INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Regret can be a painful process that many may experience, but experts say it can also be productive for your mental health.

Dr. Henderson, a clinical psychologist from Indiana University, joins News 8 at Daybreak to discuss the problem of regret and ways to handle the emotion.

Henderson says some of the most common regrets for Americans include romantic relationships, career paths not taken, and education.

She also explains the difference between productive and unproductive. “Unproductive is when we’re being unfairly hard on ourselves. Self-critical, self-loathing. Productive regret can look like, ‘OK, I made that decision. I’m regretting it, thinking about it differently.’”

Henderson then provides ways that people can turn productive and intrusive regret into goals to strive for in the future and how to find peace during the regretful period.

Watch the full interview above to learn more.