Emotions and Coping as You Near the End of Life/edit

Emotions/Coping/You Near the End of Life

https://www.cancer.org/treatment/end-of-life-care/nearing-the-end-of-life/emotions.html

Some people

 might feel 

shock or fear.

They might feel guilty
abt being a burden or worry abt how their death will affect loved ones left behind.

Knowing these feelings are

 normal/expected may help one

cope w/ what’s

happening. 

FEAR 

WHAT PART OF DEATH IS ONE AFRAID?

-Is one afraid of where one might die? 

-Afraid when one dies there will be nothing beyond earthly life? 

-Afraid of suffering or pain? 

-Afraid of dying alone? 

-Is there fear that one's life had 

no purpose or meaning? 

figuring out what your
fears are can help you

face and manage them. 

Sharing your fears w/loved
 ones/health care team is a  
way to gives them a chance to help you find ways to
 cope with some of your issues.

/gives them a chance to talk with you abt the ideas you may have/can also give you a chance to see and deal with some of your fears in new ways.

ANGER/

re-channeling anger to do meaningful positive things.

NORMAL to feel 

angry about your

 life ending/earlier

 than you expected

/anger often gets directed at those closest to us, the ones we love the most.

/We feel safest with these people and know they’ll probably accept our anger and forgive us for it.

Try to direct anger at the disease  not your loved ones. 

(How?)

- channel your    

anger as a source

 of energy to help

 you take action  

where it’s needed

(How?)

-use it as fuel to solve problems, 

-to become assertive, or 

-to get your needs met. 

GUILT  AND REGRET /

the last stage of life

/regrets feelings of guilt about things one has done or not done or said

We may feel guilty 

when we don’t 

meet our own 

expectations/

or think we 

haven't met 

someone else's

WORRYING 

/decide to 

“let yourself 

off the hook” /not feel guilty abt things

that are out

 of your 

control. 

-You can’t change the past

-ask for forgiveness 

-try to let go of the things 

that can’t be changed.

-consider apologizing 

-forgive others/yourself

-there are things you 

might be able to do 

today abt the things

 you regret.  

STRENGTHEN    
RELATIONSHIPS 
W/ LOVED ONES 

-write letters to the people you love, 

-record messages for them, or 

-make videos they can watch –

-give them things they can keep to remember their time with you. 

-Live the best life you can, and use your time for what’s most important to you.

GRIEF ☘

It’s natural to feel intense grief 
during the last stage of your life. 

-grieving loss/ 

the life planned/

 expected. 

- trouble grasping 

 loss is going to happen.

-one may have lost things already, such as the strength to get around like you used to

-interest in doing the things you enjoy

-the ability to get together with friends

-one may feel distanced from those who aren't coping well with the fact that one is in one's last stage of life. (One's life is diminished by disability/poverty/lack of opportunity. One has entered a time when one isn't an equal peer.)

MANY PHYSICAL/EMOTIONAL LOSSES COME BEFORE  THE LOSS OF LIFE ITSELF.

-people you love are grieving knowing 

they're abt to lose  you.  

-one can and those who love you can find meaning in what’s happening. 

-talk to your loved ones about the grief and loss of dreams you’re all going through. 

-connecting spiritually to something greater than one’s self might help one/ loved ones heal after one is gone.

-Talking with someone about these feelings/a partner/a dear friend/a spiritual advisor/someone you trust/can help you process these feelings so that they no longer weigh you down.

-It may take many tries (to) feel this bur-

den has been lifted.

-It can help one to move on to care for other physical and emotional tasks that are part of the end of life. 

-coming to terms with the losses is one of the most painful.

ANXIETY / DEPRESSION 

can be unpleasant and make you worry

-a shaky feeling all over

-being short-tempered

-a sense of dread or worry

-fear of the unknown. 

if it’s severe it may need to be treated through counseling or with medicine. 

😀The goal is to make 
one more comfortable and help one better cope with the changes that are taking place. 

LITTLE SIPS 😀

Breaking problems into smaller, easier-to-manage pieces can be a good way to handle some kinds of anxiety.

DEPRESSION INCLUDES 

-feeling sad for weeks at a time

-having no joy in any activity. 

-feeling hopeless

-helpless

-feeling useless

Managing anxiety/depression makes a big difference in how much joy/pleasure one can find in your last stage of life.

( how?)

FEELING ALONE 

-there can be a loneliness when you have people around you.

-There may be people who can talk w/ one in a way that helps one feel less lonely.

-Some may be experts comfortable talking with people at the end of life w/ a special gift for silence or listening;

-other end-of-life caregivers

- hospice social workers

- nurses 

Your health care team may be one 
of your greatest resources 
in this area.

SEEKING MEANING FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED IN LIFE

-meaning in work

😀 going through a process of reviewing one's life and trying to find out what one's purpose in life has been. 

-what's one's special contribution to the world been?

-what's one done to make the world a better place?

-what things have been really important

to one/those around one? It doesn't have

to be something huge or earth-shaking.

The end of life experience is full of meaning that can be uncovered using personal reflection. 

Sharing your thoughts, experiences, and wisdom is a gift that your friends and family can cherish for years to come.