Death and Taxes Are the Two Constants in Life - So Why Do Some Suffer From Fear and Phobia of Death

By Rich Richardson
Necrophobia? What is this? - the more commonly known term or phrase for death phobia or anxiety surrounding thoughts of death. This believe it or not is up there in the top ten of most common phobias and it scares the living daylights out of those suffering from this particular form of anxiety / phobia.

Primarily the anxiety is triggered in the unconscious part of our brains which serves to act as protection when we are faced with potential threats to our wellbeing. These can be seated in past experiences or events we have witnessed which are linked to death, after which the sufferer has been subjected to extreme emotional trauma. These cases result in a continued anxiety and inner pain that if unaddressed can cause a lifetime of stress and anxiety. However lets' be clear.

It's a more than perfectly natural reaction to be afraid of death (survival instinct is present in all of us and is invaluable)!, the problems start to arise when this fear or anxiety starts to take over your life on a day to day basis. One way to try and avoid any potential anxiety attacks is to stay away from any events, situations or even people who may trigger these feelings, however this not a good long term solution as this is a temporary fix to a bigger problem. in time the anxiety will catch up with you (you can't hide forever) and when it does the symptoms may be even stronger. Your fear of death and resulting phobia will not simply disappear on it's own.

In order to tackle your phobia head on - you must first face your fears.

Let's say you are continually afraid of dying as a result of drowning -learn to swim! Start in the baby pool and once you star to overcome your fear of water and you are getting better and more confident, you can up the stakes and cross over to the deeper pool. There's no need to rush this. Just keep to the sides if you need to hang on to something and slowly let yourself out into the water - one step at a time. Let yourself (allow yourself) to get under the water. No one is going to let you drown (go with a friend if that makes you feel safer). Once you have conquered the sensation of the water over your head - you will have made fantastic inroads to successfully beating your phobia. After this, then start to swim! Firstly in short bursts, working your way up to a length of the pool, then two, then three (and so on - you get the picture). Once you have mastered the pool, there is nothing stopping you from heading on to the next logical step, such as the sea!

Fear of drowning is just one specific example of necrophobia used for illustration - there are of course many more which may apply to your situation and your anxiety issues. An important lesson to learn from this example however is that you confront your fears and in turn can rationalise your fears. Allow them to be broken down into manageable chunks and they can be beaten.

Your mind is being forced subconsciously into worrying about death, instead teach your mind to think more rationally (and logically). We all die, that's about the only one sure thing we can say about our lives (that and taxes - or so the saying goes!), but by constantly worrying about death, not only will it ruin your every living moment (precious moments) but the anxiety may get you sooner than the reaper himself intended! Try and relax. What will actually happen if you do die? For one - you are actually the one least impacted by your own death (think of those loved ones who are left to grieve), your fears will be gone, your soul is released and those with faith will believe may spend eternity in heaven on cloud 9! When you die - fear of death is no longer your problem and your anxiety will be gone forever.

STOP - don't reach for the shotgun or painkillers just yet! There is so much to life and so much life to live. It's a gift and there is no valid argument to spend the time you have worrying about it not being there. Live life to it's fullest potential first - before you put yourself into an early grave.

There are many effective self help anxiety treatments available which address these phobias of dying. Simply by addressing your issues quickly and starting to confront them - you can break the vicious circle now. Whether you already suffer panic attacks as a result of this phobia or maybe the anxiety and panic has not risen to that stage for you yet, it's important to break the circle before it is completed. Identify the reasons, confront the real fears, conquer your own mind.

When your time comes, your time comes, but constant worry will get you quicker in the end - whatever your initial blueprint of life had planned.

To read more on panic attack and anxiety attacks, their parent conditions, how to recognise the symptoms and how to start on your road to