Do you fear death? Are you suffering from Thanatophobia? For those, who are clueless as to what the term means, it is used to characterize those who have a fear of death. Now, do not confuse this with Necrohphobia! There is a lot of difference in fearing from one's death and fearing from the dead things or death of people. Thanatophobia is actually fearing the possibility of witnessing something way beyond than life. This fear is usually developed in the people mostly around their end. This is apparently a very natural thought, but some people take this so severely that they end up getting anxious and afraid from something which is not in their control.
The life is there to celebrate the people and moments we have had, not counting the days for us to die. However, after the age of approximately 50, people do start worrying about death, and it becomes impossible to get over the fact of the losing morality. It is actually amazing how some of the people can accept morality, and some people just fear so much to death. But undoubtedly, the fear of death comes as the worst fear for people that cannot even be escaped. It is a potent fear, is what some psychologists believe. What usually people do is that they push it down to their subconscious and try to avoid it. For some people, it is possible to avoid and for some people, it is the hardest thing to neglect.
No matter where you live or hide for that matter, the fear of death can never go away. It can only go away when you are busy enough to live and to think about death. Even when a few people try to get over this fear, it re-emerges with the death of some loved one and makes the grief and pain so obvious. Avoiding this fear is clearly the worst tactic. In order to become more and more comfortable with the uncertainty of death, you will have to understand your phobia and work on it. Let us now examine that how you can actually overcome the fear of death;
#1. Understand Your Fear
The first thing you need to determine is that you will have to accept it in order to overcome it. Also, make sure to know how much is it bothering you and your life. Your fear does affect your life. You can start analyzing and writing about your feelings and anxieties. Simply start by asking a few questions to yourself. You can ask yourself the moments you feel anxious and how do you feel at that moment. There can be a number of reasons which can affect this fear feeling. When you start writing, it will make you realize the fears you actually possess.
The fear of death or “thanatophobia” is very common in people. People preoccupy themselves with the thoughts of death so much that they stop living the present. Your fear of death can be affected by your age, your level of anxiety, your religion, the kind of experiences you have had regarding loss and much more. You might have had some experiences in life which have made you more anxious and depressed. French Philosopher Sartre has claimed that we afraid death because it comes from outside and takes us in an outside world which we are not aware of. It comes very naturally to humans that they are afraid of the things which are not familiar and strange to them. The thought of death, therefore, takes us to a very unknown and unimaginable dimension which can become a source of fear.
Death has the potential to take the living humans to the no living realm from where they eventually emerged. Make notes of the moments when you are afraid and fearing next. You need to realize the moments and situations when this thought dominates and takes over you. Also then, start comparing that anxiety with the weird thoughts of death you have. Look if you can find a connection between the two. Then probably you will be able to figure out that what you exactly feel when you have such thoughts. Writing such things down can be a great realization and an excellent way to be aware of your fears. Then you will be able to find solutions for it in a better way.
#2. Realize The Effect Of This Fear On Your Life
Fear is a kind of potent force that can also influence the work that you do on a daily basis. If you realize how it is affecting your day to day life, then you will probably realize it is not as terrible as it seems. The next thing which happens to you after you start feeling anxious is you start anticipating. There is an emotion of anticipation related to your fear that takes you to the future. Anxiety is completely wrapped in anticipation. Keep reminding yourself of the present. The fear of death is actually worse than the death itself. Death comes for once and goes, fear keeps you unstable for a long long time.
Fear of death is like dying daily because you fear too much. You never know, how death will be. It is not necessarily unpleasant as you think. You really need to be extremely honest with yourself. You need to know the reality of your own morality. This fear of death has the capability to eat you up until you realize that it is not real. Of course, you should never forget that you are going to die someday as you know that death is inevitable, the value of life becomes more important in this case. You will have to face death sometime in your life, the fear will not take it far or close. When you will be honest with yourself and your fears, you will be able to conquer your fear sooner. Destructing this phobia goes from the process of self-analyzing.
#3. Let Go The Things Which Aren’t Under Control
If you focus on something which is not in your control, you will end up being more anxious. It is better to think and work on the things you can control. Death is undoubtedly a frightening thought to have, thinking about life, however, is the most satisfying idea you can have. Look at your life and take charge of the things you can control. Focus on the things that can make you a better person like staying fit, quitting smoking or spending more time with your family and so on. Guide your life in such a way that you can achieve everything you desire before the time comes when you will have to face the inevitable truth of life; death.
We all want to control the things we want to do and the directions we want to follow in life. It is even better to control and think about them rather than thinking about something beyond control. Learn to lose the grip on the time which is not your space. Allow some room for the unexpected things to happen. Be like a flowing river. The banks will change, but the river finds its curves. Try and eliminate the thoughts which make you do otherwise. When you try to predict the future, you end up ruining the present as well. Try to keep only productive thoughts in your mind. The unproductive thoughts are perfectly capable of causing you with negative emotions. Thinking about the result of the act will not improve the act. You can not control the outcome, so how will you control the death. It is better to not think about this fear.
#4. Live Life To The Fullest Instead
At the end of the day, the most important thing to avoid death fears is to focus on the beautiful life that you have. Don’t let the thought of death let you down. Instead of thinking of dying all the time, you should rather celebrate and embrace the messy yet spontaneous life you have got. Go out, embrace the nature, meet your friends and ‘live.' Today you are alive is the most important thing, it’s better to go out and live. Spend time with your loved ones and surround yourself with the people who make you happy and feel positive. Your time will be perfectly spent thereafter. You can even keep a gratitude journal. It is a very effective way to pen down and acknowledge the things you have done in your life and thankful for. Take out some time everyday and write all the things you feel at that very moment. You don’t have to explain anything to anyone and you can write in depth. Avoid getting the thought or fear of death and love yourself. Be thankful for the life you are living and try to make it better and worth living.
We hope that it helped you to celebrate the fact that you are alive and happy. Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
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I suppose this is one fear that everyone has. My perspective also agrees with the write up. The fear of death emerges more in the people who are near to their end time. Mostly people who are in their 50s or 60s have this fear very much. Also, the people who have faced losses in their lives can also have the fear of death or fear from dead. Though, these two things are exact opposite to each other. People who have seen deaths or losses usually fear from dead. They fear of losing someone close or seeing dead people or other dead creatures. Obviously this is very natural, but I suppose life is to celebrate the things that we have not to waste our time on something that is not even certain. The time and place of death is not certain of anyone. It does not matter how much you fear death, it will come when it will have to. The people who do not even fear death or not think about it die so early sometimes. Whereas the people who waste their life thinking about death have a long wait for death. It is very important to understand the fear which is taking over your life in such a manner. Fear from death can make you a living dead. Having the fear of death or the thought of death all the time is worse than death itself. You need to know and realize that the effect of this is ruining the present of your life. Some people fear so much from death that they do not even enjoy their present to the fullest. The things which are not in our control can never be changed, no matter how hard we try or think about it. Therefore, it is easier to live a happy and productive life considering the things that we have and can control.