At our recent Digital Death event with Steph Nimmo, we talked about the importance of writing or updating our Will.

We also discussed the importance of having open and honest conversations about your wishes and your plans with family and friends.

It’s never going to be easy to talk about dying.

But, by having these difficult conversations now, instead of at a time of crisis it can save a huge amount of heartache.

If you want to talk to your family or friends about what you would like to happen after you die or perhaps you’re interested in what their wishes are, starting the conversation is often the hardest bit.

At our event, we got our audience talking by asking each other a few questions.

These included:

‘Have you ever thought about how you’d like to be remembered?’

‘What sort of music would you play at your funeral?’

‘Do you ever think about what would happen to your social media accounts after you die?’

‘How would you want people to celebrate your life?’

‘What would people say about you after you die?’

These types of questions are a really easy and relaxed way to start those challenging conversations.

They will hopefully lead gently and naturally to the topics you want to talk about, which might include the type of funeral you would like to have, whether you wish to be buried or cremated.

If you would like a memorial of any type or some specific wishes in your Will, like which charities you’ve chosen to support or who you would like to give specific items to.

Having conversations with people you love about dying and death is difficult.

It brings up many uncomfortable emotions so we tend to shy away from it.

Talking about dying, before you need to, can help you and the people you love have an unpressured conversation about any fears and wishes connected with dying.

Don’t leave it too late, grab a cuppa sit down with those closest to you and just have a chat.

And remember, talking about it doesn’t make it happen.