No one knows what they will think at the end of their life, but one doctor has an idea of what they may regret.
Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, an internal medicine physician, has worked with terminally ill patients and has witnessed people share their biggest regrets as they near the end of their lives.
Dr. Ungerleider, 44, shared the top five things people have regretted on their deathbed and advised people to use it as a reminder to live in the present.
“Being near the end of your life really allows you, pushes you, to be present because that’s all you have,” says Dr. Ungerleider, who is based in San Francisco, CNBC does it.
The doctor, who will also be the presenter of the next program, Podcast Before we gowhich will be released on October 8, says this applies to all of us.
Shoshana Ungerleider, MD, an internal medicine physician, has worked with terminally ill patients and has witnessed people share their biggest regrets as they near the end of their lives.
“Throughout our lives, this present moment is all we have,” he said.
Dr. Ungerleider listed his biggest regrets:
- Not spending enough time with the people they love
- Working too much
- Letting fear control your 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 reflect on their own mortality at a younger age to help them live their life to the fullest.
“Reflecting on our own mortality throughout our lives, whether we are 20, 50, 80 years old, whatever, allows us to live better each day with more meaning and purpose in our lives,” he said.
End-of-life caregivers often share what their patients regret as they approach the end of their lives.
Hadley Vlahos, from New Orleans, Louisiana, has worked as an in-home hospice caregiver for more than eight years and often posts on TikTok sharing what her clients have told her over the years.
According to the hospice worker, one of the biggest regrets people often have at the end of their lives is wishing they had spent less time working and more time with their loved ones.
Dr Ungerleider, 44, shared the top five things people have regretted on their deathbed and advised people to use it as a reminder to live in the present (file image)
“A lot of people feel like they don’t know their kids at all,” she said. “They realize that what they thought were needs weren’t really needs. Maybe they could have worked 40 hours instead of 60.”
Hadley, who has written a book about her encounters, titled The In-Between: Unforgettable Encounters During Life’s Final Moments, said other people have expressed remorse for caring so much about physical objects.
“I remember walking out of that huge mansion and (the patient) was in her hospital-style bed and she realized that you can’t take things with you when you leave,” he continued.
‘I left her house to go to another house, where the walls were falling down, and she was in the same hospital bed.
“In the end, all that mattered was the people who cared for her. They were both dying no matter what their economic situation was.”