fear of death

[bab]

I was having a chat with my mum tonight about her anxieties etc which I never do. Basically she has a phobia about cancer so I can never tell her when I am around my friends or kids friends that have relatives with cancer as she will avoid seeing me or the kids etc - I explained that although I have my phobias I would never let it affect my kids and maybe I am like I am as she let me see all of this when I was growing up. She told me that it started when she was at her dads funeral and she took a spade out of one of the hands of the funeral men and he turned to her and said - never do that again as death is contagious and that stuck with her. Maybe I also believe that death is contagious as many times I have also avoided people who have been bereaved or that are poorly in case it rubs off on me.
Am I nuts?

[Ddcoo]

Hi Bab, no you are not nuts. When we are children we take on board the teaching of adults as gospel. We expect our elders to know it all, and it is so easy for a thought to become instilled into our mind. I know a lot of us here at nmp are frightened of death, myself included, it is the one thing we cannot control and therefore very frightening. None of us wants to get ill or die, so I think it is perfectly normal to avoid the situation, but what do I know, I'm nuts anyway:D :yahoo:

[MissChampers]

I've feared death and thought about it every day for the past 20 years since my anxiety started. I think my mother may have been the cause as she is a hypochondriac and for as long as I can remember has always had something wrong with her. Also the deaths of some family members when I was a kid affected me in a bad way which also may have contributed.

[bab]

How do you cope with it - and thanks for your replies x

[Ddcoo]

I try not to dwell on the thought, but sometimes it just rears it's ugly head.I try to thing of something more pleasant to turn my thoughts away, but I guess I will always have the fear and as I'm in my 60's now I am probably a lot nearer to it than you are LOL:)