I’m 17 and the thought of death and the nothingness that follows after has been eating me alive every single night ever since i was a child. It just keeps getting worse. I don’t have a religion or belief and so the only logical and scientific possibility is that when the brain is dead theres nothing that comes after it , no consciousness , nothingness. the feeling of before u were born. and that terrifies me. i don’t want to be nothing even though i wouldn’t even be aware of it. will i eventually overcome this and come to terms with the inevitable as i age??
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> and that terrifies me
Why? Why does the thought of going back to nothingness scare you?
I think for some people it does. My dad is still terrified of it and he’s fairly old. This fear is probably something you have to work on, rather than just waiting for it to go away, I’m sorry.
It becomes less scary to some and more scary to others. It’s very individual. Some things that can help are having spiritual beliefs around death to bring comfort or practicing detachment from fear of death or therapy.
I’m more scared in my 20s than I was as a teenager because when I was a teen I felt invincible, like nothing was going to happen to me. Now I realize I can literally die going to work today or before I finish typing this comment.
Update* I did not die before I finished my comment 🫶
I am not afraid of my own mortality, but I am afraid for the mortality of those I love. Once I die, that’s it, I’ll just be gone. But if someone else dies, then I have to live with that sadness, and I don’t want to experience that sadness.
It’s inevitable, there is nothing we can do about it. I had no consciousness prior to being born and won’t again after death. The scariest part is knowing that I’ll miss out on my adult kids’ and (hopefully someday) grandkids’ lives.
I died went to hell in a scary ass nde im positive god saved me. Nope the longer I was a atheist or agnostic the more hellish the world was in my eyes.
For me it became less scary. I used to be a really anxiety ridden kid and teen, and the thought of death sent me into hour long spirals. Now, I’m accepting of it. It’s a natural part of the life cycle, everything that lives dies (even stars and the universe). It’s a beautiful part of life that your body knows how to deal with, and I didn’t know anything before I was born – this won’t be any different.
Am I eager to die? Of course not. But the beauty of it and acceptance of it have really dawned on me the older I got.
Birth is a death sentence. That’s a fact. But death isn’t real. What IS real is today. That’s it. Nothing else exists. Live now, live today. There’s nothing that can be done about death.
You’re assuming you know what happens when you die. No one truely knows. If it’s nothingness you won’t even know you’re gone. There actually isn’t even a “self” in this life. We believe there is because of our thoughts but there is no such thing as you. Read some Buddhist literature on the illusion of self. To me the most likely scenario is our consciousness goes into a dream state until it’s transferred elsewhere (whatever that is) – look into the Bardos – if you believe in rebirth then that consciousness is transferred into a new life, but since there was no self to begin with it’s not “you” that’s reborn.
I was paralyzed by the same fear in my teens. No religion, no belief , just the weight of nothingness. Now in my 30s, I’ve learned that peace comes not from answers, but from making meaning while I’m here. And oddly enough, that’s made death less scary
i’m envious of religious people who think they know where they’re going after death I wish someone instilled that idea to me ever since I was a kid
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Live a full, productive life filled with love and death isn’t as scary anymore.
Overcoming it is accepting it. You don’t just accept it by aging. In my opinion, death is inevitable, obviously you don’t want it to happen, but why be scared of it if it is going to happen no matter what you do?
People don’t fear death they fear life left, not alive. Or the unlived life. As we age we experience all aspects of life and it seems less scary as we approach the end. Some people embrace it if they are ill. I’ve worked hospice for some time and experienced many types of death.
Only cuz u think about it more. I’m not worried about death. I’m worried about how I die.
im ok with dying (not yet, im 42 and am a music fanatic) , i wont know im dead 😀
I came pretty close to dying in 2017 at 20 and at the time it didn’t particularly scare me, it still doesn’t really now that I’m 27. I imagine it’s basically like being under general anaesthetic except you don’t wake up. The way you die is more scary rather than being dead I think
It gets less scary yes. It gets more comforting to know it’ll end naturally and the 10 million people that lean on you for shit will finally have to figure it out themselves. Life just gets so insane as you get older that you have no time to ponder anything, completely numb due to work and family responsibilities, and just nonstop having to meet deadlines. Death seems only fair. I think those of us who don’t have the lives we wanted, that’s the upper hand we have is death doesn’t scare us at all, versus all the happy people are probably terrified of it. Congrats on being a happy person though!
Are you afraid of sleeping? Death is the same thing as dreamless sleep. You can’t experience anything (including “darkness”) if you no longer exist.
You’ve only been alive 17 years. Once you’re 50, life seems less scary.
We don’t know what happens after death. Non-existence is the most obvious answer. But even if you exclude religion, there are other possibilities. Ask ChatGPT about Quantum Immortality. It’s a very real possibility, if the MWI of quantum mechanics turns out to be true. From your own perspective, you will never die.
Well, we really don’t know what happens, plenty of people who have died and been resuscitated describe a feeling of immense peace and contentment. Then again maybe you’re already dead and this is your life flashing before your eyes.
Someday, you might see it as a relief.
21 and yep. but depends how happy I am with myself/my life tho. if I’m in a bad place, the last thing I wanna do is die.
Elder millennial, here. I’m not worried about death. I’m worried about getting old, as in my body breaking down, health problems, limited mobility, etc.
Death is not scary
Death is a release from pain and suffering
Nothing you can do will stop you from dying
Every comment, every post you read on reddit….is written by someone that will be dead one day
Why bother worrying about something you can’t stop from happening?
I do not feel death. It is inevitable I do however fear the death of my immediate loved ones before I go
I’m not even middleaged yet, and if I had the chance to go back to being a child and starting again I honestly just couldn’t be bothered with it. I think that sort of attitude gets more and more to the point where you’ve basically had enough of being alive, especially once you’re old and limited by your body.
100 years ago a bunch of people died. People that have been long forgotten. You will be too, eventually, after your demise. Don’t let that fact stop you from living every day like it’s your last. Live like you have something to prove until you’re nothing, if not for anyone else, do it for yourself. You got this!
I think I’m more afraid of it now at 26 than I was in my teens. Back then I was holding fireworks while my friends and I would shoot them at each other, dangling our legs off of 200′ cliffs, climbing whatever old structures we found in the middle of nowhere, driving my 91 civic like it’s a race car, etc. I thought death was something that happened to other people.
Now, I’ve had a good few very real near death experiences, a few very very close calls on my motorcycle, a really intense bear encounter, and some others. I’ve come to realize that I’m not an exception m, death doesn’t give a fuck, it absolutely can happen to me. And every time it happens I think about my family, my young niece and nephews; and everything that I’d be leaving behind, and how much I wouldn’t be able to see.
I think around this age I’m at a sweet spot where I have the emotional maturity to really appreciate the small experiences that make life worth living, but I still have so many years ahead of me to experience it all. So I’m not afraid of dying, but I am afraid of dying right now.
Don’t worry about it. There is nothing scary about nothingness. It wasn’t so bad the infinite time before you were born. It won’t be bad after you die. You won’t even notice.
Your fear is likely to ebb as you get older. When you start having health problems and the regular pain associated with them coupled with a general disgust with the state of the world death starts to seem like a welcome release.
Hello, I’m in my 70’s, and haven’t been worried about death for myself, for a long time, scary part is losing those I care about.
And when Death comes with lugubrious mien, my I chuckle with mirth serene, that a dour old spook as dread as he should be the means of releasing me.
Religion isn’t the only place to find solace in your mortality. As a soldier and a martial artist, I’m fond of Miyamoto Musashi’s take. “The way of the warrior is the resolute acceptance of death.” In a fight for your life, you can’t afford to be worried about the possibility of dying. That worry will cause you to hesitate and become timid, and only make your death more likely. Instead, you just say “fuck it.” Fight tooth and nail, don’t hold back, unleash everything you have at your opponent. Maybe you’ll die, maybe you won’t, but you WILL give it your all.
This is applicable to all of life. You will die one day, maybe even today, you can’t control that. What you can control is whether or not you live in the meantime.
Where were you before you were born? You could never know. Let’s say you did exist before you were born. There would be no real way to prove you did exist, and you can’t prove you did not exist either. So when it comes to death, you can’t really prove what happens after you die. You can guess and speculate, but eventually we all find out. I don’t think much about death because I’m not dead yet. Once I’m dead I’ll figure out what to do next.
But lets say there really is nothing after death. It is possible. So what? That would mean that nothing you do would really matter since you will eventually pass. So why not live? Go do things while you are alive. If you spend your whole life thinking about death, you die before you even get the chance to live. Also, I would ask yourself why death would bother you so much. Things come and go. You will never be 10 years old again. Should you stop living your live because you are no longer 10 again?
Anyways, I really would not think much about death and what happens after you die, because eventually you will find out what happens. It won’t really make a difference anyway.
Yes. You can suffer through horrible things that totally upend your entire life and you can reach a point where you don’t care about living anymore. You can reach a point where you see that nothing is going to ever change or get better. You can wind up alone and with nothing in spite of working hard your entire life and wanting nothing more out of life than to be happy and feel safe. In spite of actively trying to be a good person and not spread pain in the world. The entire world can change around you and become a threat. You can have other people want you dead for just existing.
You can get so weary of it all that you wake up disappointed that you woke up.
Yes
What scares me more than nothingness after death is eternal life. Especially the christian version of it. No thanks to that.
Knowing this is the only life I have makes it more special to me. This is all I get and it’s up to me to make the most of it.
Oh man I feel bad for you. You are way too young to be fretting over these things. I’m 52. I lost my grandparents when I was in my early 20’s and even at that time, those events didn’t really make me pause and consider it happening to myself. Then about 5 years ago I lost one of my parents. Since then I started thinking about it more. I *really* started thinking about it more when I turned 50. My experience so far is that as it gets closer, it becomes more concerning. But I also think I will eventually just resolve to accept it – its not as if there’s any choice. The real truth is that there’s little purpose in worrying about it. It will happen when it happens no matter how much you do or don’t worry about it, so might as well try not to.
I think you just get tired lol
Maybe you will start to appreciate the inevitable eventually? Maybe appreciate that it is certain that you will die. You know that it will happen no matter what you do. Being scared of it does nothing but making yourself feel bad. Hopefully you’ll come to realise that your energy is best spent focusing on what you can can do, and teach yourself to redirect your focus. I say teach yourself, as you aren’t purposely being scared. If you struggle a lot with getting past it and it is keeping you from being happy, there is no harm in asking someone for help. A teacher to help you teach yourself.
23 about to turn 24 here; i was like you as a young teen and developed agoraphobia because of it. this fear ate up my youth and i think you should seek counseling for it.
i’m not unafraid of death; i feel everyone is, at least a little. it’s visceral and innate. but obsession with it could be an indicator of an underlying anxiety issue or even OCD and i think a professional could guide you in the right direction.
I’m 27 and i’m not scared of death and never have been. It’s painful for the people who remain and that doesn’t get better. But scary? No.
If you spend every day worrying about what might come tomorrow, you’ll miss what makes today worth living.
That doesn’t mean you can’t prepare for the future. But you can’t let what’s coming later ruin what you have now. What is living if not to make the most of the time we have?
Why does the nothingness scare you? Are you scared when you are asleep? Where you scared before you where born? No you where not, so why would you be scared of being dead?
Yes, the dying itself can be scary and you can be sad about the fact that your life ends but being dead is like it was before you where born, just nothing.
Also, the fact you are aware of your own mortality can help you appreciate life more.
Also, have a look at Stoicism, it might help you on this topic
Yes 😚
Way more terrifying. Like “I should go talk to someone” consuming. I think it correlates with whether you believe it’s time to go or not
I have no fear of death after experiencing my Dad pass away unexpectedly. It seems odd but I just don’t fear it anymore. I were to die early I worry about the pain and grief that would cause my family, not so much for me. Check out the book After and Life After Death as it may give you peace of mind.
I’m 39 and the only thing about death that i fear is that it will come for my parents and dog first.
I know i will miss them so much..
However if i died in my sleep tonight, I would be fine with it. Not because I want to die, because I dont.. But because I wouldnt know.
Wish it would come now
It becomes a lot less scary. Birth is a death sentence. You can run all you want, but you can’t hide. It will claim you one day, one way or another. That much is certain. You can keep it at bay with a healthy lifestyle. But no one can live forever. Even if you could. Would you really want to? It would mean watching everyone you know and love live and die as you continue to live on. At some inevitable point, life would stop having meaning since everyone around you would seem to have some insignificant fleeting short lives. At that point, you may even welcome death. And so, with that in mind. Is dying at some day when you are old, with the people you love around you really so bad? No. So just live in the moment, aim for the future you want, and try to achieve it as best as you can. That’s really all you can and should do. Don’t worry about death.
Is there nothing? We don’t know.
When you fart, it’s “gone” …but you can still smell it.
As someone a little older, I’m already dead. Might as well enjoy what time I’ve got left with the trusty old meat sack.
In my 30s, bring it on honestly. Life doesn’t get easier the older you get, quite the contrary. A day I don’t have to deal with all it’s shit anymore is honestly a pleasant thought.
What’s scary is the possibility of getting ill. The older you get the more likely hood of serious and life changing health issues.
I needed lung surgery in my late 20s which was eye opening. My 60 year old step dad just had a tumor removed from his bowl and now has to live with a stoma bag. One of my closest friends who was 40 was turned into a vegetable from a heart attack.
That is the scary shit, not death.
yes because living is not the same as you get older.
A little when you’re older. Aches and pains build up, you lose the ability to do more and more things, eventually you don’t remember the people you love. At some point it becomes a release.
The best thing I’ve ever heard for dealing with the fear of death is that it feels the same as before you were born. You didn’t suffer then, you won’t after. Fear of death is really just the ultimate fomo.
I got the fuck over it
when you’re young you’re scared to die because you haven’t done anything yet. You might have young kids, a new relationship. When you’re old and you’ve really got nothing left to do, you’re just ready. The next big adventure.
Yes
Does for me. I’m more concerned about how my death will affect my family.
No because when you’re older you often have kids and I don’t want to die while my kids are still dependant on me. And I don’t want to suddenly die and have my kids find my dead body, and I don’t want to die a slow lingering death and have my kids watch me suffer, and so on
I’m 57 and more afraid now than I’ve ever been; but that’s simply because I have three amazing kids and can’t fathom the prospect of simply shutting off and not existing anymore and never seeing them again.
For me yes. Everyone dies. And though I’m not religious. I believe death is another beginning. But my dad who was never afraid of death, is entirely afraid of it since he hit 65. He’s 68 now. And was supposed to die at 40 ish.
I’m 20 and I’m not afraid of death lol. I might get anxious thinking about the more horrible ways to go, but death feels like freedom
Death is going to be the easiest thing you’ve ever done. Yes, not knowing when or how is a heavy weight to bear but think of it like this……when you hurt yourself and it’s severely painful, yes you experience the pain, but it’s the memory later in life and expressing “Christ on a crutch, I broke my jaw bone and had a rat chew thru me and let me tell yall,
THAT IS PAIN”!! The memories of pain, grief and heartbreak are the strongest stressors life can serve up. With death, there is no memory. Cheers
believe me you would be more afraid of staying in this world eternally, but if you are going to believe me, we are eternal, it just not in the way we think, but we are.
The biggest help for me is thinking “I’m scared right now… that means I’m alive to feel fear. For the time being, I’m okay.”
I’m 51. I’ve been a nurse for 17 years, 11 in the emergency room.
Death isn’t scary at all anymore. Sounds peaceful.
For me it feels scarier, not because I’m more scared of dying in and of itself, but because more people rely on me now than when I was younger.
My personal experience is VERY skewed as I’ve wanted to be dead for about as long as I can remember.
But from what I understand on average it gets worse after your teens as you loose the feeling of invincibility that often comes with youth. But then settles down in your mid 20’s.
Go check r/askoldpeople, cause here you’ll get answers from 20-somethings
I’m currently 17 and though I’ll think about it from time to time, the idea itself has never really bothered me, the only part of it that does worry me is that I’ll get older and not do the things I want to do. I would rather travel and see and do whatever and end up dying so much younger then if I were to live till 80 and have only done things that never scared or pushed me
Hi! I work at a retirement home where our average age is 83, and most of the residents I know well are in their 90’s.
They’re not afraid of death. I’ve had residents come up to me and tell me with a smile that they’re ready to go to Heaven. They’ve told me that they’ve done everything they needed to do and are basically just killing time till the end. Once, when I asked a group of residents to each share one thing they’re looking forward to, 2 basically said dying. These people don’t want to die necessarily, but the idea of death has become comforting to them. They really have exhausted most of their energy, and they still have things to live for, but they just don’t feel a need to go on much longer. Of course, this isn’t everybody, but I’ve never met a resident in my career working with seniors who truly expressed being afraid of death.
So I think it will get better as you age! Enjoy all the life you have ahead of you, and know that you can live a meaningful, happy, and active life even into your 90s. I have an 98 year old resident who walks 2 miles every day and can still jump up and down in exercise class with me. She’s happy to live and also ready to die. I don’t know how, but I know it’s true.
I think you base your fears on false assumptions.
I, like you, used to fear the eternity, and thought about it a lot, but came to this conclusion:
1.If the universe and time is infinite, then there is a 100% chance that you will reincarnate, like exactly YOU will reincarnate at some point, that is just how infinite time will work.(True infinity)
So if you truly believe in infinity of time and space, you must therefore believe in reincarnation.
2. If the universe is not infinite, then “you” will not be lost in infinity forever, but merely go to the “end” where everyone who ever lived will also “go” to.
An infinite darkness is therefore not possible, as that would imply a 100% chance of reincarnation or a sort of gathering point of all at the end. (The end of time)
When you get the dread of death just remember the two points above, one has to hold, and they are somewhat solid (they give me some logical comfort at least).
Furthermore the argument of a soul-like structure or entity is not out of the question scientifically. Science simply does not have the answers to a lot of rather important questions. A LOT of questions. Science may cover 0.001% of reality, there really is no way of knowing how much you do not know.
You can do a lot of thought experiments poking holes in the scientific view of the human condition and quickly disprove a lot of the regurgitation of ignorant physicists to a satisfactory degree.
it is sort of a fear fallacy you are in, where you think natural science knows more than it does, and you base your fear on a lacking understanding of the complexities of the universe or the human condition (which ever is more real to you, or a combination if you find them inseparable).
I would suggest you read some philosophy, maybe some ancient Greeks and some existentialism. That may also let you into the minds of people who genuinely spend their entire lives pondering on these questions, and some of them probably a lot smarter than you and I, coming to more positive conclusions than eternal darkness.
To answer your question, educating yourself on the topic may make it easier, as you will discover how it is not just a question of eternal darkness Vs. Religion, but a huge area of philosophy; contemplating possibilities and posing rather convincing arguments for, and against, a lot of thought provoking outcomes.
That’s just a few ideas for soothing your dread which may work.
Keep an open mind and Good Luck 🤞
I stopped fearing my own death once my father passed away. I still fear the death of another loved one though.
Death ain’t scary, it’s just a return to the nothing of before you were born. The real scary shit are the things you have to face when you’re alive.
Chin up, face whatever life throws at you, and by the time you’re done with that, you won’t be too worried about dying.
I’m literally thinking about this though I’m supposed to sleep by now. It’s 1 am and damn i came across this post.
I think there’s no right answer. But I would say the older I get, the more things I have experienced. For me death is very sad because it ends all future experiences and possibilities. If you have lived to 60, you’ve probably had a vast set of experiences. Versus if you only live to 20 years old, that is much more tragic.
So yes I think the older you are, the more accepting of your end you should become. You end up getting more tired anyways and lose a lot of your drive. It feels natural as part of aging.
I had the same problem with fear of death, panic attacks and so on half of my life since I was thirteen. I am 55 now and it got better with age, a lot better in rescent years, say since my mid 40s.
It may seem like you will never get over it, but I experienced the same exact emotional state and overtime you find one day you are completely desensitized to it and you simply no longer feel dread and fear when the thoughts arise. It may take a few years but you will definitely not be paralyzed by the thoughts forever. Make sure you fill your day with physical activities and mental stimulation. Make sure you have positive social relationships. The more you engage with others and life itself, the less power the thoughts have.
Well I’m 30 and still feel that way, in fact didn’t feel that way in my teens and early 20s but now I’m scared again. I’m hoping one day it’s like a video game that I feel I’ve played enough and can just be done with it.
I don’t mind the idea of dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.
Dude I stopped reading at “I’m 17”.
Personally, I’ve never been afraid of death. Maybe one reason for this is that I understand it is inevitable. It is a part of life. There are things in life you can control and things you cannot. Worrying about the ones you cannot control is kind of a waste. I know sometimes the brain makes that difficult though.
Life events sometimes help, I’ve almost died quite a few times, and I have vasovagal syncope so pass out from various triggers (which feels like dying). And I’ve skipped time a few times before (not existing for X hours of a day). And I’ve had an out of body experience once when I passed out.
It’s still scary, I’m 41, A friend of mine died at 42 from a heart attack, and a co worker died at 51 from a brain annuerism.
What terrifies me most about dying anymore isn’t in my death, it’s in the state I leave things behind for my wife and family… I don’t want her to struggle to exist in my abscence… I don’t want to die on my kid or my dog either, leaving each behind to grieve me… It sucks to think about.
But actually dying, depends on how…
If I suffer for 2 years fighting cancer that will blow. But if I just pass out and don’t wake up, I won’t really know, I’ll just be gone. I won’t exist anymore, and my brain won’t be functioning to have a thought or care about it, my point of view will cease to exist like when I skip time.
When I skip time, there is no aferlife, no in between, Its like 1 instance it’s 11:30 am and the next thought you have it’s 7:30 pm. You have no memory of in between, so afaik there was no in between.
People struggle with the idea of nothingness a lot, but it’s not that there’s nothingness… It’s that you don’t exist anymore, you won’t be you, you won’t be conscious after death, so you want suffer at all.
Think of yourself like a car that’s running 24/7 365… and then suddenly something turns you off, you don’t suffer when you’re off, you are free from reality, from existence, you are gone.
You won’t experience the nothingness.
When you die, from your point of view, reality ceases to exist, there are no problems, you have no experience, you aren’t conscious anymore, you are gone. You will exist in the evidence you left behind and the memories of you others have that are still alive.
I have died a few times. Nothing scary about it. Is sad for your loved ones but not for you.
I’m not sure if less scared is the right wording, but you do become more accepting of it.
I’m a Catholic so I’m not
Not age by itself, by actually looking into it and learning.
Here’s how I got over that fear of death:
Read (or listen to on audible) How to Change Your Mind by Michael Pollan
I think it gets less scary for sure. I think most people are more scared of dying young and dying slowly and painfully. Whatever the experience of death is, is something we will never know. Because once we’re dead we aren’t around to notice it anymore. So we’re more scared of what comes right before death. The actual process of dying. But I think our bodies have ways of dealing with the process of dying that makes it easier on the mind of the person experiencing it.
I think what scares me more than all that though is fomo. I hate that I won’t be around to know what happens to the world, what sort of mysteries get solved after I’m gone. I think it’s this sense of fomo that makes an aging person not care about what they do to the planet, or how the way they vote will affect young people. I think they get bitter and jaded that they won’t be around. And so they retaliate by shitting on things to make it worse for those they leave behind.
To remedy this sense of fomo, what would actually make it better is if we all tried to actively make the world a better place than we found it. Not for ourselves but for all the babies being born right now. I may not ever experience it, but I would like to die feeling a sense of peace knowing that they will. “A society grows great when old men plant trees in whose shade they shall never sit” and whatnot.
I was really worried about this when I was like 7 – 8 years old. I would just sit and contemplate what existence meant if you’re dead and there is no afterlife. I guess I just came to terms with it as I grew up and admire people with a strong faith for believing they’ll get to meet relatives after they pass-away, religion can truly give people hope. I find it hard to rationalize the existence of “heaven” and at the ripe old age of 35 just believe we get one chance on this earth to make the best of it and it ultimately doesn’t really matter what happens afterwards as we don’t really have any control over it.
If your worldview is “there’s nothing after this” then that should incentivize you to stop worrying about it and enjoy life to the fullest. This is all a ride. Like Bill Hicks said, there’s flashing lights and colors and it can be fun but it’s just a ride. When you think about it, you are the universe experiencing itself through conscious self-awareness.
OR
You have faith that there is something more after this.
No one knows. You can try to reason thru it all but the end result is the same: don’t be a dick, enjoy the life you have been given whether it continues or not.
Make no mistake: being able to wake up each day and experience existence is an INCREDIBLE gift. Imagine all the things that had to go right for you to be you being here.
It’s fucking lit bro.
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My grandmother who is in her late 80s says she can wait to die! So I guess it’s a matter of perspective at any given time.
For me it’s less about my age, more about the people I love. After becoming a mom, I’ve become increasingly scared of death. Both as in “if I die I’ll miss out on my daughters life” and as in scared to lose her.
Later this month our little family is going on a vacation. I’ve never been scared of flying before. But now I’m trying to ignore how terrified I am that the plane will crash and I’ll have to sit helpless while seeing her terror as it happens.
I look at it as long as I’m with my husband and son, it’s the next big adventure.
I visited my grandpa in the hospital a few weeks before he died, and he looked at me wide-eyed and said “I don’t want to die”, so he was definitely afraid of it at the end, but I never heard him mention anything before about fearing death.
I’m guessing he just knew it was happening and the fear came to him.
I was afraid, terribly so. I was afraid of the nothing that would come, that I’d miss out on life and die alone.
But late last month, my beloved kitty passed away. Her beautiful soul is no longer with me, and for a while, I thought, “I can’t wait to die so I can see her again.” Truthfully, my baby passing away helped ease my worries. I’m no longer as devastated as I was, and I still cry for her sometimes, but I’m doing okay now. And now, knowing she’s there waiting for me, makes me fear death a little less now.
Yep. Can’t wait.
I’m an “old” lady and 47 years. I’m more scared of death now than I was at 20. I couldn’t care less about my death when I was 20. But now! I’m scared. Maybe because I feel old and because both my parents are dead and a lot of my family members are long gone too. I’m the “next” in order. But that is just how I feel.
I used to be absolutely tortured by the fear of death. Of others dying, myself dying, the concept of death itself. But as the years go on, I have made such an unbelievable peace with it I never would have imagined as a teen or early 20s. What brought me there has been life experiences that led me to my personal beliefs that death is not the end, and sometimes although the unknown seems scary, there’s a strange knowing that it will all be ok. And I know that much for you too!
I am about to be 30 ngl it was kinda scary in my teens just the idea of it but after sometime when I stopped believing in god it became natural as the need to drink water, when I die then I needed it.
I’m 18, I have OCD that makes me constantly think literally everything is going to kill me (basically 24/7 thoughts of impending doom, even when most of it is highly irrational), so my relationship with death is interesting. The biggest thing is to accept it, the thoughts will bother you, but it’ll get easier with time. Understand that you’re 100% going to die at some point, that’s part of the human experience, it could be at literally any time, so the best thing to do is to live in the moment. It got better for me though, not the part where I constantly think I’m dying, but the part where I fear death. Because of what I’ve gone through, I basically had to say “I don’t care if it happens” to keep moving on and not letting it take over my life. Of course, deep down, I don’t wanna die, but if I spent all day every day dwelling on it, my life would be so miserable that it wouldn’t be much of a life at all.
I don’t believe it’ll get any less scary as you get older, but as you take on more in your life and gain more responsibility, you’ll have less time to think about it. The best thing for me dealing with it is keeping myself constantly busy or distracted.
I’m not scared of my own death – I frankly don’t care when it comes. I want to outlive my dad, because he would be devastated if I died first, and probably start drinking again, and I want to outlive my current pets, so they don’t have to deal with finding forever homes.
I’m 36. I’m tired.
Yes it does. Two reasons. One, as you get older you lose more people. It’s very sad when you lose someone close and the pain doesn’t really go away. You start to think of your own eventual death as a positive. If there is an afterlife, you get to see them again. If there’s not, at least you’re free from the pain. Two, even an amazing life can feel a bit monotonous or repetitive by the time you’re old. You eventually come to a realization it would suck to live forever.
I think it runs in two different directions. I’m 68 for reference. I am more cautious than I was at 17 (when I enlisted in the Army). I’ve learned from experience what most of my weaknesses are and don’t foolishly do stupid things.
On the other hand, I’ve long since accepted the inevitable. No one gets out of life alive and you can either try to drag it out as long as possible or just accept the reality of your life. I signed a DNR long time ago because I don’t want to end up as someone else’s “vegetable” garden if I go nuts.
I’m not worried about death. I’m worried about the discomfort surrounding it. I’m worried about leaving my family uncared for.
I’m currently 32. I’ve never been particularly scared of death. I was fine being dead before I was born and I’ll be fine after I die.
As I’ve gotten older and married and had a child, the idea of them not having me around is much more terrifying. But dying itself doesn’t scare me. 🤷🏻♂️
I m not scared of dieing, I just don’t want to.
It does become less scary for me at least. But I think I was only scared because I felt I had to accomplish SOMETHING and give my life meaning but I think with age comes the acceptance that this IS the accomplishment. Being alive and experiencing the human experience is like 1 in a trillion. So it’s become more of like a ride. I know it’s gonna end and there’s nothing that HAS to be done before it does, it’s cliche but you just have to enjoy the ride.
60 plus here. Death is inevitable, might as well embrace it. I had a good run, my kids are doing fine and basically I’m a waste of space.
That said, I’m young enough to party for five days straight at a metal festival – but when I die, I die. And in few generations I will be forgotten.
Who cares? I don’t. It’s a part of life. Fuck art, let’s dance.
I would argue whatever “fear of death” you have would either stay the same or increase as you get older because the older you are, the closer you get.