Death Anxiety an Existential Crisis | Learn to Love Your Life |
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2019
- There are two universal truths about death anxiety.
1) Death Anxiety is completely normal
2) Death Anxiety in older adulthood is almost non-existent
Do you experience a fear of death that plagues you? Do you wonder why are we here if we are going to die. This is called death anxiety and it can also be an existential crisis for some. In this video I share a common difference between people that experience death anxiety and existential crises, and those that do not. The good news is that we can learn from those that do not, and begin to make changes in our lives to reduce our fear.
#PaigePradko, #deathanxiety, #existentialanxiety, #anxietyaboutdeath, #anxietyaboutdying, #obsessedwithdeath, #obsessedwithdying, #anxietyaboutdying, #existentialcrisis, #anxiousaboutdying, #anxiousaboutdeath, #calmseriesforanxiety
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I would love to hear your comments and questions below. If you would like your question considered on an upcoming Q & A video, please let me know. Thank you for helping me spread mental health help and education.
Until next time...I will see you in session,
Paige
Watch here for help with unwanted, intrusive thoughts ruclips.net/video/c-HKZNh88dQ/видео.html
I've been dealing with a lot of death anxiety. Every night when I lay down to sleep I start thinking about my death and I get a panic attack. Thanks for posting this!
You’re welcome. I have also had death anxiety on occasion at night. The research I uncovered for this video has actually helped me too. I now focus on how I can challenge myself to expand my life...even a little. It works! Thank you for your comment, I love hearing from you.
Hi Being Better, If reading is helpful the following two books I've read while in therapy on death anxiety were very helpful: Staring at the Sun: Overcoming the Terror of Death
, by Irvin D. Yalom and The Denial of Death
by Ernest Becker
@@jdixon452 I'll check them out on Amazon. Thank you.
@sugarkittn me too :(
I'm wondering if anyone can relate to that but before ill just add a little background: So as a young adult I remember having Existencial Death Anxiety during all of my life (as a kid, teen...). It's not evenly spread throughout the years though, it comes and goes in depressing periods that start very abruptly and fade away really slowly... But what I've come to notice is that outside of these periods, (when feeling kind of "ok" about all that) I do have some intrusive thoughts AND feelings of Existencial Death Anxiety sometimes; specifially WHEN beginning to fall asleep AND right while waking up (not speaking of not being able to sleep because of being worried, which would be something else). It's kinda hard to explain tho. I'm really curious on why this happens around the sleeping time both before and after when the mind is slowly "losing its consciousness" even if you're day was totally not-related to any of these thoughts/feelings. (Sry about the unaccurate terms).
In my case, it is not death itself that scares me that much, but rather thinking that it will be forever (as I am not a religious person). The idea of ceasing to exist permanently is the most terrifying realisation I have ever, ever experienced, and it has always been my greatest source of anxiety. I have not found anything that can relieve me yet.
I understand. It is perhaps the most difficult reality to accept. When you are experiencing that anxiety, do your best to allow the thoughts and anxiety to float there in your mind while you shift your attention to “doing something” in the moment. The anxiety fads if you acknowledge it and allow it, but focus on actually living your life in the moment rather than “thinking” about your life or death.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you!
I often wonder how anyone in the streets can be smiling so much. Don't they know we are all going to disappear sooner or later? I wonder why I am the only one thinking about not existing... but then I read these comments and.. it's not that if feel less bad, but at least I feel less alone. That's the ONLY thing that kind of calms me down a little bit. To know that at least it's not only me dying. Everyone else too.
I am glad that the comments make you feel less alone.
@Mwale Cate well you know possibly that's thier way of coping through it and possibly some of them feel or fear the same things and just have their way of coping through it..
Sometimes that just blows my mind especially when I’m in a state of complete existential depression. It happens in six month periods, and I try to get those thought out of my head when it is does as much as possible.
I don’t know if you still have the anxiety, but when I get some time I will tell you something that might help a lot. I were just like you, until I read something called Near Death Experiences (Spoiler Alert: It evolves a afterlife.)
Juan I wonder about that too! Glad to hear others are aware. We are just here for a cosmic second. Life is not important yet SO important at the same time. It is a pardox. I tell myself not to think about my upcoming death before sleep. So I think occasionally on it during the day and I get goose bumps. Thic nat Hann said death is like a leaf falling off the tree. The tree doesn't die when the leaf dies. So part of us goes on cause we are interconnected
I'm 16 and have been going through extreme death anxiety lately. i can't focus on anything that i usually enjoy, i get so stressed that my stomach hurts all day and night, i can't sleep at night, i can hardly eat and i can't focus on anything other then the fact that i'm going to get old and die and in the end, nothing i ever did mattered. I can't see a therapist and this stress is like torture. i need help
ENDLESS BLIZZARD i was like you a few days ago, i still am. I can sleep and eat now, thank God. You’ll gradually feel better, i suggest talking to your loved ones or your guidance teacher at school. I’m 15, we’re almost age mates! I feel like I’m mostly scared of dying tomorrow or suddenly when I haven’t fulfilled my purpose in life yet. I want to live life to the fullest but I’m scared if that’s not possible.
I'm 32 and still afraid to even talk to anyone but for some reason tonight when at night it's the most intense for me but I had to look and didn't expect to come across this. The thought the fact now that I'm most likely not the only one with the feelings that I do give some kind of hope to something. Feel free to get ahold of me any time. It's unbearable to explain but if it helps I can try if you need someone to talk to.
I've had it as long as I can remember. It began from as far as I can remember back and that's pretty far. Memories are key to my help process.
I hope you are doing better. I am wondering in this is an intrusive, unwanted thought, and more related to OCD. If so, this video might help you in the moment you have the thought: ruclips.net/video/c-HKZNh88dQ/видео.html
I'm experiencing the exact same thing right now, everything you said. I'm afraid of getting sick because I'm not taking care of myself. I'm currently in cognitive behavioral therapy. The thing that scares me most is you can die any time.
Being Hawaiian, we learn that death is a cycle of life and not to be feared. We have a strong connection to the land, the Animals and the sea. Many myths speak about our ancient gods and goddesses coming back from death in the form of a mountain, a plant or an animal. Death is a different form of being. I live in Hawaii and there are many cultures here that have similar beliefs. The fear of death is the fear of the unknown in western thought or a construct of heaven or hell tied to earthly deeds. But if you see yourself as a part of everything, you are a part of death. Our active volcano destroys and creates. When you accept your place in the universe, you don't fear death.
That sounds so wonderful...spiritual, yet natural. How fortunate you are to live in such a beautiful place. ❤️
I wish I was raised that way, I truly do, it seems a very good solution,
Thanks for this video. I have severe death anxiety, which has been extremely debilitating and has caused dissociation. I can't get the thought of my own death out of my mind, and it has affected my ability to do anything. The weird thing is, I am a believer in some sort of survival of consciousness after death
Anytime a particular thoughts is associated with high anxiety, our brains can make this thought obsessive and intrusive. When this happens we have to dissociate anxiety from that thoughts. This may be a challenging task, but if you can practice welcoming the idea of your death one day with complete acceptance and hold this nonjudgmental acceptance while training your brain and body to let go of the anxiety, the intrusive of your fearful thoughts will diminish. This is a form of exposure therapy or ERP. Practicing having the thought intentionally several times a day and calming your anxiety while holding the thought will Rewire the brain to accept the thought without anxiety. I wish you the best.
I know the exact feeling. I'm really struggling with this right now. I lost my dad in 2014, 2 other family members since then and I put my dog down last year. I'm absolutely terrified at the thought of my death I'm barely eating right now and I don't sleep well. I've thought about death over the last few years. Its always been the main source my anxiety. I'm barely functioning right now. I'm afraid of getting sick because I'm not taking care of myself.
@@MelissaAnnLegard1989 how are you?
@@MelissaAnnLegard1989sending you love❤
I'm almost 22 now and death anxiety hit me hard in the past couple weeks. It's so comforting to know that it's normal for people in their 20s, and especially that older people tend not to have it. I think it's to do with me ending my time at university and realising my life is moving on faster and faster. I find myself stuck in the future rather than living in the moment, lamenting how I will one day cease to exist, lose all my memory, and never see the future. Watching this video was insightful for me, because during my time at uni I was very much in the moment and enjoying every day of it. Now it's practically over, with one exam left in a few weeks that I barely need to prepare for, and I find myself no longer doing the work that fulfilled me. I am in a state of unsatisfied uncertainty as I don't know what the future will be for me and the close social circle I've built here. I hope I can busy myself again soon and get back to actually living.
I hope things turn better soon. Im 23 and i have lector two semesters lector but i this semester i lost my friends and i'm having the same problem. I'm tired of it, been thinking about this non stop for a month
I'm not paranoid about dying, I'm terrified of the inevitable. Knowing it's coming no matter what I do, say, or think. It's an utterly inescapable horror.
I am sorry that you are experiencing anxiety and horror. I am not sure of your age, but, there is a time that acceptance comes, and we stop thinking so much about death. Shifting your focus to living your life sounds easy, but, actually takes practice. Mindfulness and meditation may be helpful practices for you.
Me too. Horror
Me too horror.
I feel like for me, since its inevitable and set in stone - it feels as if I'm already dead since I cant change it. So its hard for me to live my life in the present because it feels like there is no point, but I know that's not entirely true. I feel like I have already lost all my loved ones as that is also their fate as well as my own fate. The death part itself, I dont see it as a scary dark void but I hate to lose myself and go back to how things were before I was born. The main thing for me is the idea of eternally losing consciousness and how I can never return to this state again - and since its guaranteed it feels like its already happened.. Ive always had death anxiety in the sense that when I think about it, I get panic attacks but lately its just been on my mind and I cant seem to enjoy things without thinking "This will all be gone and I wont experience this ever again". Its been about a week but I hope I can go back to my old mindset and get back to not thinking about it so often.
I can relate to what you are describing, TR. I think many of us go through that kind of thinking at some point in our life. I always come back to the purpose of life is to live it fully. What do you think?
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Yes I agree, we are lucky to be here and I'm glad to have met all the people I have up until this point - it just saddens me that we wont stick around forever but in a way, in our individual lives it is forever if that makes sense. I also find myself feeling more sad about it now rather than getting panicked by it, which I'm not sure what that means but I feel better crying and releasing it rather than the panic attacks.
@@TR-rx1hp how are you?
@@mikechrist9699 I'm doing well now thanks, how about you?
@@TR-rx1hp good to hear that! Im currently struggling with it. do you go to a doctor? Or just let time heal everything?
God Bless you. I've been having intense death anxiety, I'm both in my Mid 20's (29 - I'm being generous lol) and lost my father a year ago. What you said in the video made me tear up. This explained everything I've been feeling and what I need to do. I haven't had hope in the lost couple months - Covid, left my job, etc. This gave me hope again. Thank you Paige. Thank you so much for uploading this video.
I am so sorry, Alex, for the loss of your father and everything you have been going through. I am happy that the video was helpful.
Thank you so much for this. Last month I've been having a bunch of thoughts about death, I'm 25 so is relieving knowing it's not only me.
I will work on it and try to have a life well lived as you said.
It is okay to experience fear at times, I think we all do. But you cannot let fear stop you from living fully. ❤️
Thankyou so much Paige!
I am one of those people with Existencial OCD, I had struggled much, finally found some relieve with a combination of anti-depressant and therapy.
Thing is, I sometimes get this "Anxiety wave", it's some kind of reminder that my life will end someday, everything will end and Death related stuff.
Watching your video really helped me and boosted my feelings.
Peace and Love everyone, we all deserve a Happy Life
Thank you for such a positive and hopeful comment. I appreciate you. 🙏❤️
How are you?
Thanks Paige. I love you videos. Great help. Dealing with health anxiety for past 10 months. Big big help from your videos. They give me tips to cope.
I am so glad that you found the videos helpful.😊
thank you so much for this, my death anxiety is usually around my loved ones. I’ve actually been through a near death experience and it really helps with my own anxiety but sometimes I do get anxiety about deatb but mainly it’s about my family and my pets 😭😭 I’m actually suicidal it’s so complex but I’m slowly learning more about myself and it’s comforting to know that there are people who are here to help
I am so sorry and hope that you feel better.
I highly recommend microdosing psilocybin mushrooms (.3g -/+) every other day or so for a while. These are here for a reason.
My God!
I am touched by your empathetic responses to the comments. I have recently started working as an internee psychologist. Not only your videos help me understand such topics but your attitude and responses to queries also is inspiring
Thank you
Thank you, Roomana. I appreciate it…especially coming from an internee psychologist. How thoughtful to leave such a comment. Good luck in your training 🙏❤️
Thank you so much for addressing this topic, what you said made a lot of sense to me
You’re welcome 😊
I haven’t been able to get the idea of death out my mind for weeks, this video really helped me out, thank you for this
You’re welcome.
Great video. I'm 17 years old and I am dealing with intense (can't self-diagnose severe), death anxiety in the past few months. I am mostly worried about after death, and in the beginning of the video you literally got it right when you and the other experts mentioned life satisfaction. I haven't traveled much, haven't gone out with friends, haven't done much overall. Thank you so much, Paige
Hi Thiago. I am sorry that you are experiencing anxiety. It is so difficult during this covid period where we cannot engage in life the way we wish we could. Try your best to comfort yourself with messages like, “this is only temporary”. And, do what you can do to have new experiences, connect with others, and maybe go on mindful walks where you really take in and appreciate your surroundings. I hope you feel better.❤️
Hey, I’m dealing with the exact same problem right now. Just wondering, did it get better for you and how did you cope with it?
@@hakongulowsen2209 have you got better?
Hey Thiago, how are you feeling now?
"Happiness is the feeling that our lives are not wasted on meaningless things".
Thank you so much for this well thought out and informative video, death anxiety is a very real thing; I have worked hard in my own therapy in the past on this very topic; I do find it a little surprising the correlation between life satisfaction and death anxiety, that's a nugget to chew on! I also LOVE that you will be doing Q&A videos! I enjoy the growth in your channel and videos.
Thank you. Yes, I love that research on the inverse relationship between life satisfaction and death anxiety. I always appreciate hearing your comments ❤️
Great vid!
Thank you so much for this informative video. It was greatly helpful.
You’re welcome, David. Thank you for commenting.
Helpful video again, Paige! I had health anxiety year back but now i can control it as i overcome many of my fears regarding it..!! I know many people who suffers from the same and i feel Death anxiety is just the symptom or subtype of health anxiety.
Thanks for Putting important content 💝🙏
That’s a great point about health anxiety being similar to death anxiety. What we focus on grows. Thank you for your comment. 😊
@@PaigePradkoTherapy 🤗
Plsss sir help me currently m also suffering through dis and i dont know how to come over it plss
Thank you for your amazing advice. I have suffered severe anxiety and depression for 25 years due to a sudden self realisation at 21 that one day I will die, and there is nothing I can do about it. My anxiety is I will just go in to oblivion for eternity which I just cannot comprehend. I have been on medication for several or more years which does help but I tried coming off them at the end of 2019. Then covid hit and even after restarting my medication in April 2020 I just cycled up and down every month worse and worse until I tried taking my own life at the start of this year. I have a therapist lined up now but will also look at your videos. Thanks again.
I am so sorry that you have struggled with anxiety and depression. This has indeed been such a challenging year, but especially for those of us with anxiety and depression. It is difficult to live your life fully during a pandemic, to say the least. I am so happy that you will be working with a therapist. Please have as much compassion for yourself as you can muster. There is only one of you in the universe and even by writing a comment on a RUclips video, you may have made the difference to someone else that was having very depressed, dark thoughts. Maybe they saw that although you struggled, you have decided to get help and see what life has in store for you. We are all living lives of mystery, trying our best, going through struggles, wishing we had more answers but ultimately helping to support each other. ❤️
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you for your kind words. Best regards.
Thank you for this, im not sure if you still read the comments for this video. But i have extreme death anxiety, that generated 2 years ago. It progressed to panics so large I make myself sick. I have avoided the subject all together in the hops to avoid these attacks. I have even had to stop watching my favourite crime shows. But today I decided to really hear about it and I wanted to tell you how thankful I am. I was also an atheist all my life until two years ago when I became christian. But i still dont handle this well. I barely sleep ect. But this video provided me with a lot of comfort. Thank you
Thank you for sharing that. I am glad it comforted you. 🙏❤️
Hey how are u? I have been atheist but im feeling dragged thoward christianity, but it doesnt ease my fear. I fear heaven too
Thank you so much for this video. ❤
You’re welcome…thank you for watching 🙏
That's a great way to start with it,
I agree with what you are saying. I suffer from almost every anxiety disorder that exists. I am 35 and have been suffering for almost 30 years. I have a long history of trauma ranging from sexual abuse, sexual assaults, life threatening pregnancies, chronic physical health problems, and being a target in a planned mass shooting. My biggest issue right now is health anxiety and panic attacks. They have become so debilitating that I rarely leave my house. I have rules and compulsions that take up most of my time. My family is being negatively affected by my illness. I just found your videos this morning and this one really spoke to me as my fear of death drives a lot of my behaviors and thoughts. More than anything, I wish to be able to go on trips with my family and be able to feel alive. My quality of life has not been good and my satisfaction with life is almost nonexistent. I want to have hope. I feel so deeply broken and lost.
I am so sorry, Kiera, that sounds very painful. I do believe that most people with health anxiety have been traumatized by some health issue or family member’s health issue in the past. Although, health anxiety acts like OCD and to treat it, we have to make sure we are not doing anything to reinforce it. Here is my playlist for health anxiety. ruclips.net/p/PL1lUhuKpYUYonn-zlZxzTRR8V4myEHgCY
Because you are experiencing anxiety and OCD, I strongly recommend working with a specialist. If that is not a possibility for you, I have a number of videos on treating Anxiety and OCD. Most importantly, have an attitude of willingness...willingness to do things with your family, even if anxiety is present. To heal anxiety...we must move through it and not allow it to stop us from living our lives. I wish you the best.
I felt like I wrote this
I used to be able to cope with this stuff, I’d built up a coping system and had the ability to put the thoughts away. I even did my degree project around it...COVID has brought it back worse than ever, I can’t function day to day because my mind won’t stop obsessing...physically it’s debilitating, mentally it’s exhausting and overwhelming. I’m getting help as much as possible, but it’s slow moving and I don’t know how to cope with it for the time being
Anyway - thank you, it’s always helpful to hear these kinds of reassurances from someone external
I am so sorry. I think you are correct when identifying covid as the culprit here. It is difficult to live your life fully during a pandemic. My advice would be to allow and welcome your anxious thoughts to be there without trying to push them away. But, try your best to create moments of engaging in activities that make you feel alive, like daily walks, noticing your surroundings. I am so glad you are getting help. However, there is also something called Existential OCD. That is a different condition than I describe on this video. It is more obsessive, intrusive thoughts and they are reinforced with rumination and sometimes reassurance seeking and possibly avoidance behaviors. I may be completely wrong here. But, if that were the case, I recommend treating it like ocd with ERP exposures. Here is a playlist of videos that explain how to treat Pure O. I would especially recommend the video on Scripts for imaginal exposures. ruclips.net/p/PL1lUhuKpYUYqKvEwlGXoRPDu_8blhbaq-
Great!!!🙂
Excellent video. Thank you very much :)
You’re welcome. ☺️
i get pretty anxious about death that it's just in my head all the time and it's mainly due to my fear of the unknown once we die :/ it's also due to being attached to people that makes me anxious of whether i'll see them again or not
I am sorry that you have those fears. In the way you describe it, it does sound like the fear is associated with a fear of abandonment. I want you to know that you are not alone and if you feel alone at times…try placing your hand on your heart and speak to yourself and remind yourself that you are not alone. In this video, I describe how to talk to yourself in a kind and compassionate way: ruclips.net/video/fesBUTP5VNk/видео.html.
I appreciate that you're trying to be helpful by making this video (and hopefully it helps some people), but for me, I cannot imagine that your suggested action plan would do anything to help reduce my fear of never existing again. In fact, I get anxious just thinking about trying to increase my life satisfaction or finding meaning in my life. It feels like so much added pressure and expectation that I will most likely fail at. ☹
I’m sorry you didn’t find it helpful. If you find yourself ruminating on this topic and it affects the quality of your life, you may want to look into existential OCD. That requires more specialized treatment like ERP.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy ok thank you, I’ll go take a look at what you suggested. 👍
I used to have this when I was 10 I’m now 15. - eventually you realise that you can’t stop it and to enjoy everything while it lasts :)
You are very wise for 15, Stanley.
this makes me feel so much better hahaha thank you
So happy to hear that.😊
Wow. How interesting. Thank you.
Thank you for your positive feedback 🙏❤️
Hello from Belgium. Thank you so much for all your videos and for all the help that you give to so many people including me. I got OCD 0 and seem that death and existential anxiety lately, is that even possible? I lost both parents in the last 2 years. Thank you again for all the help
I am so sorry for your loss. Losing our parents is one of the most painful losses we experience in life. I have a new video that may help you: ruclips.net/video/c-HKZNh88dQ/видео.html
Thanks for this video
Most welcome.
It's only been fairly recent, but my death anxiety and existential dread has peaked so high to the point its ruining my every day life. To not give away my age too much, I'll just say that I'm a fairly young teenager. I suffer with depression and anxiety and the fact that I won't be here one day freaks me out. It even freaks me out typing it. I have daily panic attacks about it and it's really contributed to my depression. Every time one of my parents go out I have a panic attack wondering if they're okay, if something happened to them, and I'll start crying like a baby if they don't answer my call even if I know the reason they aren't is because they're driving. My therapist said this was separation anxiety which I think it is partly but I know it goes deeper than that and its so hard for me to open up to my therapist because - and I know its stupid - my struggles are almost embarrassing to me, like my eating disorder that I was struggling with majorly last year and less so now (but struggling with nonetheless). So many things scare me, space, the ocean, anything that is risky/dangerous. I'm terrified of planes, boats, theme parks and water parks for the small chance that something bad would happen. Terrified of going outside, and shamefully, a bit terrified of men as a girl. I know that it's rare for something to go wrong and yet I avoid it at all costs. And I'm terrified that I'm going to get a terminal illness, Yes, of course health anxiety comes to play in this. All of this is SO debilitating and I haven't been to school for so long because of this. I feel hopeless, as if I have no future. I have suicidal thoughts and yet I'm terrified of death. I just don't know what to do, I'm tired of masking all of this. I really need help but I'm so used to hiding all of this that it's just so hard for me to tell anybody this, be it my therapist or family. There are definitely issues separate to this that mightve contributed but atp i think it's just irrelevant. I don't know how to break character and tell them how I feel.
I am so sorry that you are struggling with all of this, Anya. I cannot help but wondering if many of these fears are ocd. They sound like you are experiencing intense anxiety in many areas, but it seems to have an obsessive quality as well. Your compulsions can be things like avoiding situations and people and ruminating, analyzing and seeking reassurance. I could be wrong, but the patterns you are describing reminds me of ocd, which is often combined with anxiety, panic and depression. I am hoping a therapist will give you a few assessments to help you get an accurate diagnosis. I highly recommend working with a therapist that specializes in anxiety disorders and ocd. If you have the desire to recover, you can recover. But, traditional talk therapy may not be helpful. An ocd/anxiety specialist can help you. You can find them on the IOCDF.org website. I have an online course that can help you, but I also recommend individual therapy. You can find my course at www.paigepradko.com/ocd.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you for replying, Paige. I agree! That sounds like me, I've always been very obsessive and OCD runs in the family. Seeking reassurance is also a big part of it all otherwise I feel no peace to do easy tasks such as sleeping. All this is very tiring and I'm very eager to recover, so thank you, I will look into those links. I think I'll gradually try to talk to my parents and therapist about my issues and see what they can do, but I agree that just talking and especially exposure therapy, at least for the most part, won't help me. I definitely think I'll feel a bit at ease if I get proper diagnosis's, as they've only diagnosed me with social and generalised anxiety at the moment along with a push for an autism diagnosis. Again, thank you, I'm not doing well in life at the moment but there's still that little bit in me that hopes for things to get better - and I didn't mention, but this video did help! It brings me comfort that the fear of death lessens as you grow into an elder.
Right now I’ve been obsessing over why we have to die. And like what happens when we die. Sometimes I get a feeling I know but like I don’t do it kills me. I’m so afraid I’m going insane and I just wish I wasn’t experiencing this
Yes, it sounds like you are going too deep into your thoughts and allowing them to affect your mood. What you do have control over is what you are doing in this moment.
Are you feeling better? My journey with this cursed awareness has just begun and it's turned my world upside down. Just curious man
Has it gotten any better? I’m currently going through the same thing
@@Kolby3884 how are you?
@@mikechrist9699 I'm doing a lot better now. It took months of anxiety and mental anguish to begin to accept the reality of death and I genuinely feel wiser about it now. It was a long process but a couple things that helped were changing my diet/exercise habits and listening to videos/podcasts about existential dread. A good one that helped me was the Existential Dread episode of Being Well with Dr Rick Hanson.
Thank you so much.
You’re welcome 🙏☺️
Its funny..it calms me down just by hearing you talking. I wonder if i can have an online session with you bout this anxiety. I am really strugling. I cant talk to anybody around me coz it sounds so ridiculous and its only me. I m in the phase of hurting my self in the effort of distruction, but now it s getting harder. I am really need help.
I do not believe this is ridiculous or it's only you. I'm saddened to see you feel that way. I will definitely keep you in my thoughts and prayers. I know I personally dislike this form of anxiety and I can't imagine another person suffering like this. With all my heart, I have faith you will find peace one day.
Thank you !
🙏❤️
I would appreciate having
a long conversation
of death,
many people fear the end.
I have wanted many ends,
still here.
So glad you are here.
I will be 25 years old in 2 months and for the last months I’ve been having severe panic attacks and death anxiety , im scared of what comes after , im scared to loose everyone and everything i love or own . It ain’t easy to deal with ..
No, it is not easy. I am so sorry that you have been feeling anxious. Remind yourself that the anxiety does fade as you get older and go through so many phases of life. Focus now on living your life to the fullest extent that you can during covid. Try not to hold back due to fear and anxiety. Avoidance behaviors will only increase your anxiety. We have to push through those fears.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy im trying i even work in a hospital , but for example i have a huge collection of horror movie stuff , and everytime i look at it recently it’s like i cant even appreciate or enjoy all the stuff i have cause i know someday i will loose it all
How are you right now? Im struggling with it:(
@@lunaticbutcherHey how are you doing now?
Sucks so bad to have this, mine started at a very young age but is coming back very badly. can't try to sleep without getting it.
Something I wish I could control to just not think about. trippy feeling for sure
Hi Nathan. Somehow trying not to think about it can somehow cause you to think about it. So, instead try to not “scare” your brain by accepting the thoughts as “normal” and allowing them to float around as long as they want. If we treat our fearful thoughts as “no big deal” and welcoming them to be there, our brains can accept this and calm down. The more we respond with anxiety or avoidance or distraction, the more our brain gets scared and decides to keep reminding you of the danger.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Very valuable information!
I used to have this kind of anxiety/panic as a child-teen years, But 2 days ago got my first one in years.. your video really did help me and I appreciate the response as well.
Thank you!
my death anxiety started when I was about 5, and has persisted for 25 years. It came back very intensely during covid, and has gotten to a very extreme point. Thank you for this video, it will at least help me sleep tonight. hopefully once the pandemic eases somewhat and life moves forward somewhat I hope the intensity abates.
Covid has exacerbated the anxiety symptoms in so many of us. Giving yourself calming messages will help. I am sure this anxiety will ease in you as we begin to be safe from this virus.
Hi Dr. Pradko. You seem like an awesome and amazing person. Thanks for this video. I have OCD and major depression with slight Aspergers. I have periods where I go through what I call an "abyss" of existential OCD/anxiety and depression. It feels like literal biblical hell, which helps along the obsessing about death. Do you know what I mean? I actually started a video blog. If/when you have time, please check the videos where I describe it and leave comments/feedback. I need insight. I also want to reach out to others. Keep up the good work.
The 1st time ive experienced death anxiety since last year of April 2022 when i was 17 years old (Im currently 18th now turning 19 this year) and ive been scared in my whole entire trying to combating this fear that literally consumes me as a whole and i cant bare the fact that we're all gonna die soon in an old age where i imagine being alone dying in my sleep, cant see, cant talk, cant feel anything and i really dont know what the heck am i supposed to do right now while im still young. I know that some days where i can cope up with my anxiety due to parties, talking to a friend or a loved ones or spend some good quality time with my bestfriend just to have a good time and forget all of that stuff been stucking inside my head and i really dont want to waste more time or doing nothing when the time comes and im so terrified that when all life ends especially the universe. We're now trapped in a endless void of nothingness.
But until I saw your video and with your thoughtful helpful advice kinda resolved my fear. I hope one day I can live my happily without fear anymore.
Thanks Doc!
I am sorry you go through this anxiety. Remind yourself that this is not so scary when you get older, and shift your focus to what is going on in your life at the moment instead of the worries about the future.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you!
I am learning to deal with this. I have avoided things. My life is unfortunately based on my fears instead of what I want to do.
We can get trapped in our fear through our thoughts and avoidance behaviors. Instead, we have to live our lives instead of thinking about our lives.
This is interesting. I have been dealing with death anxiety for a bit now and my mom commented how it's completely unlike me to do so. I'm 21 & just moved out on my own. In the past, yes I feared death, but never to the point where it affected me long term. Now I don't know...
Like I have a spiritual belief system set in both faith and science/logic...so why can't I shake it away? I find myself looking at articles and videos on the theories of reincarnation and NDEs even tho I know it'll only make it worse later regardless of the fact the I agree with this logic. I just don't get it. I have all that in place and I genuinely believe it....so why can't the thoughts just go away?
I am so sorry you are plagued by this. Unfortunately, the more that you research death and different spiritual and religious beliefs about afterlife, the more thoughts you will have about death. Try to stop researching and googling, and focus more on living your life. The more you put your focus on the present moment and connect with people and have new experiences, the less you will obsess about death. I hope you feel better and appreciate your insightful comments.
How are you right now? Im struggling with it too:(
Im 30 i had bad anxiety from 19 to 24 i say then it went away i still got the odd thought and symptom but could just discard it as i was not focused on it. But now it has returned and its quit bad i feel im making progress but slowly. I think about the universe and life the biology of the body ect and it scares me, sometimes i will think something along them lines and get a really quick horrible sinking feeling of doom. I think it comes from watching my frist child die in my arms at 2months after spending all his life in the special care baby unit. Now i have 3 healthy children and another on the way so i think im scared of diying young before having a good life with them also i worry about them alot. Im also the only one who brings money in and if it was not for me life would be pretty doll for them in terms of enjoy a nice day out at weekend ect. I just worry i lose all i have now and my kids will be with out a dad a income but a little part of me can also seen the other side and i could just be wasting my time on fear when i should be connecting with them. My head feels alover the place. Anyway thanks video is good to hear.
Ricky, I am so sorry for the loss of your baby son. That was indeed a traumatic loss. I can remember when you children were young, having similar fears. We know that know one can care for and love our children more than we can. Now that my children are older and self sufficient, those fears are gone. I started traveling (before covid) and doing things and going places because I did not feel that other people were so dependent on me. Trust that you will raise your children and you will enjoy those years. You sound like a wonderful father. And then, when they become self sufficient, you will feel that responsibility lift. Try your best to not ruminate about all of the “what-ifs”. That is analytical thinking and you can decide to stop doing that. Trust that this is all a part of life. I wish you and your beautiful family the best.
I was never unreasonably afraid of death until I had an NDE and for some reason experienced hell. That's when anxiety/depression/ocd hit hard and I started having panic attacks because I was terrified of dying and going back to that place. I was even athiest before so if it was my own beliefs that created that, that's weird. So I started to believe there was more after life and then wondered what was so bad about me that I would end up there and my self-worth suffered, I wasnt a bad person. I feel like I've been trying to "prove" myself worthy to God ever since but its never enough. I've went to therapy to try to heal this trauma but it's kind of hard when you can't exactly do exposure therapy with death. I feel like I lost that part of myself that was not living a fear-based life but thriving. It's been 7 years.
I am so sorry, Niwtahc. It sounds like a trauma started your panic and obsessive fears about dying and possibly even religious scrupulosity. But, here you are, still living and it has been 7 years later. You can do exposure and response prevention therapy for a fear of dying and for religious scrupulosity. The response prevention part is more important that the exposures. If you are interested in learning what to do, I have a course in recovery from ocd and I explain to you step-by-step what to do to recover from these themes. You can learn more here:
OCD Self Assessment Quiz
www.paigepradko.com/ocdquiz
OCD course
www.paigepradko.com/ocd
I’m not fear of something happening but rather what happens after and to do with us just being energy. Like I feel like talking to someone doesn’t help cause they are just spiritual souls who are passing through and I feel like I don’t really know anyone. I’ve had constant anxiety thr pass four days and I think it’s about this
I understand. Sometimes people have a fear of the dying process, the moment of death or what happens after death. I find that talking about it really helps people. I recommend seeing a therapist to talk about it, or even someone you feel comfortable with having that conversation. Talking about it seems to take the fear and anxiety away and allows our brain to process our thoughts.
this is exactly what I've been struggling with for the past few months also (I know this comment is a bit old haha) I've been having some intense death anxiety plus anxiety of not knowing what comes after and how we exist as energy. It really helps knowing I'm not alone. Currently also dealing with derealization too, not the greatest pairing tbh
@@mary02fairy I hope you’ll get better soon! ❤️❤️ I’ve had it for over 3 months but it has definitely gottten much better I’d say I’m 70-80% better from depersonalisation/derealisation but I still have general anxiety. A great medication that helped me is pills called valerian they help me sleep and help with depersonalisation at night. ❤️
Health and death anxiety are through the roof at the moment. Had a bout of painful diarrhoea and subsequent bleeding which my GP assures me is haemorrhoids. So he’s referred me for a colonoscopy anyway. Been having this pain for a few years. After looking at my history the specialist immediately starts talking about diet for diverticulosis sufferers. At first I was relieved that that was the second most likely cause of bleeding but of course I can’t get away from thinking bowel cancer. My anxiety goes up to the point that I feel I can’t go on and then with some positive thinking I feel almost normal again. I feel I’m in fight or flight mode constantly and it’s making me sick. 😟
I am so sorry, Tess. I am glad that you are getting good care and advice. Follow the advice of your doctors. It sounds like they believe it is diverticulitis, which is treatable. This is great news. I will share my videos on what to do if you have health anxiety in case you missed them. They will direct you on what to do for health anxiety. I hope you feel better soon. ruclips.net/p/PL1lUhuKpYUYonn-zlZxzTRR8V4myEHgCY
@@PaigePradkoTherapy My blood and urine tests came back fine yesterday and I have been assured by the doctors concerned that I have no need to worry. So I’m trying very hard to feel normal again. I asked my doctor whether I should see a psychiatrist rather than the psychologist and he told me to stick with the psychologist because he’ll let my doctor know if I need more specialised treatment. Meanwhile I’m just trying to keep my mind busy on other things. I will watch your health anxiety videos again 😊🙏
When it hits you that first time when you are young it feels so debilitating
Really good video, it's very comforting to know it gets better with age. Do you have any thoughts on the feeling that we're just distracting ourselves until we die? I've recovered a bit from severe death anxiety but getting better just seems to be avoiding thinking of it. Does this go away with a more fulfilling life or do I have to accept death or something along those lines? Thanks
Same dude it feels like I imagine a clock counting down till we die and there is nothing I can do and I just fall apart completely
@@pug3991 honestly i feel the same. Its like i can see the clock counting down every single day.
Thank you I have long covid (13month) and I thought I was going to die during my first covid experience although I wasn’t hospitalised. I have also just turned 40 and can’t believe it. I’m afraid of aging and death. I have no life satisfaction as I can’t exercise more than walking. I have health anxiety as I have back to back viruses. I have intrusive thoughts where I can’t stop thinking about death and aging. I have ADHD so do find it difficult to control my attention (unmedicated) I used to use HIIT to control these symptoms but can’t now as on beta blocker for tachycardia although heart rate is fairly normal most of the time.
Sheryl, I am so sorry. You have been through so much and the trauma of it all likely triggered health anxiety and intrusive thoughts. I have a wonderful course and supportive group if you are interested in treating your health anxiety. Here is more information to help you: www.paigepradko.com/healthanxiety
My fear comes from me thinking that dying is painful and the thought of being still and lifeless makes me feel so sad. 😢
😥 ❤️
Thank you
You’re welcome
I’ve had this since I was a kid. Almost died when I was a kid then saw my grandma in her casket. It’s hard for me to get to sleep most nights and I’m taking Xanax just to get through the day. It’s seriously so tough I can’t get over it.
I am so sorry.
Hi Montie!! Does the Xanax help at all?? I've been suffering from this anxiety as well.
@@fanforever2009 they saved my life. I got off alcohol for 3years now. I don’t get “high” from it. I just feel what I suppose a normal person feels like. I can live life a lot better now. Just make sure you have someone you can talk to and use them as needed. Hope this helps. God bless.
Thank you for this. I would appreciate your help with this question. How do you deal with death anxiety when it stems from childhood trauma. My mother dropped down dead in front of me when I was 16. I also suffered emotional neglect, and sexual abuse,witnessed domestic violence and felt afraid growing up. I am now 71 and feel as if I’ve lived in a bubble to keep myself safe from a scary world. I have been diagnosed with Gad but my opinion is that it’s cptsd. I would appreciate any insight you may have.
I am so sorry, Angela. It sounds as if you had multiple traumas in your childhood and I imagine those have affected you through your entire life. I suggest working with a trauma informed therapist, one who practices Somatic Therapy (healing trauma through the body) and Internal Family Systems. Some people find EMDR helpful, but the research suggests that EMDR is more helpful with people that have trauma happen as an adult versus in childhood. I did see your comment on my benzodiazepine video, and have found that my clients are not able to get much benefit from therapy when the are on long term, daily benzodiazepines due to the memory problems in new learning. Therefore, my recommendation would be to first work with your psychiatrist in helping you taper off in a safe way, and then seeking help from a certified trauma therapist. This all takes time, doesn’t it. Please be as kind and compassionate to yourself in the meantime. ❤️
Paige Pradko LPC NCC Thank you for your kind and prompt reply. Yes it has affected my whole life. It helped having a career and then children. Them leaving home triggered the beginnings of this episode. Lack of sense of self and abandonment issues. I will take your advice on board. It’s really hard when my inner critic gets loud. I wish you all the very best in your work. I really like your informative clear and calm videos. Your voice is very soothing too 🙏
That was helpful
I am so glad. Thanks for your comment 🙏❤️
I am not afraid of death but the way I would die. I don't want to die in a slow, painful and gruesome death.😢
It's as if I am stubborn that the only way I want to die is peacefully in my sleep.😅
Every single day I wake up thinking that today might be my last day alive; for no sensible reason at all.🙄
As a result I have ABSOLUTELY NO interest in doing anything at life AT ALL. Even fun things seem to be vain and boring right now. I have thought of committing suicide several times, but do not have enough courage to pull it out. My mom says that if I ever commit suicide, I will SURELY go to hell. But right now I AM experiencing something similar to HELL where I am afraid to Live and afraid to die; where my depression and anxiety is SLOWLY eating me away; day by day.😒
That does sound like a living Hell. Although it is normal to think and wonder about our death, it is not normal to be so stressed about our thoughts that we cannot live our lives. I am wondering if you are actually experiencing a type of thought we call unwanted, intrusive thoughts. They become obsessive when they scare us and make us anxious every time they hit our brain. These thoughts are related to OCD, what some people call Pure O. I have made some videos about what to do, and I have another video coming out on this topic in 2 weeks. There are methods of helping you with these thoughts. I hope they help you.
Every night when I go to sleep or when I'm having a happy moment in my life I get very scared because I fear that when I die I may never c my family again not hear their laughs I really want help on this and I don't know what to do plus help
I am sorry that you have those fearful moments. I hope my suggestions in the video help you.
Reading material has helped me cope my anxiety a lot ( e.g When panick attacks, feeling good etc). Can you suggest some books which teach some techniques to deal with this issue?
I love Viktor Frankl’s books. Search Viktor Frankl and Logotherapy. Wonderful books on Meaning and Existentialism.
Doctor I'm from india and 20 yrs old
I don't know how i got this anxiety or depression or overthinking i just watched some movies and then searched about near death experiment and a lot on for 2 weeks
I talked to my grnadpa and other elders they just tells you will die when the day comes all of us will
(And they never thinks about it )
Many questions are stuck in my mind but i got some relax after watching your video this may be the 100th video but it helped a lot rather than that all before
I'm not fluent in English but hope u understand u are doing a good job
Thanks mam ❤
Thank you so much for taking the time to write this comment. It makes me so happy that there are kind people like you in this world. Your elders are right. I am thankful the video was helpful.
It happened first for me when I was like 13 or so when I was reading Donald Duck. There was these child ducks and all of a sudden I was thinking about how they’re probably dead by now and that’s how it started.
🕊
❤️
Death anxiety has been a constant menace to my brain from the time I was a little boy. Now I'm 34 and I'm not so sure if that still counts as young.
Hi Alex. I am sorry that this fear has been persistent for so long. If a client has persistent fear, we have to make sure there are no compulsions that are supporting the anxiety like rumination or reassurance seeking or avoidance behaviors. Next, we begin to specifically identify the core fear and fear triggers and create exposure therapy. For example, writing and listening to scripts targeting your core fear. This type of therapy called ERP can habituate your thoughts of death by creating new neuropathways that allow you to have the thoughts without experiencing the fear and anxiety. It sounds unpleasant but can be very effective.
I have OCD - my OCD grabbed hold of the subject of death. I get bombarded with thoughts of death so badly. It’s crippling me. I just want my life back 😢
I am so sorry that happened. In ERP treatment we go right to the core fear and that trains your brain to be much less reactive to that fear. If you need help learning ERP, I have an online course that teaches you step by step what to do. www.paigepradko.com/ocd
🙏🙏
🙏❤️
I've been struggling with some death anxiety for a few months now plus derealization and I've completely dug myself into a rabbit hole of intrusive thoughts. I'm unable to live normally without this lingering thought about if life is truly real and how I exist as energy and my consciousness becomes super hyper-aware of my surroundings. Plus the concept of death, dying, the unknown of what comes after and how I'll exist as energy afterwards. I would love to be a religious person who believes we spend eternity in heaven with god or we become reincarnated as another being but what if we don't? and if god does exist, we just spend eternity in heaven? just existing? we get 100 max years as a living person and then that's it? and if there's just nothing, we just exist in an empty dark space for all eternity? I hope this doesn't come off as offensive to anyone religious but I'm really struggling grasping the whole concept of death and after death.
I understand. Those thoughts are scary and you wish you had answers, but, you don’t. There is something related to death anxiety that becomes more obsessive and intrusive, and it is called Existential OCD. I haven’t done a video on that particular theme of ocd, but, I have done many videos on how to treat obsessive thoughts. Here is a playlist on Pure O, Obsessive Thoughts OCD. If the first video hits home, there are many different videos in the playlist. I also have another video coming out later today that helps this as well. ruclips.net/p/PL1lUhuKpYUYqKvEwlGXoRPDu_8blhbaq-
@@PaigePradkoTherapy thank you for your reply, I'll check the videos out ❤️
Hi,,,I have severe episodic problems when I go to sleep..By episodic I mean this anxiety comes and goes once in every year for the last 3/4 years of my life...So,,main problem is: When I start trying to sleep I could feel that my breathing is slowing and at a certain point (after 5/6 minutes), I start feeling that, the trachea of my neck probably is not getting enough air and start haveing shortness of breath and and then woke up suddenly,,,this happens 2/3 times,,trouble sleeping but once i fall asleep its fine....when I awake normally I don't feel too many problem with this,,,but big problem is sleeping...until today I did not know anything about anxiety....I feel better when I work and make me busy in something,,,but I can't avoid sleeping...I could feel that, nothing is meaningful in life,,we all gonna die later or sooner then what,,, existential crisis...This feeling comes once a year and stay for some days and then go away,,,Is it Death anxiety or something else?...
Hi Nuzhat. I am so sorry you are experiencing this. I am curious about if this is death anxiety or anxiety noticing your body breathing. That is called somatic awareness. When a natural body process becomes conscious and then creates anxiety. It is actually a form of OCD. I could be wrong, but something in the way you describe it and it’s cyclical nature make me wonder if it is Sensorimotor or somatic awareness OCD.
I'm scared of where we are. I'm scared of where we're going to go when we go, and if we don't go anywhere, I'm scared of the fact that I can't comprehend what that's going to be like. I really don't know how to explain this but it terrifies me and keeps me up at night.
does anybody else ever experience this? I would love to hear your thoughts on consciousness (or the lack of) after death, your thoughts on existence and life as a concept
I understand how fearful it is to think of life and death and try to derive meaning and understanding of it all. Try to give yourself a break from these deeper thoughts and connect to the simple things in life…petting an animal, taking a walk, having a conversation. See if the change of focus can help to ease your anxiety.
I feel the exact same way. The truth is that when someone dies, something else which isn't tangible leaves the body. We get lighter. Science cannot explain this - some call it a "soul". They also do not know exactly where in the brain our consciousness/ our awareness stems from. So perhaps there is an afterlife after all. Our extremrely distant ancestors did not fear it as we do, they knew better. They would celebrate a departure, not mourn it. Perhaps after all this time, ignorance has taken the form of "if it's not tangible, it is not possible". We can never be certain! I've experienced some strange miracles in my life, they sound crazy, and they make me sound crazy! There might be things out there we simply cannot understand yet. I hope this post can bring you some comfort. (:
I love your comment. Thank you. It absolutely will bring people comfort 🙏❤️
Well you can’t have an experience of nothing. So in that sense, although the idea of death is extremely unsettling, there is nothing to be fearful of. Were you the least bit concerned about all the billions of years before you were born?? To look at the end of consciousness in a different light then just remember at night when you enter deep dreamless sleep you are for all intents and purposes in the same state, no consciousness. So what would it be like to wake up after never going to sleep? Well that was when you were born. And what would it be like to fall asleep and never wake up? That is when you die. Just eternal blissful sleep. You can’t have an experience of nonexistence, nature abhors a vacuum. And we are all the same consciousness so we never really die because consciousness continues on in infinite number of forms. Only the ego dies in reality. Your temporary dream within consciousness ends that’s all. I experience a lot of existential anxiety myself and looking deeply into death has led me to these ideas and concepts to help me. The Sufi mystic Rumi made a very apt quote to this universal fear, “This place is a dream. Only a sleeper considers it real. Then death comes like the dawn, and you wake up laughing at what you thought was your grief” So smile it’s only a dream 😁
Mine is I am afraid for my bad pressure then I read my horoscope that says monitor your bld pressure now I am having anxiety for that can't sleep relax or do anything
I’m sorry about that. People that write those horoscopes should not scare people like that. Being afraid of blood pressure readings is a common fear. Shift your attention and focus to something that you can do today even if those thoughts are in the background of your mind.
I’m only thirteen right now and experiencing extreme death anxiety so I’m really hoping that I can help my fear to grow less powerful so I don’t hate living when I grow okder
I am so sorry that you are struggling with this fear. In some ways I do think it fades as you go through life and you may not experience it in the same way that you do at thirteen. Hoping you can connect with what you are experiencing now…in the moment. 🙏❤️
Hi I am on medication for an anxiety disorder but its where my brain thinks I'm in danger 24/7 going to have a stroke heart attack stop breathing ect it's very exhausteding and I am waiting for my appointment with a physiotherapist but I have been surching everything and anything to try stop.it even for a little bit and let my brain relax every second it's like what way am I going to.die oh now u can't breath and it feels so real that I can't breath and I just want to no is there anyway atal that u could stop thinking about it for even a short while . I've had a very hard life but that's in the past shouldn't I be able to move on since I'm not in anymore danger I have a son and it's starting to affect my home life where I can't even watch a movie with him or I think im going to have a panic attack I have loads of panic attacks through out the day some not bad but some terrible that I actually think im dying it came out of no where I've had a lot of people die and in traumatic ways but I was just wondering if your able to help or give any tips atal for it I do the mindfulness I've tried lots and lots of things and nothing is working
Hi Tara. I am so sorry you are suffering with this condition. This sounds very much like health anxiety, that is officially diagnosed as illness anxiety disorder and possibly panic disorder as well. I specialize in treating these conditions and they are treated with the same treatments that are effective for OCD. In fact many specialists believe it will be classified as OCD with a health theme in the future. Here are some resources and to help you recover and get back to feeling peaceful and enjoying your life without being in a state of constant fear:
Health anxiety assessment
www.paigepradko.com/healthanxietyquiz
OnLine Course: Rapid Recovery from Health Anxiety
www.paigepradko.com/healthanxiety
Hi
Im not afraid of die Im just aftaid of not being anymore and if there was just one way to come back to life it would be ok 😢I dont wanna feel nothing for ever😢😢💔
Yes, I think that most of us would love the reassurance of having a way to always “be around”. Part of what we learn as we go through life is accepting the circle of life. If we didn’t die, than new babies would not be born, there would be no circle of life. Even planets have a circle or “cycle” of life. In fact nothing is permanent, everything is always changing. This is a hard concept to embrace. I always look for things that I can appreciate about change. I love that the seasons change, I love that we all grow and change. I do not love death, but, I have to accept that if I also want life. Try your best to concentrate on what is wonderful about life. Somehow acceptance about death happens as we mature through life. Death anxiety hardly even exists among the elderly. Somehow life itself eases this fear in us.
Exacttttly
@@PaigePradkoTherapyto hell with the circle
Ive always had hypochondria more or less, and thinking that i have a fatal disease, cancer , heart attack etc. but recently i constructed a story around a disease, n keep feeling that i have it, and bcoz of that, i have developed an obsession of sudden death. The thoughts keep coming in my mind that im gonna die suddenly n so i ve become so hyperaware of my body
I am so sorry you are suffering with those thoughts. I am actually in the process of creating a therapy class for people with health anxiety, exactly what you suffer from. It will be available in a month or two. I will inform my subscribers on RUclips when it is completed. It will help you. Health Anxiety (hypochondria) acts like ocd, it becomes obsessive and I can help you with treating this.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy thankyou so much for replying! Yes, I've also had OCD as a kid, but mostly pure O, and I believe this hypochondria is bcoz of that only.
This time bcoz I've created a loong story around a particular illness, it's actually v restricting . My mind keeps telling me how all foods are going to act wrong in my body and exacerbate my 'perceived illness', like a diet obsession. But really there's no single diet that's "safe" because everything has pesticides or gluten or contaminated and therefore dangerous in my head.
Thank you so much I'll be looking forward for the class.
Ty for this video. I'm currently 15 and I have an extreme fear of death. This fear came from a dumb show I used to watch when I was younger. I won't name the show, but I've always been afraid of medical shows and true crime stories. Now I'm in this weird loop, were I often just search the show up and just try to not be afraid of it, but it ends up hurting me mentally. I've been trying to ignore the thoughts, but I just end up scaring myself with it and it's kind of annoying because it's been affecting my life lately. Do you know any way I could ease this urge? I think it's kind of dumb for me to get this worked up over a show, but I guess it was due to how graphic it was and my young age when I watched it T
That sounds terrible. I am so sorry that happened to you. Sometimes, when we have a fearful reaction to something, the thoughts or images can become intrusive and obsessive. Your brain was scared, and it thinks it has to remind you of this bad thing over and over again to keep you safe. The best thing to do, is to not react to it and eventhough the thought might be floating around, do not pay any attention to it. Your brain has to learn that you just don’t really care about that fearful thought. When the brain is no longer fearful, the obsessive thoughts will eventually go away. You also had a great idea…to watch the show over and over again. That is called exposure therapy and it is another treatment we do for obsessive thoughts. Both techniques can be effective.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thanks for the quick reply! I haven't had enough guts to watch the show in full, since it causes panic attacks, but I've just been searching up information about it in small pieces to help me better understand why it scares me. I might take your advice about ignoring the show, but it will take me a while since I keep searching it up at least once a day. Anyway thanks for the help, have a nice and blessed day 💖💖💖
@@Skittyissocool how are you right now? Im really struggling with this anxiety:((
@@mikechrist9699 I'm doing pretty alright now. I had a lot of stress last year, but my family members helped me a lot with this. Although the concept of death can be really stressful, the best tip I have is finding things you enjoy in life. I somewhat got out of this loop due to my sister and grandmother telling me that if I'm constantly afraid of dying, I won't really enjoy life. I wish you the best of luck, because it's not really fun to experience any form of anxiety. Hang in there 💝
@@Skittyissocool good to hear you've doing better! How long does it lasts for you? Im 12 yeara old It has been 2 months of constant anxiety for me:(. I just cannot be at peace with the inevitablity of death:(
Nice
🙏
I really appreciate this video,,, if only you could come to Pennsylvania and be an advocate for me mental health resources and the homeless resources are failing many including myself here in stroudsburg and eaststroudsburg area.... I feel my anxiety has lead me to depression to the point of great emptiness and even manic,,, up and down,,,, I feel as though I'm conditioned negatively...
I am so sorry that you are going through this stress and worry. You are experiencing anxiety because your brain is trying it’s best to keep you safe. Be kind to that voice in your head that has all of those worries and negative thoughts because it is trying so hard to keep you safe. If the anxiety is not helpful, thank that part of you that is so worried and remind yourself that you will take care of you to the best of your ability. I hope your situation improves and that you feel better.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy I ty so much for the quick response and understanding and yes that's a huge area I have a difficult time with sometimes getting so angry and I constantly feel like I'm a bad guy in the worst ways and as though I'm suffering but I will do better with being kinder,, so thankful for your response!
Great, thank you! But what if i don't get a therapy place????? I am absolutely traumatized by the death of my husband if Leucemia 2020. Since then i develloped PTSD, Fibromyalgia, Anxiety and live from the bare minimum financially.
I am so sorry. You have had so much loss and trauma. 😢❤️
thank you dear!
@@PaigePradkoTherapy
what can i do? i want to get better.@@PaigePradkoTherapy
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I need your help and I'm the worst about reaching out and it's extremely difficult to accept outside knowledge from someone I don't know and even more difficult of they haven't been through what I have. I fear of searching for others with what I have but at the same time I need to know more and to know I'm not alone. I can't take it anymore, there has to be something or someone out there that can help me.
Also how is it known that people accept it when at an elderly age? Have you been with someone there entire life that has had it? It is that a percentage? What about levels of it? Some that people just come up with out of nowhere because of something traffic in life happening vs someone born with it?
Those are all great questions. And you are right, that no one really knows what you have been through. I looked into the research on death anxiety before making this video. The research is solid and has been repeated many times. When the pandemic is over, I would suggest going to a nursing home (as we call them in the US), a home for the elderly, and actually interview elderly people about whether or not they have death anxiety. You can gather your own research. I expect that you will find the same results. More importantly, try you best to make a psychological shift in your thinking. If you value living, shift your focus and intentions on fully living. Walking in nature and allowing yourself to fully take in everything around you is a great exercise in connecting to the moment you are living. I wish you well.
I have meaning. I have purpose. I truly do. It helps to focus on that... but it always comes back. It's like a demon just waiting.
Dissect the fear: The fear is being nothing for eternity. The fear of losing everything. Everything. Loved ones, experiences, joy, sorrow, everything.
Talking about it, thinking about it, it doesn't help. I've been doing that for decades. With one therapist, we tried this for nearly six months.
This video wasn't helpful. Therapy hasn't helped. Nothing has. Everything I love and cherish has a timer. Soon it'll all be gone. I'm crying as I write this, but I've never found anyone who doesn't just pat me on the head about this deep terror. Tell me to try medication (did that, doing that), therapy (decades of it), that it'll get better when I'm eldery (10 years out from that, not better), to just accept it as part of life (no comfort here, doesn't remove the timers or terror of eternal nothingness).
What helps, for very short periods of time, is finding things to occupy my over thinking mind.
I envy those 'at peace'. I wish I could live my life. I've lost so much of it to this crippling, can't work, can't get out of bed, terror.
I am wondering if you have heard of existential OCD? If you find yourself stuck and obsess about death and nothingness, you may be dealing with OCD.
You sound like an amazing therapist. I cannot find one. Mine have not been helpful. I have severe death anxiety. Is there anything you can do to help me?
Thank you for your compliment and I feel honored that you asked me for help. Unfortunately, I cannot be your therapist on RUclips or other media websites. I am a licensed therapist in Michigan. But, there are experienced therapists out there. I recommend searching for someone that does existential psychotherapy and works with anxiety. I also recommend therapists trained in ACT therapy for people that experience death anxiety. If you have any specific questions for me, I can answer them on my Q and A videos that will be coming out. I really appreciate your comments.
I have had health anxiety since the early 90s. I have missed out on so much because of my hypochondria. It has severely crippled me. So I haven't actually lived. Yes I'm terrified to die. I have done literally everything to fix my hypochondria and nothing has helped. Idk what to do anymore. I'm not loving I'm just being afraid everyday. No therapist here helps they just listen and not do anything. They just want to push meds. Having no money to pay for a good psychiatrist doesn't help either. I'm at a loss.
I am so sorry that you have suffered so much. I have spent the last 20 years treating people like you that are suffering from health anxiety, anxiety disorders and OCD. I have a treatment program that is highly effective and has successfully treated people that had suffered for years, like you. If you are interested in learning from a specialist in health anxiety, you can find out more here:
Health anxiety assessment
www.paigepradko.com/healthanxietyquiz
OnLine Course: Rapid Recovery from Health Anxiety
www.paigepradko.com/healthanxiety
⚠️ "Happiness is the feeling that our lives are not wasted on meaningless things".
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I am 25 and have severe death and cancer anxiety, as I believe I am prone to certain types of cancer and I just can’t get my head out of it…. i think i’m going crazy..
Hi Michie. I am wondering if you have health anxiety. There are very specific ways that this is treated because it acts more like OCD than anxiety. Here is health anxiety assessment www.paigepradko.com/healthanxietyquiz.
I've been afraid of dying when I was around 4
Use to have panic attacks I'm 17 now I get them every now and then
Now I just accept it
Relatable 👆
Hello paige, I also have a problem. I am also scared of the uncertainty after death especially about hell. But that don't bothers me much now because there's no evidence that something as hell exist. But what's the evidence that hell doesn't exist? This thought is keep distubing me. How do i deal with this thought?
That is an unanswerable and unknowable question. You will have to accept that no amount of thinking about it or researching it will ever give you the certainty you are looking for. Your only choice is to accept that.
I can't stop thinking about it please help im terrified. I don't want to die
I am so sorry you are having such a tough time.
Hello, i want to let you know that you’re not alone. I think about it so much but trust me, its not worth your energy. I know how it feels to have impulsive thoughts about death, try to understand what triggers the thought and learn to know if its under your control. Live every moment with! :) I love you so much, even if we Don’t know each other.
I am 36 and I been having alot of death anxiety. I find my self thinking about it all day🥺 It started 2 months ago and is really taking control of my everyday living. What can I also do to overcome this fear? Please I need help🥺
Hi Amanda. I am wondering if this could possibly be an intrusive thought that has become obsessive. I have a playlist on obsessive, intrusive thoughts. They begin to be obsessive because they activate the fear center of the brain. Then, your brain interprets the thought as dangerous and therefore shoots you the thought constantly to remind you of the danger. This is helpful if your fearful thought was a Tiger that was looking at you, but, it is not helpful if you have a fearful thought. This will go away if when you no longer react to the thought. Here is a playlist of techniques to help you ruclips.net/p/PL1lUhuKpYUYqKvEwlGXoRPDu_8blhbaq-
My fear of death is keeping me from doing the things that I want to experience. I can't do what I want because I obsess with the ways in which it could get me killed. So, my lack of fulfillment goes hand in hand with my death anxiety. What would you suggest?
Isn’t it a paradox that anxiety and a fear of death keeps you from living your life. Everyone has a certain level of that fear, yet some break through that fear while others shrink their life to stay safe. I can tell you that as you get older, you are more driven to enjoy life to its fullest. I think you will have to make a decision what kind of life you want to experience. There is a vast spectrum from completely shut down and safe to an extreme version of adrenaline junkies. Perhaps most of us choose somewhere in the middle.
@@PaigePradkoTherapy Thank you for your reply. What would you suggest that could convince someone to move further toward the middle of that spectrum - to become more of a risk-taker?
Do you do therapy sessions online for ppl living abroad?
Hi Shreya. Please feel free to contact me at paigepradko.com. 😊
Why you stopped posting viedios :( I really liked them.
Thank you so much. I will be posting new videos soon. Please leave me any questions or topics that you are interested in...my new videos are going to include answering viewer questions. 😊
@@PaigePradkoTherapy well I really like what you're doing. And I'm a 19 year old who is struggling with morbid obisity and therefore had and have my fair bit of depression, and I actually used fluxetine for a while which actually was a mistake and I'm currently dealing with it's withdrawal symptoms, do I'd really appreciate it if you would discuss depression more in future videos.
Thank you for your suggestion. I have done one video on depression, but, I do need to do more. Hoping you feel better...one day at a time.
I’m 53 and I have it ONCE a day about 2pm it’s so odd
Perhaps you can welcome the fear like an old friend. “Oh, there you are death anxiety. Feel free to pull up a chair and stay for as long as you would like. But, I am a little busy and will just be doing my thing over here.” The technique is about giving a calming message to your brain when you have the fearful thoughts. If we allow the thoughts to scare us…they will certainly come back because your brain believes the thoughts are dangerous and therefore your fight or flight system (anxiety) will be activated.
I saw my best friend in child hood get run over I tried helping her
Oh my gosh, I am so sorry that happened to your friend and that you witnessed it. Of course that must of been very traumatizing. 😥❤️
I’m guessing death anxiety goes hand in hand with health anxiety. I seem to suffer from both.
Yes, they are related. At the core of Health Anxiety is the fear of death. I am sorry that you are suffering. I hope that some of my suggestions can ease your anxiety. I have some clients that like to use a technique called, “I AM” when they have these unwanted thoughts. You can learn about it here. ruclips.net/video/c-HKZNh88dQ/видео.html
@@PaigePradkoTherapy I have watched a few of your videos especially the health anxiety ones and they have helped a lot 🙏