Doctor reveals the five most common regrets people have on their deathbeds
No one knows what they will think at the end of their life, but one doctor has an idea of what you might regret.
Shoshana Ungerleider, an internist, has worked with terminally ill patients and has seen people share their biggest regrets as they approach the end of their lives.
Dr. Ungerleider, 44, shared the five biggest regrets people have had on their deathbeds, advising people to view them as reminders to live in the present.
“When you’re near the end of your life, you’re really pushed to be present, because that’s all you have,” Dr. Ungerleider, who lives in San Francisco, tells CNBC makes it.
The doctor, who will also be the presenter of the upcoming Podcast Before We Gowhich starts on October 8, says that this applies to all of us.
Shoshana Ungerleider, an internist, has worked with terminally ill patients and has seen people share their biggest regrets as they get closer to the end of their lives.
“All our lives, this present moment is all we have,” she emphasized.
Dr. Ungerleider listed the biggest regrets:
- Not spending enough time with the people they love
- Working too much
- Letting fear dictate their decisions and not taking enough risks
- Not being brave in the face of uncertainty or opportunity
- Focusing too much on the future and losing touch with the present
The doctor also said that in addition to recommending diet and exercise, she encourages people to think about their own mortality at an early age. This can help them live life to the fullest.
“If we think about our own mortality throughout our lives, whether we are 20, 50, 80 or whatever, we can live each day better and have more meaning and purpose in our lives,” she emphasized.
End-of-life care providers often share their patients’ regrets as they approach the end of their lives.
Hadley Vlahos, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, has been a home-based caregiver for over eight years. She often shares what clients have told her over the years on TikTok.
According to the hospice worker, one of the biggest regrets people often have at the end of their lives is wishing they could have spent less time working and more time with their loved ones.
Dr. Ungerleider, 44, shared the five biggest things people regret on their deathbed, advising people to use them as a reminder to live in the present (stock image)
“A lot of people feel like they don’t know their children at all,” she explains.[They realize that] what they thought was necessary, actually wasn’t. Maybe they could have worked 40 hours instead of 60.’
Hadley, who wrote a book about her encounters called The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments, said others have expressed regret about caring so much about physical objects.
‘I remember leaving this huge mansion, and [the patient] lying in her hospital bed and realizing you can’t take stuff with you when you go,” she continued.
‘I left her house to go to another house, where the walls collapsed and she was lying in the same hospital bed.
“The only thing that mattered in the end was the people around her who cared for her. They were both going to die, regardless of their financial situation.”