This are top five regrets people make on their deathbeds as revealed by Nurses
1. I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.
This was the most common regret of all. When people realize that
their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see
how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honored even
a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to
choices they had made, or not made.
It is very important to try and honor at
least some of your dreams along the way. From the moment that you lose
your health, it is too late. Health brings a freedom very few realize,
until they no longer have it.
2. I wish I didn’t work so hard.
This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed
their children’s youth and their partner’s companionship. Women also
spoke of this regret. But as most were from an older generation, many of
the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I
nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on
the treadmill of a work existence.
By simplifying your lifestyle and making
conscious choices along the way, it is possible to not need the income
that you think you do. And by creating more space in your life, you
become happier and more open to new opportunities, ones more suited to
your new lifestyle.
3. I wish I’d had the courage to express my feelings.
Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace
with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and
never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many
developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they
carried as a result.
We cannot control the reactions of
others. However, although people may initially react when you change the
way you are by speaking honestly, in the end it raises the relationship
to a whole new and healthier level. Either that or it releases the
unhealthy relationship from your life. Either way, you win.
4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends.
Often they would not truly realize the full benefits of old
friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible
to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that
they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were
many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort
that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying.
It is common for anyone in a busy
lifestyle to let friendships slip. But when you are faced with your
approaching death, the physical details of life fall away. People do
want to get their financial affairs in order if possible. But it is not
money or status that holds the true importance for them. They want to
get things in order more for the benefit of those they love. Usually
though, they are too ill and weary to ever manage this task. It is all
comes down to love and relationships in the end. That is all that
remains in the final weeks, love and relationships.
5. I wish that I had let myself be happier.
This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end
that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and
habits. The so-called ‘comfort’ of familiarity overflowed into their
emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them
pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content. When
deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their
life again. When you are on your deathbed, what others think of you is a
long way from your mind. How wonderful to be able to let go and
smile again, long before you are dying.
Credit: www.healthy-holistic-living.com