fear of eternity

[lyn87]

I am not sure where this idea came from, and why it consumes me so much and others fail to obsess over it like I do but I am terrified of eternity after death.  I am not afraid of dying, but of eternity afterwards.  Do we remain aware of things?  This notion, even the idea of being in a happy place like heaven forever, terrifies me.  Anything, no matter how good, that continues without end, is my worst fear, and thinking about it literally forms knots in my stomach and intense fear.  I know that the answer to this can not be proven, and most would find relief in the idea of eternity, but it is my worst fear.  Does anyone else share this fear?  What can I do?  

[sh227]

I did also have some of these kind of anxiety. I don't know whether my idea sounds good or not but the situation is whatever will come in future will be past just as anything now happens. So, apart from the story of history eternity is nothing but piece of inert information. At any time you can think it is just now ( say like present moment, it does not matter whether you are sitting, sleeping or you are no longer in the world, hw you are becomes the same). So there is no much point of persisting with it though one can make rough ideas more clear.

[sh227]

I did also have some of these kind of anxiety. I don't know whether my idea sounds good or not but the situation is whatever will come in future will be past just as anything now happens. So, apart from the story of history eternity is nothing but piece of inert information. At any time you can think it is just now ( say like present moment, it does not matter whether you are sitting, sleeping or you are no longer in the world, hw you are becomes the same). So there is no much point of persisting with it though one can make rough ideas more clear.

[Brittany3344]

You may not see this, but thank you so much for your post. I've only had this anxiety for several months, and everything you said makes a lot of sense and relieves that anxiety. I feel like my mind is truly my biggest monster, and i want to be able to at least control myself (my thoughts) before this fear gets out of hand, or continues for years. I guess it was so bored of my life, it decided to create a distraction, to make me feel an emotion, or just to have something to think about. I don't even know. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate your logical insight and facts.

[Brittany3344]

You may not see this, but thank you so much for your post. I've only had this anxiety for several months, and everything you said makes a lot of sense and relieves that anxiety. I feel like my mind is truly my biggest monster, and i want to be able to at least control myself (my thoughts) before this fear gets out of hand, or continues for years. I guess it was so bored of my life, it decided to create a distraction, to make me feel an emotion, or just to have something to think about. I don't even know. Thank you, thank you, thank you. I appreciate your logical insight and facts.

[sbeno068]

Hi all,

I had this problem as well. When I was younger it was a paralyzing fear. It went away for a few years but came back when my grandfather passed away last week. What I have come to realize is that:

1) The fact that we fear eternity means that we have in some way accepted the afterlife and life as a gift (which I say is good news! Even if you don't have full faith, part of you believes it enough to fear it)
2)Time is a man made thing, an explanation. We can scientifically calculate time going by, but it also stands still (reading on space and time, educating myself on the science of eternity and time helped). Can you feel time going by? I certainly can't.
3)The fact that I fear it means that I have something so wonderful in my life that I can't imagine losing it (also a blessing!)
4) Our brains are part of this world, and therefore try to reason with the logic of this world. Our hearts and souls are from a different world, so they are in constant battle when we try to put logic to something that is not of this world.
5)If God created us (I believe so, but I am not here to push what I believe just share what has helped me) I am sure he knows how to make us happy in the afterlife.


I also have found that this fear is not common in my inner circle but finding you all has assured me I am not alone. I also have a spouse who is so certain that we will be together in the afterlife, and hearing it from someone you love helps. The fact that we are so aware of our existence is both a blessing and a curse. They say ignorance is bliss, how it would be great if we were. However, once we have thought about it and come to the conclusion in our own terms it will be much more powerful than blindly following the belief of others.  

Eternity means beyond the existence of time. If time does not exist how can we be afraid of it?  

Just because we know how something works (science etc) doesn't make it any less magical. Bless you all and I love you. Honestly, everyone should be happy, light your inner light :)

[ref56]

I've struggled with this problem since preschool. It used to consume my every thought and destroy my emotional and mental stability for months at a time. I've managed to block the thought as an adult but it sometimes creeps its way into my conscience - like last night. It's not an irrational fear - it's a realization of a truth. I am a Christian - I believe church doctrine. Heaven and hell are real, and so is God's grace. Christ didn't sacrifice himself so we could simply cease to exist after death (which sounds way more appealing in my eyes). The apostles and Christ himself made clear in saying He gave everything so we may live forever. I feel horrible for not trusting God that this heaven thing was worth Christ's suffering and death. Yet those of us panicking about eternity are in a way making clear that we believe - we accept the truth of the Gospel. That in itself is trusting God. So why can't we take this trust to the next level? I don't know. I don't have a solution. For right now, I will do whatever it takes to not think about it.

Imagining eternity as slumber makes it more manageable. You know how when you wake up from a long nap and can't figure out how long it has been since you fell asleep? That we can all use a reference, I suppose.