It’s not something a lot of us want to talk about. For the majority of us, it is something that we push to the back of our mind and don’t think about it until it happens to someone we care about, a loved one, a pet or someone that we are caring for.
Death is a certainty of life that everyone will face. Even so, knowing that it's inevitable doesn't mean you'll feel prepared for dealing with death and the grief that follows. As we age, so too do the people around us. Over time, many of the people that we know and care about will develop chronic or terminal illnesses. Some of them will die during our lifetimes. While death is a natural part of life and an unavoidable consequence of ageing, that doesn't mean you won't be deeply affected by it. In fact, the ongoing exposure to death is one reason depression is common in older adults. However, knowing that death will eventually touch your life in some way means you can be proactive about learning to cope with the dying and grieving process.
While you may not be able to predict how it will feel to experience grief (for your own life or someone else's), having a support system in place and the skills necessary to care for your mental health will give you a solid foundation to work from, knowing that there are people available for you to talk to and there to listen to help and support you to cope.
Some people seem to be inherently more at peace with death; whether premature or at the end of a long life whilst others find it very difficult to cope with and the emotions that death ultimately brings. It’s OK to not be OK with the topic of death, however it is something that we need to talk about if it is making you feel depressed, anxious or worried. Your counsellor at PCS is here to help and support you if you need to talk or require support with coping with death.
