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It's normal to think about death.

Working with our fears helps us move forward.

Working with thoughts, feelings, and coming into the moment are tools.

Death is part of being alive. And thinking about death is part of being human.

Unbidden thoughts arise—sometimes quietly, sometimes like a jolt—catching us off guard and unsettling our sense of safety.

Just the other day, I was soaking in a warm bubble bath when, out of nowhere, a thought flashed through my mind: At any moment, I could receive a dire diagnosis—and that would be it. The end of my life.

These kinds of fears are not new to me. As a child, I would lie awake at night, terrified I might not wake up. I worried my heart would simply stop beating. Thankfully, my parents offered steady reassurance, and eventually that phase passed, as most phases do.

But the thoughts never disappeared entirely.

Now, as an adult, when fears of death arise, I wonder:

How would I cope?Who would miss me?Why is this coming up right now?What should I do with this feeling?

Turning Toward, Not Away

Since learning about emotions and developing the Change Triangle, I’ve made a commitment: I tend to my emotions instead of automatically avoiding them.

I wasn’t always this way. Before I understood how emotions work, I struggled with........

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