Facing Fear of Death: 4 Skills for Anxiety and Fear of Death and Dying

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Are you afraid of dying? Does thinking about death or dying make you so anxious that you avoid any and all aspects of it? Or do distressing thoughts about death bother you? Or are you just in complete denial, trying to pretend that it won’t happen? In this episode we’re going to talk about four psychological skills for facing a fear of death, the anxiety around death, and some strategies that may be helpful for you. And I’ll tell you why I once took a bunch of depressed teenagers to a cemetery.

*If you’re thinking about suicide, this video may not be for you. In one way, a fear of death can serve a function: to help us avoid things that might kill us. A healthy and functional fear of death can help us make safer choices and choose to live a better life. Suicide is an act that harms others. It’s not the way you want to leave the world. So if you’re feeling suicidal, perhaps instead of watching this video, reach out to someone who can help you or learn some new skills to work through emotions. You could check out my anxiety skills or grounding skills playlist, for example.

A dysfunctional fear of death, on the other hand, can lead to avoidance behaviors that make us feel worse, lead to higher anxiety, and prevent us from living life the way we would choose. So these things are what we’re going to address today.

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Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

About Me:
I’m Emma McAdam. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and I have worked in various settings of change and growth since 2004. My experience includes juvenile corrections, adventure therapy programs, wilderness therapy programs, an eating disorder treatment center, a residential treatment center, and I currently work in an outpatient therapy clinic.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
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Music licensed from www.Bensound.com or Artlist.io
Images from Freepik.com (premium license), Pixabay, or Wikimedia commons

Images from wsj.com, thedailytexan,