Everyone understands that life changes and fluctuates. Bad things happen and good things happen. But every so often, something happens that makes you lose faith and you become disillusioned with the person or organization that caused it. A significant other could cheat on you. A family member or friend could die. A new law or rule could greatly impact your life and create more obstacles for you. Whatever the case, your life is changed now.

Stage One: Shock

You didn't anticipate this happening. It's hard to comprehend. How can your friend be gone? You just talked to her yesterday.

For the rest of that day and maybe the next one, time doesn't really exist. Wherever you had to go is no longer important. Eating isn't necessary. Normalcy is gone.

Stage Two: Going through the Motions

Life keeps going, so you have to too. You go to work/class/meetings. You force yourself to eat food. None of it is important, but you do it because we all need normalcy. The only way for things to be okay are for them to resemble normalcy as much as possible. But your friend is still gone and it's maddening for everything to move forward, forgetting her, while you miss her.

Stage Three: Things seem better

You have an appetite. You can sort of focus. Things aren't okay, but they're better than yesterday.

Stage Four: Determination

You can't wallow in pain. You have to live your life. You'll remember your friend, but the memories won't make you cry.

Stage Five: Losing steam

The effort it takes to make things okay again is too much. Your composure cracks a little bit.

Stage Six: Round 2

Life kicks you again. This might be fallout from the first awful event or it might be something new. Either way, you're not in the right state to handle it. It hits you hard.

Stage Seven: Anger

How could God/Fate let this happen? You're already hurting. This isn't fair. Is this real?

Stage Eight: Acceptance

This isn't the healthy kind of acceptance. This is the part where you accept that life sucks. You are thoroughly disillusioned by now. You believe that things won't get better and that there's no such thing as normalcy.

Stage Nine: Round 3

You've been proven right. Bad things come in threes and here's yours.

Stage Ten: Desperation

This is the part where you pray, cry, and beg for things to get better. You're longing for something to go right.

Stage Eleven: Giving Up

You're ready to tap out. Whoever/whatever is responsible for your pain has no respect in your eyes. It's hard to see the point in anything. Why try if you're just going to die in the end? Eventually humans will be gone and no one will remember us, so why bother?

Stage Twelve: Return to normal

Things won't be what they were, but you're able to realize that, that's okay. Everything is calming down. You're able to enjoy life. You might not be as hopeful as before, but you're smarter and stronger now.