Is it normal that i'm absolutely terrified of death?

I'm a 36 year old father of four and evidently, not as big of a sissy as I've always assumed I was before realizing so many other intelligent people have similar problems. Like most of you, I'll often find myself being consumed by thoughts of death and more-so a fear of the unknown. If I'm alone and allow myself to dwell on it, I can quickly sink into a panic attack, while little else in this world can rattle me. It gets so bad that I have to deliberately think about something else. Worst is when I'm really enjoying life with my kids in some terrific moments and then I fear losing all of it - for eternity... Seems like a cruel joke (being given life that is) but suppose you could think of it as an amazing gift too. What's supposed to make you feel better often makes me feel worse - like how when you go to sleep, you do so peacefully and are not guaranteed you'll wake up, yet you always have so you should think of death similarly - try not worry and just convince yourself you'll wake up. Or even better - when people tell you to think about the eternity that existed prior to your birth - which quite frankly just depresses me more :) It's the raw intensity of this fear that actually drives me away from any real capacity for faith in God - because I clearly see in these moments the desperate need/motive/desire to create and believe in an afterlife. I'm sure that we as a race have had this primal fear from the moment we were capable of contemplating such things. However - this doesn't mean that there isn't something after we die because I think everyone should be open to that possibility. In fact, for you scientists out there, remember that a requirement for scientific laws is that they hold open the possibility that they could be wrong. And given the evidence of intelligent design behind the universe (e.g. ratio of phi found throughout the earth and our own galaxy among many other commonalities), in addition to the fact that if our universe were to have expanded one millionth of a second faster than it did, grey matter/gravity would not have been strong enough to hold it together and form galaxies/stars/planets. Conversely, had it expanded one millionth of a second slower, the same forces would have been to great and it would have collapsed back upon itself. Pretty lucky I'd say! So who knows?! No one can prove it, but even science has it's limits!
I guess what I really want is to know that I'm special - more than a blink in the eye of eternity. But I don't want that being the reason I blindly believe in something I can only say at this point that I'm open to acknowledging its potential, and desperately hoping for its reality. One thing we should all take solace in is that were all in it together. I think sites like this where people can relate and share our deepest fears and talk about what really matters, along with the love of family and friends, is what makes life worth living - regardless of an afterlife.

This is the EXACT way I am feeling. Like I'll be lying in bed and then out if no where I'll be thinking about how one day I will not be alive and breathing. It gets to the point where I have to jump out of bed and pace around my room until I get my mind off of it. I am not as scared about how I will die, but I am absolutely terrified about what will happen after. I just can't think about what how there will either be heaven, hell, or absolutely nothing. I'm terrified when I lose sight of my mom in the grocery store, how am I supposed to feel fine about this. But I guess its in a persons beliefs. I am so happy I'm not the only one, but its a terrible thing to lie awake thinking about. Thank you for making this post.

Ah....this one reaches home. I know exactly how you feel. Its only been in the last year of my life that I've become OK with the inevitability of death. I would lose sleep...have panic attacks...and just knowingly stress about these fears. Perhaps because it was and is the major source of my anxieties. And because I started meditating about 2 years ago I've learned to be ok with just "riding the wave".

Meditate....explore...work towards specific goals. Learn more about your faith...learn about other faiths. Those are my top recommendations.

For some odd reason,anxiety about death hit me like a truck during my first year in college. The anxiety perpetuated to the point that I was depressed and distracted during the day and at night I would be lucky to fall asleep on time. Also, whenever I would read an obituary or hear about death, particularly having to do with young people, I would have panic attacks. I felt so isolated and it honestly made me feel like a freak. I talked to my boyfriend and he recommended that I try counseling. I didn't want to go because A) I felt out of my comfort zone and B) I didn't want to be perceived as "crazy". What I found out, was, that my anxiety about death was in the making for a long, long time and it all had to do with control and my unwavering pursuit of doing everything right. Sounds crazy huh? And speaking of crazy, you can remove the stigma. Going to counseling does NOT mean you are crazy. It means that you are proactive and you want an outsider's perspective. Of course, it was nice to have the outsider be a professional. Now, my anxiety is still a battle. However, I am confident that I can combat my anxiety using the skills that I learned from my counselor and I am always open to returning for more treatment.

Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live - Henry Van Dyke... If you fear death that much live your life like everyday is your last, make the most of it instead of worrying about dying.

The fear of death follows from the fear of life. A man who lives fully is prepared to die at any time - Mark Twain

No sense in worrying over what you can't change. How bout trying to enjoy the life you are living instead of worrying about how your underground snooze will go about?

Shut up you dont know if theres a heaven and hell so instead of freaking over death live life get laid mary a beuty get a job buy a convertable go skydiving and when death comes around kick it in the ass rape it shove a dildo in its ass and rid it around for fun.

1. I HAVE THE EXACT SAME FEELINGS YOU DO
2.I do get panic attacks when thinking about death, my parents ignore me when I try to talk to them about it.
No one can escape death
We all have to die
Seriously I am 100000000% petrified nao
The thing is immorality isnt that great either.
You wouldn't want to stay the same forever would you?
I bet you I am younger than you,
But we all have to understand that we are all going to die. I feel for you. You sound just like me:P
In my case I've always wished that I would be reincarnated into someone else and start a new life.

well honestly, we're all going to die, it's the inevitable. So really no use in wasting the minutes you have, for worrying about what will always happen in the end.

How do you know you aren't conscious in death?

they say living isn't easy dying is whats easy and that inmortality is the worst thing possible never able to love or settles down.... but otherwise I would say it's normal