""When I think about the extinction of the human race, I feel this overwhelming fear," she explained. "Even as a child, the idea of the world ending terrified me." "I understand," I said gently. "Those are deeply unsettling thoughts." "It's not just a mental thing," she continued, her voice shaking slightly. "I feel it physically, too. My chest tightens, and I sometimes have trouble breathing; it can affect an entire day.""
"This exchange underscores the powerful associations that some topics, such as death, have on us-they can completely consume our emotional state. I've observed that consuming negative news tends to activate my limbic system, plunging it into a state of heightened fear. I mention this because contemplating the planet's extinction can trigger our deepest fears, questioning the very continuity of our existence and that of future generations."
Francesca experiences lifelong, intense anxiety about human extinction that manifests physically with chest tightness and breathing difficulties and can ruin an entire day. Emotionally charged thoughts about death can trigger the limbic system and plunge the body into heightened fear. Contemplating planetary extinction provokes deep fears about existence and future generations. Acceptance of the possibility of extinction is presented as a pragmatic stance to avoid paralysis from fear. Living constantly afraid of human extinction can be debilitating and may even shorten life. Overwhelming guilt about existing and perceived burden on the planet has led some people to consider or choose suicide.
Read at Psychology Today
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