'Fraid Not

Fear Of Loss

Getting caught in the fear of losing someone you love, whether founded in the reality of a person being sick or in the more theoretical "some day," can be a dark place in which to dwell. "Loss is a part of life, and so is the fear of loss," says Rutledge. But it's one thing to know this, and quite another to accept it without becoming fixated on the daunting fact that people we love will, some day, be gone forever.

The sooner we face this fear, the better, says Rutledge, especially when such loss is eminent. "Don't be afraid to reach out for help to people you can trust and confide in," he advises. "It takes more guts to let someone know what's going on with us than it does to hide. The danger here is the temptation to isolate, to metaphorically want to pull the covers over your head."