U Can Do It with Michael McGinnis: Inspiring Growth ~ Igniting Potential: Confronting Our Mortality - Part 2: Conversations about Death and Dying

I shared in my last podcast my own experience with death and dying and how this helped me to be more comfortable approaching this topic. One of my profound encounters with death I briefly discussed was as a volunteer in hospice care. "The vast majority of people die gradually, as most deaths occur due to chronic illnesses that progress over time, meaning the body slowly shuts down rather than experiencing a sudden, immediate death; this is especially true for elderly individuals where age-related complications can lead to a prolonged dying process." (Google AI). Hospice care organizations provide a more humane environment for those dying. Based on my own experience as a volunteer in hospice, we provided the "human touch and care" that families often could not provide in large part due to their own discomfort with death. 

The unfortunate nature of this is that family members and friends can miss out on the plethora of life's learnings and lessons one can have with those that are on the way out. In this episode I will share some of these profound learnings and how they influenced my life and choices I made while I was living my life. 

Let's begin with a quote from a guide provided by St. Clare Hospice in their guide titled, "How to talk about death and dying". You can access this document at: https://stclarehospice.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/How-to-talk-about-death-and-dying-Guide-Ver-2.pdf 

"We believe that when we are able to face death openly, and approach it peacefully and positively as a natural part of life, we will feel empowered to live our days to the fullest. Talking about death and dying is the first step towards that reality, planning for life, and supporting ourselves and our loved ones."

My podcast is all about "Inspiring our Growth in order to Ignite our Potential". As noted in the quote above, "...we will feel empowered to live our days to the fullest." Confronting death has a huge benefit to how we live our life. We recognize that death is a part of life, and therefore a motivation to make the most out of our life. I would also add that it provides a motivation to understand death as a part of life, and what lies beyond. This was the cornerstone of my own journey, to come to understand death which further prompted the contemplation of the meaning of life. 

Confronting our mortality and experiencing our own death is one of the most powerful stages of growth. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, author of "Death: The Final Stage of Growth". Her book was used for our hospice care training. Elisabeth came to her own conclusion: "Death is simply a shedding of the physical body like the butterfly shedding its cocoon. It is a transition to a higher state of consciousness where you continue to perceive, to understand, to laugh, and to be able to grow.". Imagine the benefits of coming to this conclusion for how you live your life along with confronting our own mortality. My views and conclusions are very similar to these which has made a huge difference in how I approach the topics of death and dying, along with viewing my own mortality.

Another great resource I would recommend is "Nurse Julie" and her channel on YouTube. She is a "Licensed Hospice Nurse teaching about Death, Dying and Hospice. Helping understand death to live better and die better."  https://www.youtube.com/@hospicenursejulie