anxiety over fear of death

[ingey1968]

I am a 44 year old male. I do smoke but never drank. i go to the DR alot and actually pretty healthy outside of smoking and needing to drop some weight. For some reason i have this odd fear of having a heart attack and dying. Not even sure why i am, Ive had my heart checked very recently and everything was fine. Its pretty much constantly on my mind.

[cj29]

I think that a fear of dying is quite common at some point in our lives.  I don't believe that it becomes a problem until we constantly worry about it and it starts to hinder our lives.  My initial experience came with concerns about dying from something wrong with my heart...which I also believe happens a lot here in this forum.  My initial experience came when I was in my mid 20's and it became a big problem.  The most important step I took was going to see a counselor...it may sound cliche, but knowledge is power when dealing with something confusing and what we know little about.  As with anything, the more you know about something, the less you tend to fear it.  

Keep us posted!

[ingey1968]

Thanks. The odd thing is it all started in the past 5 years or so. After hitting 40. Thanks for the advice

[MYoungAtHeart]

I am not a doctor nor a therapist, but can relate to your intrusive thoughts of dying when in the face of all medical tests, you seem to be healthy.

There are many different explanations for the death anxiety that you seem to be suffering from.  Some are actual phobias and some are just normal fears that humans go through as they age.  Research shows that the death anxiety actually diminishes as one gets older, near the 60's, and that has sparked its own research in psychology and psychiatry.

I would suggest that you see a qualified therapist to discuss your fears and find out what is really going on in your life to make you afraid.  You can also talk to a clergyman if you are a religious person and would prefer a faith based therapy...

Good luck to you

M