Life is short and that is why we have to enjoy each moment by doing the things that are dear to our heart. A former nurse has shared her experiences of what terminally ill people tend to regret the most.
Bronnie Ware, a palliative care nurse who looked after people in the last few weeks of their lives, says it is surprising how many dying people have the same regrets.
According to DailyMail;
Ms Ware also found men regretted working too hard, while many people wish they had had the courage to more frequently express their feelings.
Inspired by what she discovered, Ms Ware wrote a book – The Top Five Regrets Of The Dying: A Life Transformed By The Dearly Departing – about her experiences.
She said: ‘My patients were those who had gone home to die and some incredibly special times were shared.
‘People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality and some changes were phenomenal.
‘Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected – denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance.
‘Every single patient found their peace before they departed though.
‘When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again.’
She says the five most common regrets of the elderly are:
‘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 realise 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 honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it.’