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Fear of mortality
Starting 3 years ago or so, I started fearing death. I would go into a state similar to an anxiety attack everytime I thought about dying. A shock would just start in my gut and flood through my body. This still happens on a regular basis, and they are actually getting more frequent lately. I think about death all the time....I don't know whether it's just the fact I have no control over the situation, or the inevitable "endless sleep" that I believe in. (I have no religion, and I don't believe in life after death). I don't know of anything that would cause me to be like this...I have a great job, a wonderful girlfriend, and nothing should be bringing these thoughts up from the back of my mind. I really don't want to go to a psychiatrist about this due to money, but if that's what it takes, I guess I'll give it a shot. I just want to know if there's anything I can do to stop thinking about my mortality, or at least suppress the emotions that come when thinking about it.
Exactly how I have felt at times though I find myself getting it worse and worse the older I get and now I have this happen at least once or twicea day...and I am only 20! It is making me rather miserable and I know I should" not worry about it because I am so young" but I feel like I am running out of time so fast...
And I have to agree with Jackie that the worse part is knowing there is nothing you can do about the fear. And the full blown anxiety attacks. Nothing to do about them either except try to distract oneself. I find I can distract myself with a book or a game or simply by being around others. This is not always a good option though and I have had days sitting in class panic-ed and anxious out of my mind.
Anyone connect their fear of death with a fear of eternity?
And I have to agree with Jackie that the worse part is knowing there is nothing you can do about the fear. And the full blown anxiety attacks. Nothing to do about them either except try to distract oneself. I find I can distract myself with a book or a game or simply by being around others. This is not always a good option though and I have had days sitting in class panic-ed and anxious out of my mind.
Anyone connect their fear of death with a fear of eternity?
i can relate to your fear of death. i have cardiac arrythmia that strikes with little warning. last winter, my family doc called 911 after i walked into his office with my pulse racing too fast to count (over 190 beats per minute). i'm only 34 and have three kids, one of whom is an infant, so i have everything to live for. i have a very open mind and do not really have 'faith' in any particular religion. you should type in the keyword "near death" in some of your pc's search engines. also, there are two docs at UVA that are currently doing research on life after death, and they have an interesting website. life really is an illusion. NOTHING on earth that is here now will be here a million years from now. everything from the Eiffel Tower to the pyramids will be gone. the human race may even be gone. everything is so temporary and like a vapor. there's no way to anchor ourselves to anything physical. visiting the near death websites was very interesting and actually, the info there made much more sense to me than any religion. the info is universal, plausible, and relates to all people. if you have ocd, the website won't cure your problem, but it certainly may make you feel better about your subject of fixation! good luck!
Allen, I cant believe I have read about someone (finally) who thinks like I do about death. I have told people about my fear and they just laugh it off, I wish so much that I could have that kind of attitude and not let it bother me. I also dont believe in "life after death" which makes the problem worse.
This fear hits me most when I am laying in bed at night or sometimes when driving alone in the car. The thoughts start racing through my mind like "someday I'm really going to die" and then it turns into a full-blown anxiety attack, my heart races, I feel a hot rush through my whole body, I hyper-ventilate and then always say out loud something like "OH MY GOD, NO OH MY GOD". The whole episode only lasts a few minutes but it feels like forever, does the same thing happen to you?
I really believe that the worst part of this is knowing this is a fear that you cant do anything about. If you fear planes, elevators, etc you can either avoid them or take classes to overcome them, unfortunately, this is not the case with death. Please feel free to E-mail me at ***@**** if you ever want to chat. Take care.
This fear hits me most when I am laying in bed at night or sometimes when driving alone in the car. The thoughts start racing through my mind like "someday I'm really going to die" and then it turns into a full-blown anxiety attack, my heart races, I feel a hot rush through my whole body, I hyper-ventilate and then always say out loud something like "OH MY GOD, NO OH MY GOD". The whole episode only lasts a few minutes but it feels like forever, does the same thing happen to you?
I really believe that the worst part of this is knowing this is a fear that you cant do anything about. If you fear planes, elevators, etc you can either avoid them or take classes to overcome them, unfortunately, this is not the case with death. Please feel free to E-mail me at ***@**** if you ever want to chat. Take care.
I have lived with the fear of death as long as I can possibly remember, mainly due to having a father who was always sick with his heart. as a child I was completely freaked out. Death is something no one can avoid, no one can say...it's gonna be ok.
The simple truth is that in the final analysis I've decided not to allow this to make me a victim throughout my entire life, in short...Don't spend so much time concentrating on death that you then have no time to live, it's a waste, let it go.
Live, love, have a life, then when you die at least you'll have had something that was (and is) worthwhile.
Best wishes
Ray
The simple truth is that in the final analysis I've decided not to allow this to make me a victim throughout my entire life, in short...Don't spend so much time concentrating on death that you then have no time to live, it's a waste, let it go.
Live, love, have a life, then when you die at least you'll have had something that was (and is) worthwhile.
Best wishes
Ray
I've had the same "obsession" for as long as I can remember. and although I just started on Celexa, it's not that primary fear that worries me. I think it's fine. We should be obsessed with the idea and learn to appreciate everything. Nobody knows what will happen (nobody no matter how strongly they believe whatever) so it's not an irrational thing to worry about- is it?
However, worrying about it all the time is a waste of time too. I always hated it most that I knew there was no answer. So the problem became- not that I fear death. But I fear the inability of anyone to answer my question.
In any case good luck. I just started so I don't know whether this will help or not. Still going to die eventually though.
However, worrying about it all the time is a waste of time too. I always hated it most that I knew there was no answer. So the problem became- not that I fear death. But I fear the inability of anyone to answer my question.
In any case good luck. I just started so I don't know whether this will help or not. Still going to die eventually though.
I started having "episodes" exactly as described by Allen when i was 5 years old. I would lay in bed and think "someday, without fail, no way to avoid it, no question about it, i will in fact be dead." and i would freak myself out so badly that i would throw up!
i'm grateful for what my dad said when he finally caught on that i was having a problem. he's a christian, but had the foresight and courage not to take the easy way out with the whole "jesus and angels and white light" stuff. he just pointed out that everything that has life continues in some way after death. leaves die and fall off the trees, but they are absorbed into the earth to once again become part of the tree. there's strong evidence to suggest that we do, in some way, continue to exist after death. maybe not consciousness as we now know it, but something.
i'm glad he said what he did, as it turns out i'm unable to believe in god, or life (as we know it) after death. his observations still hold.
i'm grateful for what my dad said when he finally caught on that i was having a problem. he's a christian, but had the foresight and courage not to take the easy way out with the whole "jesus and angels and white light" stuff. he just pointed out that everything that has life continues in some way after death. leaves die and fall off the trees, but they are absorbed into the earth to once again become part of the tree. there's strong evidence to suggest that we do, in some way, continue to exist after death. maybe not consciousness as we now know it, but something.
i'm glad he said what he did, as it turns out i'm unable to believe in god, or life (as we know it) after death. his observations still hold.
I can identify with your fear of death. I recently posted a question regarding my fear of getting fatal diseases, which ultimately of course is a fear of death. I think that both of us probably do have some type of OCD and that medication may be part of the answer.
What happened 3 years ago that might have triggered your sudden fear of mortality? I've been afraid of death and disease all my life but it did get worse when I turned 40. In fact, I used to wake up at 4 a.m. in a cold sweat thinking "I can't believe I'm 40" and most of that fear is that my life is slipping away so fast and I know it's probably more than half over (I'm 46 now).
I was raised with your usual Protestant relgion, nothing too evangelical, and have my doubts about an afterlife. Since nobody can really know whether there is one or not, I can't imagine the type of faith that some people have that there definitely is one. I'd like to think there is an afterlife of some sort but in the meantime I sure want to hold on to this life as long as possible since nobody really knows! And part of enjoying this life is not worrying about death - so get to a clinic and get some Paxil and hopefully it will help! I'm going to look into it myself. Good luck!
What happened 3 years ago that might have triggered your sudden fear of mortality? I've been afraid of death and disease all my life but it did get worse when I turned 40. In fact, I used to wake up at 4 a.m. in a cold sweat thinking "I can't believe I'm 40" and most of that fear is that my life is slipping away so fast and I know it's probably more than half over (I'm 46 now).
I was raised with your usual Protestant relgion, nothing too evangelical, and have my doubts about an afterlife. Since nobody can really know whether there is one or not, I can't imagine the type of faith that some people have that there definitely is one. I'd like to think there is an afterlife of some sort but in the meantime I sure want to hold on to this life as long as possible since nobody really knows! And part of enjoying this life is not worrying about death - so get to a clinic and get some Paxil and hopefully it will help! I'm going to look into it myself. Good luck!
Raina and Betty have been able to come to terms with some of life's difficult issues by taking comfort in their respective religions. Although perhaps delusional and silly to you, it works for them. If you can find a way of doing the same, go for it! Hey, placebo works.
I don't know why you are scared but I do know that I never read the Bible until I was about 27 years old. After reading different books in the Bible I can tell you that my life has changed. I don't know what you were raised with if any religon but why not give it a chance? If you don't have a Bible you can go to a local Christian book store and get many different books that help to explain the Bible in easy terms to understand. I've been through terrible things in the past and without God and Jesus I wouldn't be the strong person I am today. I don't want to sound preachy but this life is very short compared to eternity.....Think about it... and It's MUCH nicer and calmer with no worries on the other side. You sound very scared of death so why not give it a try and see if things change for you. Isn't it worth a try?
I don't know if this will help you at all but this is what I have learned....
I began to see a psychiatrist 15 years ago because of an obsessive thought I had. I had incredible fear and anxiety and many times considered taking my life because it was so bad. I had many therapists (doctors and psychologists) who told me that what I was obsessed about was not the real issue. I did learn through therapy it was all the other things in my life but I just attached everything (without knowing it) to that one thing.
I don't know if this makes sense or not, but it was a great relief to learn that "it" was not the real issue. I have dealt with all the other issues and sure enough, the obsession got better, too. I also need medication.
On the other hand,God may be kind in letting you know that you will face death some day and that there is life after death whether you believe it or not. I do pray that you will learn more about this.
I began to see a psychiatrist 15 years ago because of an obsessive thought I had. I had incredible fear and anxiety and many times considered taking my life because it was so bad. I had many therapists (doctors and psychologists) who told me that what I was obsessed about was not the real issue. I did learn through therapy it was all the other things in my life but I just attached everything (without knowing it) to that one thing.
I don't know if this makes sense or not, but it was a great relief to learn that "it" was not the real issue. I have dealt with all the other issues and sure enough, the obsession got better, too. I also need medication.
On the other hand,God may be kind in letting you know that you will face death some day and that there is life after death whether you believe it or not. I do pray that you will learn more about this.
You may be suffering from obsessive thoughts regarding your own mortality which may be a part of an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. You mentioned that sometimes you experience anxiety attacks concerning this difficulty you ar having, which pushes this diagnosis further.
OCD is treatable with both medications like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil ,Luvox and psychotherapy specially Cognitive-Behavioral therapy.
If money is tight right now, you may want to check your local community mental health for free or discounted rates.
OCD is treatable with both medications like Prozac, Zoloft, Paxil ,Luvox and psychotherapy specially Cognitive-Behavioral therapy.
If money is tight right now, you may want to check your local community mental health for free or discounted rates.
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