Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 7,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
Staring at the Sun summary
Irvin D. Yalom
Overcoming the Terror of Death
18 mins
Table of Contents
Staring at the Sun
Summary of 5 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 5
What does death anxiety look like?
Many people shy away from thinking about their mortality. Then, one day, they find themselves unable to avoid it. Maybe it’s a sign of aging, a health scare, or the death of a loved one. Maybe it’s just a thought they can’t shake. Death is the most fundamental fear in nature, and it’s something everyone has to confront at some point.
Mary was 32 years old when she described waking to the stark realization that her death wasn’t just hypothetical. Up until that point, she’d always pictured another version of herself at the end of their life, old or sick maybe, ready to go. But the truth was that one day, she’d die. That person wasn’t going to be some character she’d conjured up, someone separate from herself. One day, the person she was now would experience death. Suddenly, she was terrified.
For weeks, Mary was haunted by her mortality. Her fear was what’s called overt death anxiety – conscious contemplation of your inevitable demise. Others have more specific fears, particular deaths that play out in their minds, or dreams of violent ends.
But sometimes a death phobia isn’t so obvious. Often, covert death anxiety lurks just below awareness. The subject of mortality itself is sidestepped, placing unconscious anxieties onto other subjects in life.
Susan, a middle-aged accountant, channeled covert death anxiety into extreme distress when her son was arrested for drug possession. While it is, of course, expected that a mother will be upset in that situation, Susan’s response was extreme. Her health and personal hygiene deteriorated. She was incapacitated by emotion, constantly weeping and unable to go to work. Awake and asleep, she couldn’t shake catastrophic visions of her son’s death in prison.
Her son’s drug problem wasn’t a surprise. He was a recovering addict at the time of his arrest and had several relapses that Susan had previously been able to deal with. So, what was different this time?
Working with her therapist, Susan began to unpack how her son had become over-central to her identity and self-worth. Like many parents, she’d relied on her son as a sort of immortality project – her vehicle for symbolic self-extension through future generations. With Susan approaching a milestone birthday, her son’s plight triggered her to confront her mortality. She was experiencing it as a threat to her own life.
When Susan sought out therapy, she wanted help to deal with her feelings for her son. But what she really needed to address was her feelings about her own life. Over the coming months, she focused on readjusting her priorities. Instead of spending her time setting up a hypothetical future through which she could persist, she worked on building a fulfilling life in the present. She started to live for herself.
So, death anxiety can look very different to different people. It can be an extreme reaction to natural signs of aging, a fixation on white hair or age spots, for example. Maybe it manifests as career or retirement panic. Even something like hoarding behaviors can be an attempt to exert control over the physical world, trying to avoid natural transitions. Covert death anxiety can emerge through displacement, projecting existential angst onto mundane stresses.
Whether it’s specific or bubbling below the surface, anxiety around the end of your life is an important and often overlooked topic. You might feel helpless. But at some point in time, everyone has to face this particular fear. So how do you live, knowing that one day you’ll die? We’ll cover that next.
Want to see all full key ideas from Staring at the Sun?
Key ideas in Staring at the Sun
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
What is Staring at the Sun about?
Staring at the Sun (2008) explores the universal human fear of death and strategies for alleviating death anxiety. It blends psychotherapy case studies with philosophical ideas to argue confronting mortality is key to living a meaningful, present-focused life. Through vivid patient stories, it illuminates how facing death enables you to prioritize what really matters.
Staring at the Sun Review
Staring at the Sun (2008) by Irvin D. Yalom is a thought-provoking exploration of mortality and the pursuit of meaning in life. Here's why this book is worth reading:
- It offers deep insights into the human condition, challenging readers to confront their fear of death and embrace the possibilities of life.
- With its compelling case studies and poignant stories of Yalom's therapy sessions, the book provides a unique and intimate perspective on existential issues.
- The author's compassionate and empathetic approach towards his patients and their struggles creates a compelling narrative that keeps readers engaged and invested.
Who should read Staring at the Sun?
- People anxious about death
- Therapists hoping to understand more about death anxiety
- Anyone who’s coming to terms with the fact that they’re going to die one day
Categories with Staring at the Sun
Book summaries like Staring at the Sun
Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself
Joe Dispenza
How to Lose Your Mind and Create a New One
16 min
4.5
The 48 Laws of Power (new version)
Robert Greene
The secret methods to getting what you want
33 min
4.1
People ❤️ Blinkist
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
People also liked these summaries
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
32 Million
Downloads on all platforms
10+ years
Experience igniting personal growth
Staring at the Sun FAQs
What is the main message of Staring at the Sun?
The main message of Staring at the Sun is embracing our mortality and living a fulfilling life.
How long does it take to read Staring at the Sun?
The reading time for Staring at the Sun varies, but it typically takes several hours. The Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.
Is Staring at the Sun a good book? Is it worth reading?
Staring at the Sun is a thought-provoking book that encourages reflection on mortality. It's definitely worth reading for those interested in existential themes.
Who is the author of Staring at the Sun?
Irvin D. Yalom is the author of Staring at the Sun.
What to read after Staring at the Sun?
If you're wondering what to read next after Staring at the Sun, here are some recommendations we suggest:
- The Gift of Therapy by Irvin D. Yalom
- Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
- Becoming Myself by Irvin D. Yalom
- Stop Checking Your Likes by Susie Moore
- Designing & Leading Life-Changing Workshops by Ken Nelson
- Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal
- Free Speech by Jacob Mchangama
- Breaking The Habit of Being Yourself by Joe Dispenza
- The 4-Hour Body by Tim Ferriss
- Daring Greatly by Brené Brown