the BuzzFeed Community what unfortunate mistakes they’ll leave behind in 2024. Here’s what they said:

1.“I am leaving my narcissistic, abusive husband in 2024. I will not walk into my apartment for another year after working all day and see him sitting there on the couch playing video games, in that exact spot , where he was when I went to work! He only worked for three months this year before I was laid off and didn’t even bother looking for a new job. I won’t live like this for another year!”

-Anonymous

2.“No boundaries are set or enforced, especially within the family. It can be really difficult to intentionally admit when someone close to you is violating a boundary, especially if it’s been happening for a while. For me, it was aggressive behaviors and comments or gestures that did that.” Set the expectation that I must tolerate trauma triggers in order to maintain peace in the family and not cause inconvenience to anyone. With the help of therapy and a lot of time, patience and self-compassion, I will not let others violate my boundaries next year.”

-Anonymous

3.“I spent way too much money this year. Yes, rent has gone up, groceries cost more and life in general is super expensive – there’s not much I can do about that. But I’ve also decided to do things like try out a bunch of new skincare products and… I’ve had to dip into my savings to buy Christmas presents, so I’m really frustrated with myself. In 2025, I’m determined to do better .

-Anonymous

4.“I had such a rough temper and screamed a lot, sometimes to the point that my voice hurt. I hope that 2025 will give me a fresh start.”

—vibrating bunny81

5.“I regret trying to pursue a ‘relationship’ with an ex because I thought he might have matured over a three-year period (we have an eight-year age difference; I’m older). But no, I think I will always be that way.” Older and wiser. Complete waste of time.

-Anonymous

6.“I am not taking better care of myself and my overall health and well-being (mental, emotional and physical). That’s definitely something I want to change.”

—SuperFlamingGayElmo

7.“I leave toxic family dramas and toxic people behind me! You can only take so much negativity from emotionally immature and generally immature people! It’s exhausting to find out how some people seem to go out of their way to accept things in person, only to stir up anger and drama. That’s a hard way to live your life.

“I made the decision a long time ago that people’s bad attitudes have nothing to do with me, and it is completely unnecessary to believe that they do. Everyone has their problems, all the time, every day. I wish everyone the best for their future.” positive endeavors!!!”

-Anonymous

8.“I’m committed to getting more sleep like never before. I have found that I have a predisposition to neural problems later in life, so my best defense is to provide my brain with sleep.”

—re89245

9.“I have a terrible sense of direction and get anxious when I drive to a new place (yes, I have GPS, I still get anxious). I’ve discouraged myself from taking solo road trips and driving through unfamiliar cities simply because I don’t mind. So I’m going to plan a solo road trip from Illinois to Yellowstone National Park in 2025. The best part is that there is a small local highway (RT14) that leads all the way there. I guess even I can’t get too lost if I just stay on the same road for about 1,400 miles!”

-Anonymous

10.“I had a girlfriend for a few years who was a huge psychological burden. She was constantly gossiping about her other friends (and therefore probably me), having an argument with someone, or having some drama going on. I was expected to be there for her 24/7, otherwise I was an idiot even though I was going through the worst year of my life. In mid-2024 she got mad at me for telling her my opinion on something even though she had already done it I knew it was my opinion I regret being friends with her and giving her all these years, but the new year feels like a new beginning.

-Anonymous

11.“I’m trying more with my casual contact and seeing how much more we can achieve together.”

-Anonymous

12.“For years I have agreed to live in a dead-end town to make my family happy. I’m 38 years old and there’s a long history of Alzheimer’s in my family – I still have 20 good years ahead of me and I’m finally going to start living on my own. I saved for months to move and sold a lot of things. I’m gone.

—penny

13.“I left my friends behind because I cared too much about what other people thought. I made it up to them, but it will never be the same. I regret this decision every day.”

-Anonymous

14.“I got into some political arguments with my conservative family members this year. Foregoing contact is not an option for me (although I don’t judge other people for it). In 2025, I want to avoid political discussions.” With them, none of us will change our minds, so next year I want to focus on what is in my control (donations, contacting congressmen, etc.).

-Anonymous

15.And finally: “I’m a perfectionist, so I’ve always found a way to diminish my achievements because, in my opinion, I don’t deserve recognition.” In 2023 I became a PhD student for the first time, which really affected my self-esteem (it wasn’t exactly in my previous scientific field). The first half of 2024 was so annoying and frustrating – the more I tried to do better, the worse I felt. I felt like my family was proud of me, my friends thought I was doing great, my professors told me I was very interested and hardworking, but all I could think was that I was a big fraud who would soon be exposed. “

“And then it clicked: I would only be successful if I kept trying. It’s stupid and even irrational to expect to be great on the first try. And suddenly I realized that I had been doing this to myself my whole life, expecting that I would excel at something I’ve never done before, which is ridiculous and pretentious.

That’s why I decided to trust the people around me a little more and use their words as motivation to keep going. I’ve written some articles that were terrible and others that weren’t so bad. My last one got really good feedback. Maybe one day I’ll write a great piece, but I’m in no rush. I achieved good results in 2024, but my biggest lesson was that I can be stupid sometimes because if I keep working hard I will get there eventually. And most importantly, if I can highlight all my flaws, I should also feel free to appreciate my qualities. We as humans should be more open to this. Cheers to 2025!”

-Anonymous

Are there any regrettable mistakes you leave behind in 2025? Share them in the comments below.

Note: Some answers have been edited for length and/or clarity.