How can I stop thinking about dying

[gillsamann]

I am struggling with panic attacks, I am so scared of dying I am 42 and feel like death is closer I so scared about no longer existing in the world

[Hidden]

talk too your friends, that's what I do

[SmileBCitHappened]

Hi. Panic attacks are horrible. I have had some increased anxiety with the pandemic and find guided meditation to help, sometimes. There is a free app you can try: Mindfulness. Or when I’ve had some moments similar to that, I close my eyes and list 5 things I can hear, 4 things I can remember from around me (the more detailed the better), 3 textures I can feel, 2 deep breaths, then a scent, before I open my eyes.

[Reading_Rando]

I don't know if this will help or not but your fear of mortality is essentialy a philisophical problem that we humans have wrestled with forever. I made some peace with death through my jourmey into philosophy (and to a lesser extent theology). I can't tell you which philosophy is right for you, but there is a whole world of ideas out there and you just have to find the ones that bring you peace.

[Help_Me_Please]

I encountered those same fears. One of the things that really got me was that I wouldn’t even know that I had died. (For some reason not knowing was very disturbing) I went to see several therapists- but this didn’t help. The more I seemed to try an address the issue the worse my fear grew. Ultimately, I stopped going to therapy and slowly stopped thinking about my own death and the fears slowly went away. Not suggesting you stop therapy or anything like that - more suggesting that you stop thinking about your own mortality or at least take a break for now.(easier said than done I ruminate on my own anxious thoughts all the time)

[kenster1]

hi its inevitable it will come to us all.have no regrets live life as best as you can.

[FearIsALiar]

Anxiety is really the fear of death (well for me it is and for many others)

What scares you about dying though? You really just have to ask yourself those questions to get down to the point!

[Jeff1943]

You have passed this way before, you will pass this way again, so no need to worry about not existing in this world. You are energy and energy cannot be destroyed, we can part from our bodies but our essential self exists for all time.

Your panic attacks and exaggerated fear of dying are symptoms of anxiety disorder. Nobody wants to die before their time but anxiety magnifies this feeling ten fold just as it magnifies all our minor fears and concerns out of all proportion.

Do not fight these feelings for that only leads to more tension and fear. Instead do the opposite, Accept the bad feelings for the moment, let them come, you must be prepared to co-exist with them for the time being. That way you lose your fear of them, cease to add second fear to the flash of first fear.

If you can accept things then you cannot fear them because you cannot both accept and fear something. Fear is the mortal enemy of your unquiet mind, as fear fades so do your symptoms and you will be free at last.

[Calamity3Jane in reply to Jeff1943]

Thank you! You actually helped me a bit. I have a similar fear

[Jeff1943 in reply to Calamity3Jane]

May I suggest that you read 'Hope and help with your nerves' by Claire Weekes where the Acceptance method for recovery from anxiety disorder in all its forms is simply explained on one slim volume. It has allowed untold thousands to recover tranquility of mind and return to normality.

[Shilohlove]

Do you know what and when this feeling started?

[c-mac]

I’m sorry you are going through this. It seems like you are aware that they are just feelings - not connected to reality - so that’s a good start.

I had this happen when I started taking an atypical antipsychotic (Ziprasidone) - kept imagining all the ways “terrorists” could get us. Or that I’d fall from a height somehow. It eventually went away, but it took a long, miserable while.

[Brew4]

I have the same issues and only manual labor or exercise helps. Keep busy!

[Zhangliqun]

This may seem like a dumb question but what is it about death that scares you? I know the process is often very unpleasant (though not in every case), but beyond that?

[texasbonnet]

I am almost 77 with numerous health issues and like you I think about death. I think about the people that were in my life but are now deceased. What I get from thinking about them is how joyous it will be to see them again. I don't think they will be present physically but I do believe I will feel their presence. To feel their presence will give me such a feeling of love and acceptance. I have a list, in my head, of the ones that gave me the most love while they were on earth. My top two are are my Nana (grandmother) and long time friend Linda. I have an animal list also and that would every dog I had and a parakeet. I am not sure how they will appear but I will know it is them.

This exercise has removed much of my fear of death. I have two sons and I have always felt extreme sadness knowing I would most likely die before them. I don't want to leave them but my exercise of knowing what I will receive once I have died has even relieved some the sadness. I know I will spend time away from them but I also know that they will come to me when they die because I will be waiting. That comforts me.