Fear of aging and death
hello, i hope this message will be appropriate here, but I'm really struggling. I recently turned 24 and it has sent me into a downward spiral. Everyday i wake up now i fear of getting older for so many reasons, such as never seeing a life for myself beyond my teenage years. Also because i am also gay, i feel like i lost out on a lot of experiences of being young that other people got to have but i didn't because i couldn't be my authentic self. On top of this, i feel like i can't take advantage of my youth right now because im not happy in the city i live in and dont have any friends. My situation is complex because the city i was happy in was in another country when I studied there, but to go back i would have to have a job that I don't think would be right for me.
the list goes on, but i wanted to ask,
is there any advice that can be passed on about fear or aging and death?
This fear has been paralyzing me everyday and even more so at the thought of one day having to lose my parents.
also, what are things that are better in later years than your early years?
i really need something to look forward to as im so scared.
thank you to anyone who reads this.
@charmingFriend6547
Idk why I just not scared of death... Not even of my loved ones... I'm. Just emotionless when I think about death... I believe everyone has to go... Idk if it's just me
@jigsaw3638
I wonder whether you have accepted that death is the normal cycle of nature which to me is a healthy way to see it.
@amiablePeace77
Yes, I have...
@charmingFriend6547
That fear, unfortunately, is the price we pay for being human. Far as I'm aware, Homo sapiens is the only species that knows its fate in advance.
Others have given you some good advice already; I especially agree with "take it one day at a time". Sometimes when life gets rough, that's all you can do.
Try to live in the present, within reason. Planning for the future is important, of course. But every minute you spend worrying about the future is a minute wasted, & one that you will never have again. The past only exists in books, museums & antique stores; the future is yet to come & so does not exist. The only reality is what's happening right now.
One thing that's worked for me is remembering that while one's own life is temporary, existence itself is not. When you die you will go back to the earth, which is where the crops grew that yielded the food your parents ate & the clothes they wore when they first met each other. The same goes for you...that which fed & clothed & sheltered you all had to come from somewhere. The point is that death is not a complete end: it is an ending of one phase of your existence & the beginning of another phase.
