As we get older we start to think more about our mortality. It’s a natural part of aging. And perhaps there comes a point when you start to feel that you have tinges of regret. One of the most important things to remember as we get older is making sure that we have minimal regrets. So what is the best way to do this? To know the top regrets that people have at the end of their life. Let’s show you some of the main ones so you can best prepare.
Too Much Worrying
The bitter irony of regretting things as we get older is that we are, in essence, worrying about worrying! The advice is very simple: just stop worrying so much! But we all know that it’s easier said than done. Perhaps we have to think about drilling down to the root causes. If we start to worry about things in life is it about the fact that we are sweating the small stuff? Or is it actually a substantial worry that we need to fix? As we get older we can start to worry about putting the provisions in place. As we get older we may worry that we don’t have people to look after us. But you can very easily learn more today about professional provisions like in-home care services. And it may be something that you don’t necessarily have to worry about right away, but the big cliche in life is that everything creeps up on us so fast. If there are things that you worry about, do what you can to put them to bed so you can focus on living.
Not Choosing A Life Partner Carefully Enough
It’s one of the most important decisions that we make in life. Some people look back over their own lives and feel that they didn’t take the time to find someone. So many people are impulsive or view a relationship as a last-ditch attempt at normality. It’s something that’s changing. Younger generations are certainly more careful about choosing the right relationship. And people aren’t afraid of being on their own. But it’s not something that is across the board. The best piece of advice if you feel that you may end up on the scrapheap is to get to know yourself first. Once you understand who you are, you will be better suited to understand what you need from a relationship. At the same time, you need to make sure that you get to know somebody before you dive in. It all sounds incredibly obvious but so many people jump from relationship to relationship without getting to know themselves or even the person they are with!
Not Being Honest Enough
We can all cover our tracks to an extent. And as we get older, lying and deceitfulness can eat away at us. It may not be anything major like having an affair but dishonesty in every form can be part of one of the major regrets. As well as this, experiencing dishonesty from other people has been shown to be one of the main regrets. When we start to be with people who are dishonest or untrustworthy this can form a very toxic relationship or friendship. One of the best pieces of advice is being honest as much as you can in life. It’s not easy, especially now when people self-edit their lives on social media; and it’s not about absolving yourself of responsibilities by being honest all of the time but it’s about having a sound moral compass. It’s one of those things that can seem a little cheesy, being a “good samaritan,” but you have to remember that when you are honest with others you will surround yourself with the right people for you.
Not Looking After Your Health
Youth is wasted on the young, but so is health! You have to remember that as you get older you may think that having a vice is your right, especially when you work so hard. But the big problem in the modern day is that you won’t necessarily die early. One of the big issues in modern life is that medicine is so advanced that you can end up with a chronic disease for a decade or two. So this brings into play the question about quality versus quantity of life. If you have a very bad immune system and you think that eating the things that you like or smoking is a small justification you could spend the last few years of your life is very uncomfortable, or even worse! The real solution is about paying attention to your health and making changes to your lifestyle if you don’t feel good. Chronic disease is widespread and if you don’t fix this you will have a very miserable existence.
Avoiding Saying How You Feel
Many people regret not telling their significant other that they loved them enough but some people completely avoid opening themselves up. The one major regret is not telling someone how you feel before they pass away. The solution is simple: say what is on your mind. But old habits can certainly die hard. Instead, think about what you really want to say, but also practice asking for forgiveness or gratitude. It’s those little things that can eat away at you forever. You may not have even paid attention to it at the time but if you can learn to open yourself up this can make you release the burden, but you will also feel happier because you’ve been honest for the first time in your life.
Not Healing Rifts
A lot of people who are incredibly unhappy at the end of their life had a rift with a relative or a child. The vast majority of people wished they worked harder at reconciling or asking for forgiveness. Partly, this can be due to sheer stubbornness. When you are in your 20s, 30s, or 40s the things that seem justified at the time aren’t worth it when you are at the tail end of your life. Even if you have fantastic relationships in your life, if there is one member of the family that you haven’t been able to get on with, you may find the regret increasing as you get older. If you are able to heal a rift with anybody it’s important to do what you can and learn the art of forgiveness and reconciliation. Sometimes it can be the other person but you have to make sure that you’ve done everything in your power to heal the problem.
The great thing about knowing the regrets of people later in life is that when you are young you can do something about it now. You may think that you are doing your best to live a happy life. But as every year goes by and you have been giving more time to your job than your family, you may start to ask yourself if you are making the most of your time on this mortal coil. It’s so easy for us to look to our elders as pariahs of society. But there are so many fantastic lessons we can learn from them. We do our best not to have regrets but it’s also important to remember that if we have no regrets at all, have we lived an interesting life? It’s important to minimize regrets but also make sure that you don’t fill your life with irrelevant components. Worries and resentments can be a big part of people’s lives. One of the best lessons to move on is to not sweat the small stuff. But look at these major regrets and see if you can learn from them.
