So you messed up...

Everybody makes mistakes. What's next? Moving past the regret, repairing your rep and healing yourself.

- KELSEY HAYWOOD LUCAS

REAL TALK: Slip-ups happen. Whether it’s your first mega mistake or you’ve made a few too many lapses in judge-ment, it’s never too late to repair your reputation and, more importantly, fix how you feel about yourself.

WHAT HAPPENED:

YOU GOT CAUGHT IN A LIE

You told your bestie you were stuck babysitting your little sib last-minute and couldn’t make your standing Sat-urday night sushi date. The truth? You were off to a concert with a new friend you met during your winter break. You didn’t think much of it until your BFF saw you tagged in a pic on Insta.

WHAT TO DO:

Yikes. Lying is never OK, especially when it hurts a good friend. Telling a fib makes you seem untrust-worthy—and who wants to be besties with someone like that? If you get caught, come clean right away and offer a sincere apology. Explain why you weren’t upfront in the first place (“I didn’t know how to tell you without hurting your feelings”), then promise to be honest from now on. And make sure that’s the truth.

WHAT HAPPENED:

YOU WERE MEAN

There’s this something about that girl in your lab group that really bugs you. Maybe it’s the way she constantly takes over projects or always interrupts your experiments with random investigations. Whatever it is, you vented to a couple of girls at softball about how incredibly annoying she is. But word’s gotten around, and things are awkward.

WHAT TO DO: