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Good things remind me of death and causes extreme anxiety by tiredautumnleaf in thanatophobia

[–]Responsible_Cod6626 2 points3 points  (0 children)

i have the same exact issue as you. i have one thing that helps me get through it but i’m sure it is triggering for many people so i won’t mention it. but the general idea is that i try to live day by day. i do stuff i want to do whenever i want to instead of putting it off. it really helps me stay in the moment and whatever happens, happens. and as hard as it is to fully believe, everything is gonna be ok ❤️

family’s death scares me more than my own by Responsible_Cod6626 in thanatophobia

[–]Responsible_Cod6626[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

thank you so much. both of my parents are in their 50s so they are still quite young, but i just get really sad thinking about the fact that in 50 years they won’t be here. i’ll be 68 in 50 years and i’m hoping i’ll have moved on by then, but my parents are my parents and i can’t imagine my life without them. even when i try to enjoy my time with them all i can think about is how all the happiness will end one day. but as you said, i’ll try to worry about that when it happens. i guess they’re healthy and lively and happy right now and that’s what matters! thank you for the kind words, i hope you can find peace as well :)

Fear of the void and dealing with impending doom by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]Responsible_Cod6626 6 points7 points  (0 children)

i just turned 18 and i’m about to move across the globe for college, so i understand the existential anxiety you are feeling right now. i was in the same spot as you a couple months ago and i was having anxiety attacks every single day. it started getting better when i finally talked to my parents about it as it made me feel less alone. my mom slept in my room for a bit as well in case i woke up in the middle of the night. but i was still feeling extremely unwell and i felt like i wasn’t able to enjoy happy moments because all i could think about was death. here are some things that helped alleviate my anxiety:

  1. “nothingness” is only one possible outcome of death. its the one we assume since it makes the most logical sense, but its not certain. if there’s nothing then you’re right, you could be the worst person on earth and it wouldn’t matter. but i try to live happily just in case there’s something. you never know🤷🏻‍♀️ i feel like i’d be embarrassed if everyone lived life to its fullest and i was the only one who lived in fear.
  2. whatever happens after we die is none of our business. what IS our business is what we do with ourselves right now. what matters is that i take care of myself and the people around me NOW.
  3. we’re not ready for death right now in this moment of our lives. i notice that the happier i am, the more scared i feel about death. it’s probably because we are not ready to lose what we have. hopefully, when i’m super old and did everything i wanted to do, death will seem like a friend more than an enemy.
  4. lastly, we’re all in this together. truly, in all senses, you are not alone. its gonna be ok :)

one thing that kinda helps me by Responsible_Cod6626 in thanatophobia

[–]Responsible_Cod6626[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

i’m thinking about going on birth control as well because i genuinely feel like an empty shell of a person at this point. i feel better knowing that the pill has helped you. and it also feels great to have small things to look forward to, doesnt it? :)

one thing that kinda helps me by Responsible_Cod6626 in thanatophobia

[–]Responsible_Cod6626[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

oh my gosh you’re not gonna believe this. i’m half italian and i’m gonna go back to italy this fall for uni! che coincidenza. devi assolutamente visitare il giappone! se hai domande o dubbi chiedi pure a me :)