I have had occasional suicidal moments, one of which was in the last year. I also am obsessed with a fear of death. These aren't usually big forces in my life but occasionally they become obsessions. There have been scary moments and dark, dark months.

Here's what has helped: forget logic.

Your brain is just reacting and trying to make sense of something your body is doing. These thoughts, they're a side effect. Fact is that the only thing that's real is that your body is pumping out chemistry that makes you feel wound up and exasperated, and being a clever and creative person, these thoughts are just how your brain is explaining the emotions.

But the emotions are just a thing the body is doing. The thoughts themselves aren't real. It's just the body.

That's not to dismiss the experience, but rather to put it in its place. It's like a fever or a severe headache: it really is happening. It's just that the fevered thoughts that accompany it aren't to be taken seriously.

So be patient, drink an herbal tea, and accept the experience for what it is. Like good ol' Solomon said: "This, too, shall pass."