1. Families and relationships are complicated, as is grief. Some people don't "get it" if you find it difficult to grieve for a parent or other relative but this is the reality for those who experienced abuse, neglect or parental absence as a child. Every grief is valid.
2. Marriage and/or children might never happen. Death will. Plan, plan, plan for the end instead.
3. Make an Advance Care Plan. This will help doctors and healthcare workers with your care and decisions if you are unable.
4. Being alone doesn't have to mean being lonely.
5. Sometimes being alone or not having children or a partner is a life choice and that is okay.
Stephanie Owens works at Dying Matters. She feels strongly about helping those at the end of their lives and helping raise awareness about the importance of talking about death and dying.
She has been working in communications for eight years and in healthcare charities for six years. She studied linguistics, multimedia communications and cognitive neuroscience at Canterbury, Madrid and Birkbeck respectively.
@dyingmatters