Content

• Steps
• Advice

The fear of death affects millions of people around the world. For some people this aversion causes anxiety and / or obsessive thoughts. The fear of death is the fear of death in general and / or one's own fear of death, unlike the fear of the dead or anything else. However, both fears have similarities with the fear of strange or mysterious things related to death. If taken from another angle, the fear of death is the fear of facing something completely foreign. This is especially true for those who are on the verge of death, as the surrounding mysteries increase as the danger of death becomes more and more visible to them. To feel more comfortable with the end of your life, you need to learn about this phobia and learn to overcome it.

Steps

Part 1 of 5: Understanding Your Fears

1. 

   
   
   Write down the moments when you think about death. To deal with your fear of death, the first thing you need to do is determine how and to what extent the fear affects your life. Rarely are we immediately aware of the motivating factors or causes of fear or anxiety. Therefore, writing about situations that give rise to fear will be a useful tool for overcoming this problem.
   • Start by asking yourself, "What was going on at the time when you started to feel scared?" For some reason, at first glance, this is a very difficult question to answer. Let's start with the basics. Recall the past days and write down every detail you can recall of death thought moments. List exactly what you were doing when that thought arose.
   • Fear of death is very common. Throughout human history, people have been concerned and preoccupied with thoughts about death and the period of death. There are many reasons for this, including age, religion, level of anxiety, experience of loss, and so on. For example, during certain transitions in your life you are more likely to fear. die more than other times. The fear of death often appears in people's minds when they are between the ages of 4-6, 10-12, 17-24 and 35-55. Scholars have long philosophized about the prospect of death. According to Jean-Paul Sartre, an existentialist philosopher, the cause of death to become human fear is that death is the state that “comes to us from the outside and transforms us into the world. out there ”. So the process of death is perceived by us as a completely alien but conceivable (or in some sense unimaginable) aspect. According to Sartre, death has the potential to transform our living body into a non-human realm, where we appear for the first time.

2. 

   
   
   Take notes about times when you feel anxious or scared. Next, write down any times you remember you decided not to do something because of your anxiety or fear. You write down cases where you are not sure if your emotions have anything to do with death or not.

3. 

   
   
   Compare your anxiety with thoughts of death. After you have written down your list of moments of thought about death and times of anxiety, look for similarities between the two lists. For example, you might realize that every time you see a certain brand of candy, you feel a little nervous, but don't know why. Then you find yourself thinking about death in similar situations. At this moment you suddenly realize that this is a candy brand that was presented to guests at the funeral of your grandfather. That's why you begin to feel scared every time you think about death in general.
   • Such relationships between things, feelings and situations are rather fuzzy, and sometimes even more subtle than the case just said. As you write, you begin to become more aware of the situations, then have a more appropriate response to the influence these times have on your thinking.

4. 

   Identify the link between anxiety and anticipation. Fear is powerful and can affect everything you do. If you can look beyond that fear, you will find that what you are afraid of is not as terrible as you think it is. Anxiety mainly stems from a prediction about what will or won't happen. That is how you look to the future. Remind yourself that fear of death is sometimes worse than death itself. Who knows, maybe death is not as unpleasant as you imagine.

5. 

   Be honest with yourself. Be completely honest and face the fact that you will die one day. That fear will eat away at you until you are honest with yourself. Life becomes much more precious when its transience is realized. You know you will face death at some point, but you don't have to live in fear.Once you are honest with yourself and ready to face your fear face-to-face, you can overcome this fear. advertisement

Part 2 of 5: Surrender What You Can't Control

1. 

   Focus on what you can control. The reason death is scary in our thinking because it suggests the critical point of life, and the boundary in human cognitive ability. You need to learn to focus on being in control, while not moving away from the unthinkable.
   • For example, you may be concerned about the possibility of sudden death from a heart attack. There are certain factors that you cannot control for heart disease, such as family history, race, and age. So you can only make yourself more nervous if you focus on these factors all the time. It's better to think about control, like quitting smoking, exercising more regularly, or eating well. In fact, compared to uncontrollable factors, an unhealthy lifestyle puts you at a higher risk of heart disease.

2. 

   Orientation of life. When we want to navigate our lives, we often have to deal with frustration, frustration and anxiety because things don't go as planned. You should therefore learn to relax in control of the outcomes you need to achieve in life. Of course you can still make a plan to navigate your life, but make sure to leave some space for the surprises.
   • Think of water flowing in the river. Sometimes the riverbank changes direction and the water flow will also slow down or speed up. But in the end the river flows, and you have to let things go out of control the way it is.

3. 

   Eliminate the non-positive analogy. When trying to guess or imagine the future, you often ask yourself, "What if this happened?" This is an inactive way of thinking. It is easier to get pessimistic if you think about situations in this way. How we interpret an event will lead to how we feel about it. For example, if you are concerned about being late for work, it is common to say to yourself, "If you are late for work, you will be criticized by your boss and will lose your job." If the urge to control results is too intense, it is negative thinking that will set you on a fine line.
   • Replace negative thinking with positive thoughts. Reason over pessimistic thoughts. For example, say to yourself: "My boss might get angry if I go to work late, but I can explain it because of a traffic jam. I'll say stay at work later to make up for the delay."

4. 

   Take a time to worry. Take five minutes a day to allow yourself to worry about something, and do this every day at the same time. But don't schedule a worry time during bedtime, because of course you don't want to have to nibble on bad things while you are resting. If you have a worrying thought at any time of the day, save it for this time as well.

5. 

   Challenge an anxious thought. If you are constantly anxious about death, try asking yourself about the probability of dying in a certain situation. For example, learn about the statistics of fatal crashes while on a plane. You will then find that your worries are overblown what could actually happen.

6. 

   Think about how other people influence you. When other people's worries begin to take over you, you also think more about the risks that come your way. For example, if you have a friend who is very pessimistic about sickness and illness, this also slowly makes you worry that you will get sick. So limit your exposure to the person so that such thoughts don't come to mind very often.

7. 

   Try doing something you've never done before. We often avoid doing something new or exposing ourselves to new situations out of fear of what we don't know or understand. To practice letting go of control, choose an activity you never thought you would do and be determined to try it. Start by researching information online. Next you should talk to people who have participated in this activity before. After you get used to the idea, consider giving it a try or two before you commit to the long-term pursuit.
   • Experimenting with life by engaging in new activities can be a great tool for learning how to indulge joy, against the habit of thinking about death.
   • These new activities also help you to better understand yourself, especially what you can and cannot do.

8. 

   Plan for the end of life with family and friends. When it comes to death you will find most of this process beyond your control. We have no way of knowing exactly where and when we will die, but we can prepare for it.
   • For example, if you are in a coma, how long would you like the machine to stay alive? Do you want to leave home or try to stay in the hospital for as long as possible?
   • At first such issues are difficult to discuss with your loved one, but it can really help both you and them if this event happens unfortunately, and then you cannot speak up. your want. This discussion helps you to be somewhat less worried about death.
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Part 3 of 5: Meditating on Life

1. 

   Why are life and death part of the same cycle? Understand that your life and death, as well as all other living things, are part of the same cycle. Instead of being two completely different events, life and death actually happen at the same time. For example, our body's cells continually multiply and die in different ways throughout life. This is how your body can adapt and develop in the world around it.

2. 

   Why is the human body part of a complex ecosystem? The body serves as a fertile ecosystem for a multitude of different life forms, especially after we die. When we are alive, our digestive system is home to millions of microorganisms. All of them help maintain a healthy body to support immune function, and in a way serve complex cognitive processes.

3. 

   Understand the role of the body in the totality of all things. On a larger whole, our lives come together in a unique way to form societies and communities, whose energies and actions keep our bodies organized. that society.
   • Your life consists of the same mechanism of action and the amount of matter around it. Understanding this makes it easier for you to think about a world where you are not there.

4. 

   Spend time in nature. Walking meditation in nature, or simply spending more time outside exposed to other life forms. Such activities help you realize you are part of the world at large.

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   Think about life after death. Think that after you die you will go somewhere happy, in fact many religions believe in this. If you are a religious person, it may feel good to think about your religious beliefs about life after death. advertisement

Part 4 of 5: Enjoying Life

1. 

   Live life to the fullest. The bottom line is that you should avoid thinking too much about death. Instead, find lots of fun every day, and don't let the little things get you down. Hang out with your friends and try new sports. In general you can do anything to move your thoughts away from death and focus on life.
   • Many people with the fear of death tend to think about it every day, which means they have a lot of things they want to do in life. Let the fear pass and ask yourself, "What is the worst going to happen today?" You are still alive today, so keep walking and living your life.

2. 

   Spend time with loved ones. Living with the people you love and in return living with those who love you is a wonderful time that you will never forget.
   • For example, you can rest in knowing your memory will live forever after death if you can help your children and grandchildren build happy memories of you while you were alive.

3. 

   Write a gratitude diary. A gratitude journal is a place for you to write down and acknowledge what others have done for you. It also helps you focus on the good things in life. Think more about acts of beauty and cherish them.
   • Every few days you spend a little time writing about a moment or event that you feel grateful for. You must write deeply and feel the joy it brings.

4. 

   Take care of yourself. Avoid letting yourself fall into bad situations or do things that endanger your life. Do not engage in unhealthy activities such as smoking, drug and alcohol abuse, and texting while driving. Living a healthy life is one way to reduce the risk of death. advertisement

Part 5 of 5: Getting Support

1. 

   Consider whether you need help from a psychiatrist. If the fear of death is too great, interfering with daily activities and making you unable to enjoy life, it's best to find a psychiatrist for help. For example, if you start avoiding an activity out of fear of death, then maybe it's time to get help. Other signs that suggest you need help are:
   • Feeling helpless, confused, or depressed from fear of death
   • Can't explain her fear
   • Always feel afraid of death for longer than 6 months

2. 

   How can a psychiatrist help you? They help you to better understand your fear of death, and find ways to minimize and overcome it. Remember, dealing with your subconscious fear takes time and effort. It may take a while to be patient before managing your fears, but some people progress very quickly after only 8-10 treatments. The strategies commonly used by therapists are:
   • Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: If you are afraid of death, maybe some of your thinking processes are causing your fear to increase. Cognitive behavioral therapy is a method that forces you to deal with these thoughts and find the emotions related to them. For example, you tell yourself: "I do not dare to fly because I am afraid I will die if the plane falls." The expert must take steps to help you realize that this thought is impractical, perhaps by explaining that flying is actually safer than riding. Then they continue to challenge you to recompile this thought to make it more realistic, such as “People fly every day and they are fine. I'm sure I'm fine too ”.
   • Exposure Therapy: Fear of death makes you want to avoid certain situations, activities or places that give rise to fear. Exposure therapy forces you to deal directly with that fear. During treatment, either the specialist will ask you to imagine you are in the situation you want to avoid, or the other will ask you to actually put yourself in the situation. For example, if you are avoiding flying out of fear of the plane crashing, they will ask you to imagine yourself on a plane and describe your feelings back then. Then they continue to pose a new challenge is asking you to actually fly.
   • Use medicine: If the fear of death is too great and the anxiety is really severe, your therapist may suggest you see a psychiatrist for an oral medication. Be aware, however, that the anxiety medications related to fear are only temporary, they cannot eliminate the root cause.

3. 

   Share your thoughts on death and your fear of death with others. Sharing a fear or concern with others is always a good thing, and sometimes they report similar fears. They can suggest ways to combat that stress.
   • So you should find a close friend to share your thoughts and feelings about death, as well as when you started to feel that way.

4. 

   If you are in the US then you should visit a death cafe. Problems related to death and the fear of death are sometimes difficult to discuss without meeting the right subjects. So you need to find yourself a suitable group of friends to share about this issue. There are a number of "death cafes" that gather people who meet to discuss issues surrounding death. These are actually support groups that aim to help others cope with their feelings of death. Together, they determine the best way to live in the process of facing the end of life.
   • If you can't find one, you can build one yourself with this idea. There are times when many people in your area have similar concerns, but they don't have a chance to share it with others.
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Advice

• Fear of death is sometimes the result of depression and anxiety, which requires professional treatment.
• You should not be afraid to try treatment with many counselors. You need to find someone who can greatly assist with your particular problem and help you find the solution.
• Build steadfast belief that you can overcome your fear of death.