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Rosa's avatar

I think about my own or others' deaths every day. I plan funerals in my head. I've always done this, i.e. since I was a child. I think it helps me distill my feelings for people. Once I read on social media that a preoccupation with death can be associated with ADHD but never found any research to back that up so don't know why.

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Shazz Jamieson-Evans's avatar

I was very drawn by the concept of FUNeral, which I fully embrace.

I love the idea of death, it's the reward for getting through life and dying. My idea of heaven is that I'd be switched off from my murkier thoughts and suspended in absolute nothingness. Hell, for me, would be the construct of Heaven that I was brought up with - I'm not great with crowds. The issue I really have is with dying, not so much the pain as the loss of independence, and dignity. The dying process is jolly hard work for most people.

One of my favourite tasks in a recent writing course was to write my own obituary. I didn't overthink it - I stepped outside myself and just allowed my thoughts to tumble onto paper and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

I've had my share of practice runs of dying on several occasions to the point of feeling immensely peaceful at the prospect of death. I reached a state where anxiety and other difficult emotions were utterly absent. These experiences have led to a considerable amount of time spent putting processes in place documenting how I want my dying and death to look and those entrusted to make decisions on my behalf.

I've watched three family members dying and deaths and I've arranged their celebrations adding the FUN into their funerals. Fortunately, all three had been very specific with instructions, making arrangements easier. One request involved thinking creatively about holding a Viking-style ceremony while respecting British law.

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