The five stages of grief--where are you this afternoon?

[BillZBubb]

1) DENIAL

In the denial stage we refuse to believe what has happened. We try in our mind to tell ourselves that life is as it was before our loss. We can even make believe to an extent by re enacting rituals that we used to go through.

2) ANGER

We get angry. The anger can manifest itself in many ways. We can blame others for our loss. We can become easily agitated having emotional outbursts. We can even become angry with ourselves. Care must be taken here not to turn this anger inwards. Release of this anger is a far better way to cope.


3) BARGAINING

Bargaining can be with ourselves or if you are religious with your god. Often we will offer something to try to take away the reality of what has happened. We may try to make a deal.

4) DEPRESSION

Depression is a very likely outcome for all people that grieve for a loss. This is what I would consider the most difficult stage of the five to deal with. There can be a the feeling listlessness and tiredness. You may be bursting helplessly into tears. Feeling like there is no purpose to life any more. Feeling guilty, like everything is your own fault. You may find you feel like you are being punished. Pleasure and joy can be difficult to achieve even from things and activities which you have always gained delight.

5) ACCEPTANCE

The final stage of grief. It is when you realize that life has to go on. You can here accept your loss. You should now be able to regain your energy and goals for the future. It may take some time to get here but you will.


I think I'm at stage 4 right now. The anger has gone and there is no bargain to be made. Step 5 is a LONG WAY OFF!

[Mojambo]

1. Numb n/t

[skeeterintexas]

6. #4 for me too

I'm not sure I'll ever get to #5.

[City Lights]

2. I'm still in denial.

I may be here awhile.

[WindRavenX]

3. I will never be "accepting"

So that's not happening.

[elcondor]

4. I seemed to have skipped three and

am flittering back and forth between anger and depression

[fudge stripe cookays]

21. That's me too. n/t

[ciaobox]

5. Well, I never got past stage 1 or 2 for Al Gore

So I doubt I will for JFK

[XanaDUer]

7. 5

cannot believe how quickly I went through the stages.

[keopeli]

8. #5 - This process of 'grief' started in '00 and ends today.

[Christiandem]

9. I am at stage 5

I know, some of you think that this is bad or reflects of loser attitude. But hear me out. I have experienced all 5 stages in 2000 and 2002 and 2003 (w/arnie). At this point, I am so used to seeing dems getting rolled over, I just skip all previous 4 stages. I am not going to cry or do anything like that. Next thing to do is how to repair the damage.

[displacedtexan]

10. Depression.

And I will never accept this.

[Birthmark]

11. I'm at Stage 6 - wry amusement.

[The Doctor.]

31. "accompanied by bouts of maniacal laughter..."

[redsoxliberal]

12. 1, 2, 4... not too sure. nt

[2Design]

me too - 4,1,2 in that order

[demjomr313]

13. DENIAL

I used to be such a nice, innocent thing - i feel tainted and old.

thank you, america?

[norml]

14. Anger,and resolve to fight!

I will be making the case for the opposition to this stain on history every day I can.

[movie_girl99]

15. denial/depression

I dont think i'll ever be able to accept it. There was just too much that didnt add up.

[mountainvue]

16. Stuck at

#2.

[RPM]

17. Step 2 - anger

more like rage - will be at this level for at least 4 more years...

[judaspriestess]

18. #4

I'm definately depressed today and so are millions of other Americans.
Thank goodness I have Wellbutrin XL;)
I think I'll take two today.

[robbedvoter]

19. I have yet to accept the 2000 steal. Anger - forever.

[DIKB]

20. Stage 4 here

depression. I dunno if or when i'll get to 5.

[MallRat]

22. #4. Definitely #4.

:cry:

[212demop]

27. is resignation the same as depression?

it feels like it- with a massive headache that makes it feel like a hangover on top of everything else.

Oh, and fear too... This guy could be the end of us with his "subtle" diplomacy. I feel, just under a mile a way from ground zero, like Osama has his scopes targeted right on us, with his finger on the trigger.

[xxqqqzme]

23. well, I've been on step 2

4 the last 4 years - so I'm leaping straight 2 step 4. I do not hold out any hope for reaching step 5. There is no f*cking way I accept any part of this kapitalistic korporate koup.

[Az_lefty]

24. Still at 2, moving to 4

5 ain't happening. I will never accept this bullshit!

[madinmaryland]

25. Coming out of hang-over.

Am moving to step 5. We have a lot of work ahead of us and not enough time to worry about this now.

[faithfulcitizen]

26. #5...

with a quiet rage underneath. I think we all need to heal, then and only then can we move forward and put our words into action. thanks for posting this. DU has been a wonderful catalyst and tool for us, and maybe, just maybe we will have to fight back one day & state at a time, with or without a party...

I pray God will forgive this horrible sin of electing * for real, even after knowing his murderous ways.

[TimeToGo]

28. Stage 4 and holding

[noiretextatique]

29. i'm in all of them...but stuck on #1

i refuse to believe it...i simply refuse to accept it.

[BlackVelvetElvis]

30. #4-I feel like a member of my family has died. n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. I've been flipping around between 1,2,4, & 5 for 4 years now

Maybe I need to bargain? :shrug:

[CTyankee]

33. The problem I have

is that I keep going back to anger whenever I think of my granddaughters who will probably have a constitutional right taken away from them. This was a right granted in my lifetime and that I fought, and still fight, for.

Okay, so my anger right now is toward family members (my spouse's famiy actually)who vote Repub. and say to me "Abortion is not the only issue." Of course, it IS to the Repub. base and they are voting for them (even tho they themselves loudly proclaim being pro-choice! like I am being some kind of kook for "only" considering abortion). Now these folks have granddaughters, too, so I feel I have fought for their girls and they haven't! Right now, I feel like I can never speak to these in-laws again!

[Shopaholic]

34. Depression-Stage Four.

I have this feeling I'll be here awhile.

[Upfront]

35. # 2 NT

[Minimus]

36. Anger

at the stupidity of over half of the country if they did indeed vote for bush.

or at our election system for allowing votes to be stolen.

[Mountainman]

37. I'm at acceptance. I know that someday this country will come to its

senses again. Maybe not in my life time. But this repub government is not good for all the people in this country there will come a point in time when the people rise up and overthrow it.

I'm reminded that in all great social changes, those fighting for the cause usually don't get the to enjoy the rewards of victory. That is save for those who come after.

[Flammable Materials]

38. I was at Number 3 until Kerry shoved me into Number 4.

I'm close to Number 5.

If America wants fascism, let them have it.

[Marnieworld]

39. denial

and i will never ever leave this stage

[demjomr313]

40. bawling my eyes out

i can not get over this - i can not BElieve this - gosh - i am watching his "acceptance" speech now. why am i into self torture?

[LizW]

41. I'm sort of at 5, but

it's not a smooth transition from stage to stage. I regress to 2 occasionally, and I think I skipped 3 altogether.

[forgethell]

42. I'm at #5,

but I had a head start. I've thought all along that * was going to win. I even said once or twice that if Kerry won, it would be a squeaker.

He just had too many advantages, and I knew that most Americans didn't hate him the way we do here. So, when the message from the democrats was "He's not George Bush", I had a bad feeling we were sunk.

But cheer, up, despite some of the comments, there WILL be another election in 4 years.

Hillary! Hillary! Hillary!

[ramapo]

43. Resigned seething anger tinged with deep sadness

Where is that in the process?

[Count Popeula]

44. I'm at stage 5

I don't have time to be angry or depressed, there's a very important Senate election in 2 years in my state, and I want to make sure we can get rid of Rick Santorum.

[liberal N proud]

45. Dazed!

[ekwhite]

46. Mostly step 4

The denial came when I saw the first numbers for Florida on C-Span. The anger came when my nephew told me the networks had forecast a Bush win. The bargaining came during a sleepless night, when I was hoping to see something different in the morning papers - "maybe Ohio will go for Kerry after all."

Now I'm still a little depressed, and wondering where we go from here...

[young_at_heart]

47. #4...trying to use wine as a self-medicating device

[pa28]

48. Denial.

I'll wait until all the Florida early and absentees are counted before I move to #2 thank you very much. :)

[CitySky]

60. wow!

I'm impressed.

[Kimber Scott]

49. Somewhere between denial and fucking pissed. nt

[TryingToWarnYou]

50. Honestly, I was at Acceptance from the beginning.

When I saw all the numbers last night and noticed that Kerry had hit the magical 47% on practically all the states that mattered, I knew it was a lost cause. Im a pessimist at heart and I didnt want to say anything last night, but I knew Bush was going to win. Its not a big margin, so that too sends a message that the people have spoken.

[Iris]

51. moving from bargaining to depression. n/t

[Strawman]

52. Between 4-5. Sasquatch where are you?

I love that episode of Tenacious D.

[doodlebugs4kerry]

53. 4) DEPRESSION

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

Depression is a very likely outcome for all people that grieve for a loss. This is what I would consider the most difficult stage of the five to deal with. There can be a the feeling listlessness and tiredness. You may be bursting helplessly into tears. Feeling like there is no purpose to life any more.:cry: Feeling guilty, like everything is your own fault. You may find you feel like you are being punished. Pleasure and joy can be difficult to achieve even from things and activities which you have always gained delight.

:cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry: :cry:

[complain jane]

54. #32) Out-of-body experience alternating with contemplating illegal violent

activity.

[CitySky]

61. oh, sister,

your post gave me one of today's rare smiles. but if you're serious, do call your therapist, okay, Luv? we need you voting in 2006, not on some felon list. ty.

[Clintmax]

55. I'm between 4 and 5

But I'm ready to take some action to protect myself and my money (what little I do have) from the next 4 years. Away goes the cable box, away goes the cell phones, away goes the cigarettes and everything else that isn't a necessity. I'm SO tired.

[TankLV]

56. Between depression and acceptance w/still some anger thrown in.

More like resignation.

I can't believe it.

I'm taking a break from it all.

[CitySky]

57. anger. big time.

[Dem Agog]

58. I'm spending a nice long time at *anger*

[medeak]

59. chocolate and wine?

what stage is that?

[Suspicious]

62. I'm at Acceptance,

with the occasional backslide into Anger and Depression. I figure I will feel some combination of all three for the next week or two.

The way I see it, nothing is the end of the world except the literal end of the world. I don't know about anyone else, but my Grandmother always told me, "What doesn't kill you can only make you stronger, if you allow it to," and I wholeheartedly believe that.

[methinks2]

63. Stage 4 here

I can't believe that half of Americans are okay with killing foreigners. That makes them pro-murder! Killers. Some of these people live in my neighborhood! They drive on my roads!
Paranoia Paranoia paranoia paranoia AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Okay I feel a little better now. I may need alcohol tonight.

[dreiser]

64. 3 1/2) Betrayal

Right now that's what I'm really feeling, sadly enough. Betrayed by our democratic system, betrayed by our people, betrayed by our candidate for surrendering without any hint of a fight. I'm swiftly moving into depression which I think will probably go into acceptance by the end of the night because I'm just too damn exhausted emotionally for it to be otherwise. If I let myself get angry I'm afraid I just won't stop feeling that way and it isn't healthy. The one thing giving me any solace is my legal studies and the future I plan to create for myself in fighting for civil liberties.

Because lord knows with four more years of * we need to fight for them.

[Reverend_Smitty]

65. I'd say I'm at 4 right now...

however if I get any lip from friends or family about "your boy Kerry..." I might slip back into stage 2 and rip their fucking head off... Maybe I'm still stuck in 2 but I've been crying off and on today and I've lost my appetite completely

[crispini]

66. I'M NOT ACCEPTING CRAP!

I am angry and I intend to STAY ANGRY. I will use this as fuel over the next two years, four years, as long as it takes to do grassroots work and retake our country, one precinct, one city, one state at a time. And I'm starting where I live, ASAP.

[d_b]

67. #4

[flordehinojos]

68. There should be a call for a NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNING on Bush's retake of

the oval office--JAN. 20TH would be the perfect day for it...IT COULD ALSO BE BILLED AS A DAY TO MOURN THE LOSS OF OUR DEMOCRACY.

[agtcovert]

69. Depression.

What a fucking sad day. :(

[michigandem2]

70. #4 at this point

I have been crying and depressed...but really I know..I can accept it and move on and the country will see what kind of monster this man is...he can run but he can not hide...2nd terms are often scandalous.

[bikebloke]

71. Knackered

Last night around 3 am, some drunken, snot nosed uni students were shouting outside "Four more years. Four more years..." I couldn't get back to sleep. I hope they're drafted and return mangled.

[Mister K]

72. Stage 4 - 5

I will be around Stage 5 for a while. I know I need to move on.

Time to lick my wounds and limp home while I still have one to limp home to.

The only good news I heard today is that Wall Street is hiring again. The first time since 9/11.

[dennis4868]

73. I cannot walk away.....

from #1

[Pithlet]

74. I'm bouncing between 2 and 4.

I've never been one for denial or bargaining, so I don't know that is a stage I'd ever go through for too long. I want to get to 5. I'm working on it.