Are you scared of dying?

[Needablueskyholiday]

Just that really. Do you have a will? Have you got your pension nomination form organised? Do you know what sort of funeral you’d like? Do your next of kin know your funeral wishes?

I’m 40 and weirdly think about death a lot. I’m just wondering if anyone is morbidly organised or once I’m dead, I’m dead. No point stressing about it now?!

No, I'm not scared. I'm 72 and never think about dying. I've never smoked, drink very little and eat healthily - purely because I don't like junk food. I had cornflakes and a peach this morning, a sandwich midday, and chicken with veg for dinner. I'm planning on living another 20 years! 😀

I believe in the possibility of something but I have never worried about what that something might be.
In my mind death is a win-win, if there's nothing then there is no you to suffer the fact of being dead. If there's something then wow that's going to be interesting to find out about surely 🤷🏻‍♀️

@BlackShuck3 it's not the possibility of heaven not existing that worries me, like you say I'll be dead so won't know. But if there is an opposite of heaven, and I don't deserve to go there, that is the frightening part. I try to lead a good life, but for example I have money and others in the world are starving, so is my 'good life' enough?

Never really been afraid of dying. Had cancer at 48 with no risk factors and surgeries, chemo, radio, 10 years meds which there's a lifetime risk of getting back at stage 4 but I generally don't think about that much and 2.5 years clear now. Very much enjoying life and cancer treatment which I was petrified of made me much braver like the ultimate exposure therapy. Very tough year but now this year mostly everything going well, daughter who was 15 at time now into Oxford University, we have both just been to Borneo together seeing the wildlife independently, I swim and garden a lot and nearly back to the perfect garden to go with our thatched cottage and after my diep surgery have a wonderful new job in a specialist role I love on a remote island. I do worry for my son who is nearly 18 and SN as it's so rubbish for SN kids in this country but hope remote island will be kinder than the system here. He is improving at home. Everything is pretty much in order. I do worry about treatment again if get back at stage 4 but it's not something I think about and I have done pretty much everything I wanted in my life.

If what you are describing is enough to sentence you to hell then hell will be an extremely crowded domain!!
I apologise if that sounds insensitive or dismissive, I don't identify with any particular religion and so I don't know what it feels like to have a fear of hell.
My thoughts about what might happen after we shuffle off the mortal coil are based on reading about people's near death experiences.

Well whilst I don't want to die, its a certainty that I will. So yes I have planned.
In the event it happens unexpectedly, my partner and adult kids already know to "call this number".
And if it's not them who find me, there's an easy to find note in my home office that say "If I'm dead, then I guess it's time for the paperwork - pls call this number".
The number is my solicitor. They have everything required within my will - where's the money, what debt needs settling, banking and investment stuff, who needs to be contacted, my final wishes, funeral wishes and money for that, who I'd like to get what etc etc.
I update it each year with them, doesn't really take long and gives me piece of mind that if I get hit by a bus, I'm not living a load of admin ballache for others to wade through.
So yes, my mindset isn't if I die, its simply when I die.

No, I'm scared about dying in pain and it taking a long time.

I'm hoping that the assisted dying bill passes soon.

Yes. Terrified.
DH had a horrible, slow, painful death.
So maybe I’m more afraid about pain and it lasting a long time, rather than the actual death but and not being here any longer.

Death administration is hard work, no matter how much you prepare in advance, but once I’m gone that’s someone else’s issue. I’ve left details of accounts/passwords/insurance etc so I’ve done all I can.

I wrote a will on Free Wills. I've started trying to declutter which weirdly feels like the beginning but I'm actually only mid 40s so I think it's more just freeing me of stuff so I can focus on being active and outdoorsy.

I got diagnosed with a rare progressive disorder in my mid 30s and it changed everything. I didn't know initially how serious it was, should I bother with a pension etc. Then found out its manageable and shouldn't impact my life. But you can't unhave that experience. It made me think of me actually in my 80s and looking back and thinking what kind of life do I want to have lived, decade by decade, and what actually matters to me. Relationships, health, gratitude.

It would be nice just to die peacefully in my sleep rather than illness, hopefully that's the way I will go.

I do have that thought occasionally

I don't worry about being dead but do worry about having a long drawn out and painful death.

The state of the NHS and Social Care doesn't alleviate my fears.

I am not frightened of the process of dying and I believe that once I'm dead I won't know anything about it.

I am, however, TERRIFIED of dying 'young' (any time before about 85!) and missing out on experiences and milestones with my kids. I also dread leaving them alone/ without me.

Not scared but I am organised!

I'm 52, will written, direct cremation organised, death book with all passwords and people to contact in.

ICE contact on my phone and as a screen saver.

POA sorted and they know where everything is, documentation wise.

So, sorted!

I'm no more scared of dying than I was of being born.

I'm not scared of dying per se. But I have a very disabled 14 year old and a 70 year old husband and i am scared of how they would cope as they both rely on me a very great deal. I am squished between my child needing me and my parents who live on another continent and are the same age as DH needing me and my DH needing me.

DH was very ill this past year due to covid complications and it freaked me out because if I were not here the wheels would fall off our carefully organised life.

Scared of death - no. It’s natural and happens to everyone. I was with my Nan when she took her last breath and it was just easy for her, and peaceful.

Scared of dying with a long drawn out disease - yes very. For the past 20 years I have watched both parents become consumed by dementia, and they are still going. Neither is pleasant or easy, it’s a full on horror show. I am terrified that it will inevitably happen to me. I hope that euthanasia is legalised and considered for dementia, which is terminal whatever treatment your given. Keeping people alive with dementia until the bitter end is cruel. If I get dementia I am the absolute opposite of being scared of death.

God I'm so sorry you've been going through it that long. I lost all my family to cancer and it was brutal but I almost feel grateful as weird as that sounds. I hope you're looking after yourself too and enjoying life as much as you can.

I'm an atheist and don't believe in any kind of afterlife or post-death experience. Like most posters, I'm not at all afraid of the idea of being dead, but I am definitely afraid of sickness, pain and suffering.

Faith is a big part of my life and so I don't have any fear about facing death.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Not of being dead but possibly of a long decline. I'm actually quite old and sometimes I imagine my family having to go through my things. I'm trying to declutter to make it easier on them. My mother was nearly 100 when she died and said that she thought that she might just go in her sleep. Sadly that didn't happen and I would like to avoid her experience. We don't always get to choose though.

I am 45 and I often think "one day I will die". It's a fact. I'm quite Apprehensive as it might hurt, or it won't be fun getting old, or I might die younger and miss out on some of this life. However I'm convinced that the next stage will be a blast. I'm looking forward to once more understanding the mystery of the universe and being one with God. I'm pretty sure I will see loved ones again too.

Not scared of dying but petrified of my husband dying

I own my burial plot. I also have a life limiting condition and have been in ICU several times, twice on life support in an induced coma. I had no fear.

My mum recently passed, my dad many years ago. I used to be scared of dying but although I’m not religious I now have a feeling that it’ll be okay and I’ll see mum again, which will be nice. I have no idea if there’s an afterlife or anything but it’s kind of nice to think there’s something there. I won’t know til I do or don’t get there either, adding to the mystery but also that takes away the scare.

My Dad took his own life at the age of 59, just before his 60th Birthday nearly 12 weeks ago.
I used to be and probably still am terrified of death. However I hope for whatever his reasons were, he wasn’t scared of death and that he’d find some comfort/release, my thinking is if he chose to die than perhaps it’s not as bad as I think it is.
I hope there’s some sort of afterlife where I can see him again.

I've lost my parents, my sister and my husband so it's me next. I'm not scared, it's just that I hate the thought of leaving my kids and especially my grandkids whom I adore.