Top Five Regrets of the Dying Unveiled

A palliative nurse care who took care of the dying found out five of the most common regrets they had just before they passed away, according to the Daily Mail.

Bronnie Ware looked after people in the last few weeks of their lives and she says it's surprising how many dying people have the same regrets. These regrets include the simple things in life like staying in touch with friends, not being true to oneself, working too hard, having more courage to openly express their thoughts and feelings. In her book "The Top Five Regrets of the Dying: A Life Transformed by Dearly Departing, Ware shares her experiences and insights.

"My patients were those who had gone home to die and some incredibly special times were shared. People grow a lot when they are faced with their own mortality and some changes were phenomenal. Each experienced a variety of emotions, as expected - denial, fear, anger, remorse, more denial and eventually acceptance. Every single patient found their peace before they departed though. When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, common themes surfaced again and again," she said.

At the top of the list: "I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me." Second on the list: "I wish I hadn't worked so hard." Third: "I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings." Fourth: "I wish I stayed in touch with my friends" and fifth: "I wish that I had let myself be happier." Ware's book is filled not only with the top five regrets of the patients she cared for but also her thoughts and reactions to their revelations.