As we reach our 60s, many of us are struggling with a fear of death. I’m not sure why this is the case. After all, we’ve lived good lives.

At this point, we are able to look back on the years and count our blessings. We have created a community of friends, relatives and colleagues that stretch out more than 60 years. We are excited about having our time to grow and enjoy our lives. At least we should be!

At the same time, as we get older, we begin to ask questions about your own mortality. It’s normal to feel curious as well as vulnerable or even apprehensive right now. So, here are six positive ways to overcome a fear of death.

How to Overcome a Fear of Death

Here is a short video that I recorded on this topic. I hope that you find it useful as you try to answer your own questions about your mortality.

Enjoy Your Life!

First – celebrate life! Spend a lot of quality time with people you enjoy being around, try new things, challenge yourself, and keep active and engaged with positive thoughts and activities. If there is something that really rankles you, then do something about it. Some unfinished business – take care of it! Someone who want to speak with – make the call!

Do not keep going with a job that is deeply dissatisfying, or stay in a relationship that makes you unhappy. We have many more wonderful years to enjoy everything that life has to offer. The fear of death is often the fear of not living life on our own terms – seeing all of our dreams come true.

The more you embrace your existence, the less frightened you will feel about giving it up when the time comes!

If you are looking for ways to live without regrets, check out this article.

Realize and Accept that Death is Natural

It helps to recognize ourselves as part of a great cycle and find comfort in the fact that everyone else must go through the same thresholds: conception, birth and death. Near-death researcher Norman Van Rooy says, “Like the child being born, we have no choice but to yield ourselves to the unknown.”

We can view our body and your contribution to this epoch as an honor. We have had the privilege of living; be grateful and accept death (when it eventually comes) gracefully.

Accepting that death is a part of life may not make it less scary, but, it will put it in context.

Read the Available Literature and Self-Help Guides About Death

Thankfully, many writers have been prone to share their own ruminations and musings on the subject of death, and have since passed there unscathed. Also, countless religions, philosophers and mystics have built a magnificent library of good writing on the subject of the afterlife. It might ease your fear of death and give a new perspective on how others have approached their fears!

Adopt Rituals and Spirituality

Whether we are religious or not, rituals are important for creating a sense of meaning in life and giving a sense of continuity to our existence. A ritual can be as simple as a regular weekly walk or lighting a candle each morning. It may recognize a seasonal change or something emotional or physical happening in your life or family.

If you have spent a while wondering about your family’s religion or wanting to explore another mode of spirituality, now is your time! Don’t be afraid to ask the questions that guide you to a deeper place of faith. In a 2006 study at Maryland University, it was shown that people who subscribed to a religious belief were generally more at ease with the prospect of death.

Live Well

Take proactive steps to be healthy in your approach to life. Simply getting plenty of exercise and fresh air will help us live life with vigor and courage! Consider writing a “bucket list” of all of the wonderful things to do before your die. You won’t have time to worry!

Personally, I always feel like my problems are less significant after a long walk or a trip to the gym. Do you feel the same?

Here are 10 healthy aging tips to help you get the most from life after 60.

Engage in Positive Conversations About Death

No-one likes to talk about death. Why? Because talking about death forces us to face our mortality. For as long as we keep our fears in our heads, we don’t need to own up to them. In reality, talking about our mortality is one of the best ways to overcome a fear of death.

For starters, talking about death helps us to deal with the many practical issues that we may be worried about. We can discuss our wishes in terms of organ donation, burial and financial matters. On a more psychological level, talking about our mortality helps us to realize that we are not alone. Everyone thinks about death from time to time. We just send to suffer in silence.

Plan for Your Passing

Popular wellness advocate Jane Brody urges people to prepare for the end of life while still healthy; saying it greatly increases the ease and comfort of the individual and people who love them. She suggests getting a health proxy in case you can’t speak for yourself, and going through the legal and paperwork hassles necessary to ensure end of life wishes are met.

This will give positive comfort and assurance, so that you can continue living a fully engaged, honest and authentic life right up until the last second!

What’s your take on this? What positive steps have you taken to overcome the fear of death? Or, perhaps you have used the knowledge of your own mortality to spur you to even greater accomplishments in this life. Please join the discussion.