Q&A: How can I stop thinking about death?
Question by Nicolas: How can I stop thinking about death?
I’ve been having this problem for almost a week now. For some reason I can’t stop thinking about the fact that someday I’m gonna die. The concept of not existing just freaks me out. I’m a Christian, but no one can be absolutely sure about the existence of God or an afterlife, so the possibility of just ceasing to exist drives me insane.
This has happened to me before, but it was never this intense. One minute I’m calm and relaxed watching TV and the next I’m freaking out. I keep telling myself that it makes no sense to worry about something that’s inevitable, but it doesn’t seem to work.
I try to distract myself by watching TV, reading, going out with friends, going to the movies, etc. but the thoughts of death come back all the time. Just yesterday I was out with a friend of mine and I started panicking. I was hyperventilating and walking really fast so my friend could tell something was wrong with me. I had to pretend I was joking… it was pathetic.
I know I should probably talk to people about this but I’m too scared that they won’t give me a satisfactory answer. I really don’t know what to do, everyday is the same, I wake up feeling normal, I go to school, and when I come back I start freaking out like an idiot.
I don’t know what to do to distract myself anymore, today I watched about 30 episodes of The Simpsons just to laugh a bit and forget about my fear of death, but it kept coming back. And even if it didn’t, I can’t spend the rest of my life constantly watching The Simpsons… right?
Best answer:
Answer by Aaron Haner
Join some sports and keep yourself as busy and dedicated to them as possible. I don’t believe in God so the thought of death scares me beyond belief. This is what I do to keep my mind off of it. Remember you are alive right now, don’t think about what tomorrow is gonna bring, just live in the present moment and make the most of it.
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