How to find my life purpose? Getting over a fear of death

[SleepyPillow]

Hi. 

I’m 19 years old and have been going through a bad “depression” sort of stage for about 1 week. I keep having reoccurring thoughts about everyone around me eventually dying one day, such as my family and friends eventually passing away.(I used to be obsessed with these thoughts when I was a child) I’ve become really depressed and anxious by these thoughts and they won’t go away. I’ve even cancelled work shifts and skipped a day of uni classes. I’ve also become to feel that my life has no meaning to it if I’m just going to die eventually. (I am not suicidal, more so afraid of death). I haven’t been able to stop crying when I think about these thoughts. They used to go away when I was doing things I enjoy but now they won’t regardless of if I’m playing video games, hanging out with friends and family.  

Does anyone know how to get over this fear of death and how to enjoy life again without thinking about the end?  

[ChildHeart]

Hi SleepyPillow, thank you for reaching out to the forums.

Death is something I think everybody fears at some point in their life and that’s not to down play how you’re feeling, but you’re not alone in that fear. I think a lot of our fears in regards to death, come from a lack of understanding of life in general such as why we are here or what it all means. When we feel we don’t have the answers to why we are living, then sometimes we can turn our focus to death.

I am a spiritual person in some of my beliefs so forgive me here but I just want to share my thoughts on death if that’s ok with you? You don’t have to agree, but I think sometimes it’s good when we can get a new perspective on things.

So I’m a tarot reader (among some other things) and we have a “death” card in the tarot deck that typically most fear when it appears because they assume it depicts literal death, when in fact, it’s actually all

about transformation - something ending so that something new can begin. Endings are important because if we didn’t have them, then there would be no new and we would just go around in an endless loop, a “cycle” that we can’t get out of. I sometimes think about how when people pass on from this life, somewhere in the world, another is born into it.

Death is something we all come to fear, but many of us fear living as well. The day-to-day can become overwhelming or if we feel without direction then we begin questioning everything and that’s when the big questions come in our minds like the meaning of life and the fear of death. I think the most important thing is to be you, and head for happiness. Do what you enjoy, focus on the things you do have like the people in your life you love and care about and the blessings that you have, and appreciate the now. It’s something I have struggled with I’ll be honest, as I have always put too much focus on the past and what tomorrow brings to where I forget to appreciate the now and just be in the moment.

Hugs to you!🤗