Have you ever told a lie thinking that it won’t matter but then come to regret it later? Whether it’s fibbing about your occupation to a blind date, embellishing your CV in a job interview, or bending the truth about how you spent your weekend, we often tell little lies in the heat of the moment without thinking through the consequences. Sometimes telling a fib helps smooth over the current conversation that you are having but then spirals out of control.
If you’ve told a lie in the past, you might come to regret it once you realise that your untruth is likely to be exposed. It can be embarrassing to admit to telling a lie but trying to maintain a lie can be stressful and it’s usually best to come clean as soon as possible.
So what can you do to reverse a lie? Well, you could take the route of denial. “You thought I said I was the director of my company? Oh no, I only meant I spent a lot of my day directing others!” Or you could try honesty to get you out of a sticky position while admitting that you lied: “I’m sorry, I was so nervous in the interview, I don’t think I was quite clear about my experience.”
And then, of course, there’s good old-fashioned humour: “I was so blown away by your beauty on our first date, I might have got carried away when talking about my career.”
Whatever approach you take, the best solution is always to tell the truth. It might not go down well but at least your conscience will be clear and you’ll be able to get over the stress of trying to maintain a lie.
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