Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Stages of Grief

I love Grey's Anatomy quotes, even though I've kind of stopped watching the show regularly for the past few seasons. A blog-friend of mine posted this the other day, and I just thought it was so fitting... so I decided to re-post it here. :)

"When we're dying or have suffered a catastrophic loss, we all move through five distinct stages of grief. We go into denial because the loss is so unthinkable we can’t imagine it’s true. We become angry with everyone, angry with survivors, angry with ourselves. Then we bargain. We beg. We plead. We offer everything we have, we offer our souls in exchange for just one more day. When the bargaining has failed and the anger is too hard to maintain, we fall into depression, despair, until finally we have to accept that we’ve done everything we can. We let go. We let go and move into acceptance.

Grief may be a thing we all have in common, but it looks different on everyone. It isn’t just death we have to grieve. It’s life. It’s loss. It’s change. And when we wonder why it has to suck so much sometimes, has to hurt so bad. The thing we gotta try to remember is that it can turn on a dime. That’s how you stay alive. When it hurts so much you can’t breathe, that’s how you survive. By remembering that one day, somehow, impossibly, you won’t feel this way. It won’t hurt this much. Grief comes in its own time for everyone, in its own way. So the best we can do, the best anyone can do, is try for honesty. The really crappy thing, the very worst part of grief is that you can’t control it. The best we can do is try to let ourselves feel it when it comes. And let it go when we can. The very worst part is that the minute you think you’re past it, it starts all over again. And always, every time, it takes your breath away. There are five stages of grief. They look different on all of us, but there are always five.


Denial.
Anger.
Bargaining.
Depression.
Acceptance."

Grey's Anatomy



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5 comments:

Unknown said...

Betsy,
This post speaks volumes to my heart, I feel like I am doing ok sometimes, and then out of no where this grief that is so raw and beyond description catches me and shakes me until I can't catch my breath.

I am praying for you and your husband, through these difficult and soul-trying times.

God's blessings and peace to you.
Jessica

Ashley D said...

Too funny, I quoted this just hours after it aired a few months ago. It's so true, they couldnt have it it any closer to the dot than they did

Meredith said...

Wonderful quote!! I think my 5 stages are confused. Well, at least 4 of them are. Because they are definitely not staying in line. ;)

Love to you and Kurt!!

Mere

Elise said...

thats a great quote, i might use it on my blog!

Juliana said...

Thank you for reposting. Even though I was that blog-friend when I came here it hit me even harder. The anniversary of my brother's death is Tuesday. I am trying to distract myself with blogs right now but listening to "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" is not helping. I think about you guys a lot...and am sending big hugs

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