Human beings have always had a very special relationship with death, fraught as it is with an aura of mystery and uncertainty, and it is therefore not surprising that most fear it. But there are times when the fear of dying becomes an obsession that does not let us live; there are people who avoid everything related to death, but, at the same time, constantly think about it.
Separate rationality from pathology
In general, the boundary between rational and pathological in psychological problems is quite tenuous. Sometimes it is enough to give a little emphasis to what we think, feel or do every day to fall into the pathological. Of course, the fear of death does not escape this reality.
I would say that everyone, some more, some less, are afraid of dying. This is something quite natural, since death hides a lot of uncertainty: we can only imagine what happens at that moment, but we are not 100% sure. However, most of us are able to manage the fear of death and do not allow it to interfere too much in everyday life.
However, there are people who have such a fear of death that they cannot live. These people spend most of their time worried and anxious thinking about the prospect of their death. Consequently, they tend to take extreme measures to avoid the accidents that could cause it; they are constantly attentive to their health and when they learn of the death of a loved one, their anguish increases even more.
Sometimes they even go so far as to avoid certain activities or attend some events because they think they pose a health risk. Obviously, this marginalizes them and ultimately prevents them from living life fully.
Strategies for dealing with the fear of death
- Accept death as something natural: The first step to solving any problem is to accept that it exists. Therefore, death must not be denied, but must be accepted as part of life. There are things that cannot be changed and death is one of them. However, you can change the way you deal with it and above all the way you live your life. You can let yourself be consumed slowly or you can decide to make the most of every moment.
- Finding reasons that inspire us: Often, the fear of death becomes the prelude to depression and the person begins to lose all the motivations and desires that make life enjoyable. To prevent this from happening, we must constantly be on the lookout for activities that motivate us and make us feel the desire to live happily every day. Don't you agree that the best strategy to avoid the fear of death is to look for all the reasons to continue living?
- When you feel exhausted you have to change your goal: Eliminating the fear of death is not something that happens overnight, it costs time and effort. There will probably be ups and downs in the process, that is, days when we won't even remember that death exists and others when this idea will haunt us. On days when we feel distressed by the fear of death we must find something to do, and if we are already doing something it will be better to change activities. The idea is to entertain our mind to make fear disappear.
- Share your fears with someone you trust: Expressing what we feel helps us feel more relaxed and confident. Therefore, it is advisable to seek out someone you feel comfortable with to talk to them about our fears. So we will feel calmer and anxiety will decrease.
