Death... and this is weird?

[INeedChocolateToday]

So a person very close to me is ill at the moment. It's been a bit touch and go so I've had thoughts and fears of death on the mind a lot. Anyway, pretty sure said person is going to be ok now thank goodness :) but their illness has got me contemplating death.

Now this is the really strange bit ... during v worrying part of my life, there seems to be stuff about death everywhere. E.g. A current mumsnet thread on 'passing away', the completely gut wrenching 'Ed Sheran' song they keep playing, a few famous deaths of late, and a few people I know telling me stuff about death without knowing it's on my mind etc... magazine articles on it .... etc... there's a lot more but it might b identifying ...

What is going on? Is this all just horrible coincidence? Am I just noticing all this because I'm thinking about death and there's always been a lot on the subject - I've just never noticed before? I'm getting really philosophical about it and wondering (worrying) if im being prepared for something? (hopefully not my own death or anyone close).

It's not about anymore than usual - it's just that you're hyper sensitive to it just now.

I had a miscarriage last year and it seemed like everyone announced a pregnancy or had a baby at this time. That wasn't the case obviously but it was just what was on my mind

It's coincidence. Or rather your mind noticing a lot of death related stuff because of what's going on in your own life. When I was pregnant I always clocked any other pregnant woman in the vicinity, even from behind; and now I don't pay any attention so don't especially register them.

You're just hyper aware of it. I remember whenever I learnt a new word I'd hear it all the bloody time afterwards!

It's like being pregnant, suddenly there are bumps everywhere you look.

Yeah I think it's called availability bias or something. When a thing has been on your mind, you're more likely to recall connected things. If that makes sense. I get it too. Chalk it up to horrible coincidence and the fact that your subconscious brain lodges what it considers to be salient facts about a thing that's been on your mind a lot, to the exclusion of all the other stuff that it doesn't see as relevant at that time.

Perfectly normal. It's like when you get a new car, you start to see the same type of car everywhere. You can't observe and take in everything in your environment so you notice whatever your mind is currently focused on.

Contemplating death is a good thing. It's going to happen to all of us, but because it's a taboo subject, many of us won't have a 'good death', or leave our affairs in order.

Thanks all that's quite reassuring