As long as you’ve lived, there is no avoiding it. At some point, you are going to die. As Francis Bacon once said, “it is natural to die as to be born.”

But death doesn’t have to be frightening, or even difficult. Proper estate planning helps you organize your belongings and relationships. It can even help you and your family ease into your passing on.

There are some important steps to stay mindful of as you prepare for death. Continue reading for everything you should plan on doing before you pass away.

Come to Terms With Death

After many years of life, coming to the realization that it’s time to go can cause incredible stress. Accepting death as reality allows you to focus on preparations and spending time with family.

In fact, a powerful way of overcoming your fear of death is talking about it with loved ones. Normally a topic rarely discussed, opening up about your feelings toward death gives you the opportunity to develop peace of mind.

Write a Will

To prepare for the proceeding of your property and belongings, you’ll have to create a last will. This removes any confusion around where your possessions will go after passing on.

important aspects of a will include:

• Selecting the beneficiaries
• Choosing the executor (the person that will distribute the possessions)
• Appointing a guardian

You can write this will on your own, or you can hire a lawyer to help you cover all the important areas.

Sort Out Your Finances

A critical aspect of estate planning non us citizens will want to consider is organizing all sources of income. Important documents to make known to family members include life insurance policies and retirement plans. Any forgotten source of income will be appointed to the state.

You’ll also want to organize your debts and bills for easy handling. It may be worth consulting a lawyer when collecting all of these financial orders.

Create a Living Will

A living will differs from a last will in that it covers your intentions under the condition that you can no longer communicate with your lawyer or doctor. There are two parts to your living will that you’ll want to think about.

An advance statement is a written breakdown of your beliefs, habits, values, and intentions. This is used in the case that you need medical help and cannot express your own decisions.

An advance decision covers any medical treatment that you refuse to receive. In the case that you can no longer talk with your doctor, an advance decision is especially important if you are refusing life-saving treatment.

More Help as You Prepare For Death

While you may feel comfortable understanding how to organize yourself, there are a variety of aspects to consider when you prepare for death. For more information on estate planning, as well as other news on health and mindfulness, check out our Health archives.