health
What end-of-life experts know about living well: love your wrinkles, celebrate birthdays and don’t obsess over work
How can our understanding of mortality shape the way we live? Palliative care doctors and death doulas share the lessons they have learned
TL;DR
- Prioritize people and human connections over material things.
- Repair relationships and express important sentiments like 'I love you' or 'I forgive you'.
- Keep work in proportion and find a balance between earning and happiness.
- Seek deeper experiences of joy, awe, and wonder, rather than superficial pleasures.
- Connect with nature and the wider world for contentment and happiness.
- Live with intention, making conscious choices about how to spend your time.
- Focus on and appreciate small, everyday moments.
- Complete unfinished tasks and sort out personal affairs for legacy.
- Engage in activities that connect you to others, such as charitable work or family.
- Accept signs of aging as a privilege of having lived a long life.
- Strive for health but don't let it limit life's experiences; savor sensual pleasures.
- Celebrate birthdays and consider 'living funerals' to honor life.
- Create and pursue a bucket list to experience desired activities.
- Discuss and plan for the kind of death you would like to have, ensuring peace and fulfillment.