Coping with Death Anxiety by Digging Up the Root Fear

I've found if I dig up my root fear, I can better cope with death anxiety. I have a strange relationship with death. I soak up true crime podcasts and articles, all the while fearing the numerous ways I could die each day. Sometimes it all feels like a lot to cope with (Five Reasons You Should Keep A Fear Journal). I have found that getting to the root of my death anxiety helps me lessen my anxiety about death.

Coping with Death Anxiety

I have never been one to fear what happens after death. I believe that post-life is much like pre-life. It is simply a state of no longer existing. Instead, I worry more about how it will happen. Will it be painful? Will it be violent? How can I prevent it? This can sometimes cause me to catastrophize something as simple as a road trip.

When I really think about this, the root of the anxiety of my death is the fear of pain. Breaking it down like this makes it feel so much less overwhelming in my mind.

The Anxiety of a Loved One Dying

What gives me the most fear is the death of somebody I love. How will I be able to cope with such a devastating loss? How could I ever be happy again if I lost somebody I cared about? This is a much harder idea for me to cope with.

I try to spend as much time as possible with the people I care about, and I look back on the people who I have lost and think about what I wish I would have done. I realize that anybody could be gone at any moment and I try to remember the finite nature of life. It gives me a reason to make as many memories as I possibly can. I want to remember as much as possible.

My Anxiety Over Death Is Really About Living

The central thing I have learned about these death anxieties is that my fears are not necessarily about dying. I'm really more afraid that I will miss out on the best parts of life.

Watch this video about techniques I use to relieve my anxiety about the end of life. Then, let me know about yours. How do you cope with your fears about death?