Elise’s Top Ten: Living Fully After Near-Death

Elise’s Top Ten: Living Fully After Near-Death

When a life-threatening moment becomes a turning point, the way you choose to live afterward is the real story. Elise’s Top Ten translates that pivot into ten practical practices—clear, repeatable steps that turn insight into action. Inspired by Suleika Jaouad’s reflections on how near-dying experiences reframed what it means to live, this list emphasizes presence, connection, and a stubborn commitment to joy, even in the face of fear.

What nearly ended can become a prompt to begin again—with more intention, more tenderness, and less hesitation.

1. Lesson 1: Be present for the small miracles.

   Fear can crowd out the ordinary, but Elise trains her attention on the tiny, daily miracles—the way sunlight drapes a room, the aroma of fresh coffee, a friend’s steady voice. Presence turns survival into a richer form of living, where meaning is found in the now rather than postponed to some ideal future.

2. Lesson 2: Protect your energy, protect your time.

   Survival has a cost, and boundaries become acts of care. Elise says no to commitments that drain her and to conversations that hinge on negativity, choosing instead activities and people that replenish her reservoir of focus, patience, and resilience.

3. Lesson 3: Say yes to what matters, and learn to say no to what doesn’t.

   Not every opportunity deserves a seat at the table. Elise distinguishes between urgency and importance, prioritizing projects that align with her values and letting go of the rest without guilt.

4. Lesson 4: Build rituals that anchor the day.

   Rituals aren’t superstition; they’re scaffolding for steady living. Elise cultivates simple routines—morning breath, a short walk, a reflective journal—that steady anxiety and create a reliable rhythm of recovery and growth.

5. Lesson 5: Nourish relationships that fuel your life.

   After a brush with death, the quality of connection becomes nonnegotiable. Elise leans into honesty with loved ones, prioritizes listening, and makes space for repair when tensions flare, knowing repair is often where healing begins.

6. Lesson 6: Listen to your body with compassionate discipline.

   Survivors learn that the body remembers what the mind forgets. Elise treats rest as a resource, moves with intention, and chooses nourishment that sustains energy rather than indulges avoidance or numbness.

7. Lesson 7: Speak your truth, even when it’s hard.

   Truth-telling becomes a daily practice, not an event. Elise embraces honest conversations about fear, limits, and aspirations, creating trust with herself first and then with others.

8. Lesson 8: Keep learning as a lifeline.

   Curiosity is a heartbeat that persists after crisis. Elise reads broadly, questions assumptions, and treats every setback as data—useful, not punitive—guiding smarter choices and deeper understanding.

9. Lesson 9: Serve something larger than yourself.

   Meaning often emerges in service. Elise channels her experiences into acts that help others—mentoring, volunteering, or simply sharing a vulnerable story—turning pain into connection and a sense of purpose.

10. Lesson 10: Document and share your lessons.

    Turning lived experience into shared wisdom invites others into the healing process. Elise writes with candor and generosity, inviting readers to reflect, reinterpret their own fears, and begin again with clearer sight and renewed courage.

These ten guiding practices form a practical blueprint for living after a near-fatal moment. They’re not dramatic add-ons to a fragile life; they’re the steady core—daily acts that turn gratitude into action, fear into focus, and survival into a richer, more deliberate form of living. If Suleika Jaouad’s reflections taught us to treasure life’s fragile beauty, Elise’s Top Ten shows how to carry that lesson forward into every ordinary moment.