An Internal Medicine Doctor Shares the Top 5 Regrets People Have on Their Deathbeds and What They Can Teach Us About Living Healthy, Fulfilled Lives

Shoshana Ungerleider believes that to lead a purposeful and satisfying existence, one must acknowledge that life will eventually conclude.

Ungerleider, a doctor specializing in internal medicine, has observed regrets among hospital patients near the end of their lives, according to her interview with CNBC Make It.

"Ungerleider, 44, host of the upcoming "Before We Go" podcast and founder of the nonprofit End Well Foundation, emphasizes the importance of being present in life. According to him, being close to the end of one's life forces individuals to focus on the present moment, as that is all they have."

Here are five regrets she says people often express:

• I didn't spend enough time with the people I love.
• I worked too much and missed out on life.
• I let fear control my decisions and didn't take risks.
• I wish I'd been braver in the face of uncertainty or opportunity.
• I focused too much on the future and lost touch with the present.

To avoid regrets, Ungerleider suggests reflecting on the limited and unpredictable nature of time, and frequently considering crucial questions such as: How do I want to allocate my time? What are the most significant aspects of my life?

Encouraging young people to consider reflection as an essential component of living a long, healthy life with good quality is particularly emphasized by her.

""As a doctor, I recommend a balanced diet, regular exercise, and avoiding harmful habits like smoking and high-risk activities. Reflecting on our own mortality is crucial for living a better life with more meaning and purpose, regardless of age," she emphasizes."

According to Alua Arthur, author of "The Happiness Lab," acknowledging the inevitability of death can help us appreciate the small pleasures in life.

"Being mindful of my mortality makes me appreciate the sensory experiences I have now," said Arthur, founder of Going With Grace, a Los Angeles-based end-of-life planning and support organization. "For example, feeling the cold on my hands and having dishes to eat off of are so cool!"

'Happiness is a choice'

The observations of Ungerleider are consistent with those of Siddhartha Mukherjee, a Pulitzer Prize-winning oncologist, and Bronnie Ware, an author and former palliative care worker.

People often regret not expressing more love and forgiveness to those they care about on their deathbeds, according to Mukherjee, who spoke at the University of Pennsylvania's commencement in May. He emphasized that waiting to express oneself only delays the inevitable.

In her 2011 book "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying," Ware stated that the most common regret she heard from the dying was a lack of courage to live a life authentic to themselves, rather than the life others expected of them.

"Happiness is a choice that many did not realize until the end. They remained trapped in old routines and behaviors," she stated in a blog post. "Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Make conscious, wise, and honest choices. Choose happiness."

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