#619. How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur — Ten Percent Happier
Death isn’t the most appetizing topic, but contemplating mortality can be a massive source of motivation, perspective, and even stress relief. In this episode,…
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#619. How Thinking About Death Can Improve Your Life | Alua Arthur
In this episode we talk about:
- How death can be a powerful motivator
- How consistently being aware that you’re going to die can be a “stress reliever”
- The utility of imagining your ideal death
- Her view on reincarnation
- How the concept of “healing” can sometimes be used as a weapon against ourselves
- The importance of not leaving things unsaid
- How “hope” at the end of life can sometimes be unhelpful
- What surprises her about death
- How her work helped her out of her depression
- The five steps that you should take when confronting your own death
- The harm that can sometimes result from too much medical intervention toward the end of life
- The often fraught relationship that vulnerable and marginalized people can have with the medical community
- The benefits of thinking about what version of yourself you want to meet on your deathbed
- The death meditation that she uses when working with people
- What to say and do when you are with somebody who is grieving
- And a practice she calls, “The dying things exercise”
See also TED Talk:
Alua Arthur: Why thinking about death helps you live a better life https://www.ted.com/talks/alua…ps_you_live_a_better_life