Background for saying what I want to say, then…
Background: Based on experience and other explorations of life and death I developed training for staff in the first hospice in Texas. Training included values clarification and life review for everyone who would be working in hospice (originally called the “obituary exercise”). The idea was to increase self-awareness and thus increase understanding and empathy around this major life event – the end of a life. Every training, class, or workshop also included a lot of content on the practicalities of physical care at the end of life. Variations on the initial training continued in the original hospice, other hospice programs, workshops, and into undergraduate and graduate courses on the end of life. I also taught values clarification and life review as tools to use in working with patients and families facing the end of life.
The rest of this post: This is written with the idea that some readers might consider this for themselves. Any age is a good time to do it. Old age is an especially good time to do it.
Life review is a psychological, emotional, social, and ultimately spiritual process of exploring one’s life past and present, how it unfolded, choices made, relationships, losses, patterns, themes, values, and other core dimensions of a life.
Ahhh, the beautiful Wind Rivers
A worthy thing to do is write one’s obituary, eulogy, or things you would like to be remembered for after you die.
In considering how life was lived, it makes sense to review or think about in detail 5-8 things in each of these categories:
- What is missing in life now (people, activities, abilities)
- Wonderful things that have happened.
- Regrets and mistakes.
- Hard times and getting through them.
- Good moves/accomplishments.
And now, future plans.
There are other life review processes, e.g., using a life stages framework (childhood, family life, adolescence, young adulthood, and so on). Many include recommendations to do it as part formal group or with professional guidance. That’s not necessary. Google or ChatGPT will yield several structures for doing one’s own life review.
Happy trails to you!