Regrets of the dying

Hello again!

The last few weeks I have been all over the place, I blame it on summer! I think I have done too much socialising (this is not bad though, I have recently learnt this increases our neural plasticity!) and usual hobbies whilst trying to stick to my exercise and healthy eating routine.

All these things are good things, but sometimes your body tells you to slow down. So this past weekend I have decided to take it easy and read a book that will be of your interest (if you are reading this article for the right reasons!).

In the business of daily life, it's easy to get caught up in routines and lose sight of what truly counts. But when we come face to face with the idea of our own mortality, it's like a wake-up call that urges us to reflect on the real essence of life.

My recent read is called "Regrets of the Dying" by Georgina Scull, it is a book that shares stories and lessons learnt from individuals who've stood on the edge of life, through accidents, illnesses, losing a loved one or just natural aging.

I am half way through the book and already have some interesting insights that made me reflect and want to share with you, so here you go…

Facing mortality can leave you with regrets, missed chances and wasted years

‘Regret not taking the holidays I am entitled to, because I wanted to be the one to set the example in my company and now I cannot physically travel anymore’

‘Telling my brother he should never come to my home again after a silly argument…then he died in an accident that night’

My takeaway: Life is naturally unpredictable, take that holiday, mend fences (or not!), cherish your loved ones whilst you can, and as painful as it may feel, think about the moment where you might not be here anymore, let that sink in and then think who will be impacted and what could you do to make them remember you with love.

Confronting your terminal prognosis (we all have this btw!) can reshape your view of mortality, emphasising the power of acceptance and the need for adaptation

‘Friends and family seemed to be in denial about what’s going to happen to me, so I stopped talking about it’

‘Despite having Cancer, I think this experience has made me a better person, I am more relaxed and tend not look too far into the future and live the present’

‘Accept your fate. This doesn’t mean stop fighting, but until you accept it then it will absorb all your energy, energy that you can use to influence what you can change’

My takeaway: Accepting our morality (or the one of a loved one) can take us into a roller-coster of emotions. But that does not mean they all have to be negative, they will be complex, for sure, but we have opportunities to try and make them a bit less bad. The lesson here is that acceptance isn't surrender; it's a way to conserve energy and direct it towards shaping the little things that are within our control.

I believe majority of us have had some ‘wake-up call’ moments through our life…

What’s yours?

One more thing…

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See you next week!