The best way to face any anxiety is to determine what you can control about an uncontrollable future and make a plan. You can’t control the fact that you’ll die. But you can choose how to live, and you can influence the legacy you leave. Having a plan for those two things will go a long way in easing death anxiety.
...You may think this is a story I simply made up to ease my memory of a painful experience. I won’t argue the facts over whether or not humans have control over their exact time of death. But I will quibble about the word “simply.” Because there’s nothing simple about the human capacity to weave stories from the events of their lives. Storytelling is one of our most brilliant survival skills.
...People often ask me “How exactly do you help people get through grief?” In this article, I lay out my process, which is rooted in “resilient healing.” Loss is a universal human experience, but we don’t have to passively live with sadness. Resilient healing gets you through the worst parts of grieving in a relatively short period of time.
...When you lose someone dear to you, you need others to help you feel safe. People to hear your pain. To remind you that you’re still here, even though it doesn’t feel like it. Humans aren’t meant to grieve alone.
...If you’re a caregiver for a loved one with special needs, you’ve probably faced major hurdles in getting them much-needed treatment. Sometimes we have to rely on skunk power. We annoy the right person until they’re convinced that helping us is the lesser pain-in-the-ass.
...imagine the people in your life who will likely outlive you. When they tell stories about you, what do you hope they’ll write. Bingo! You just identified your legacy.
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