That's a good description. There isn't much you can do.
Sometimes you just need to take another look at the pic and decide whether you can accept or even like the effect, as a sort of marker for the event you photographed and the circumstances under which it was taken. But I admit that for color photos that is harder (for me at least) than B&W photos. So maybe a suggestion: try some "filters" or other adjustments to render the photo in black and white, or in sepia tones. You might like the effect - if not, you can always undo.