*Note: I am by no means saying this is 100% accurate, in fact, it may not be true at all, but this is my blog and I do what I want.
Stages of Leaving
1. The Decision (ETA until departure: variable)
- This stage is the most optimistic of all the stages. Fresh convictions and hope for your future pretty much overwhelm any possible pitfalls and dangers to your decision. You're just so happy that when you tell people, they get really hyped for you too. All in all, a great 3-4 day. Comparable to a honeymoon.
2. Meet Me! (ETA until departure: 2-3 weeks before D-Day)
- Depending on the person's friendships, this stage can manifest in many different forms: extreme excitement, emo reminiscing, depression. Personally, I showed symptoms of extreme fun and excitement as I hung out with people. It was really cool to be able to do different things with each person that really characterized my relationship with them. Side note: time constraints were also an issue for many hang outs, sorry. By scheduling and spending time with people, it is the person's way of milking as many memories out of the proverbial udder as possible because, realistically, he/she knows at the end of the day, many of those friendships will end up fading away. Another interesting observation is that the closest friends of the person leaving will typically NOT try to schedule hangouts (for whatever reason). This is a phenomena that I have yet to understand.
3. EMOOOOOO (ETA until departure: 3-4 days before D-Day)
- Most people who leave will try to make little gestures of appreciation to their close friends. A little note, homemade gift, arts and crafts, whatever it is, as a person starts working on it, memories will begin flooding in and inevitably trigger the EMO phase. Depending on their Emotional Quotient (EQ), this phase can be quite debilitating or just a mild nuisance. Additional signs of emo phase? Listening to depressing music, crying, dressing in all black and experimenting with black nail polish.
4. Acceptance (ETA until departure: D-Day)
- One of the hardest phases to arrive at. Most people end up hung up on stage 3 indefinitely. However, when people do arrive at this stage, they see the future move in a more tempered light; it's no longer the wild optimism or a debilitating fear, but a quiet and firm sense of determination. I don't think I've reached this phase yet, but working on it.
I'm sure there's more phases after this, but I haven't thought to look into it yet. Maybe in the future.
- This stage is the most optimistic of all the stages. Fresh convictions and hope for your future pretty much overwhelm any possible pitfalls and dangers to your decision. You're just so happy that when you tell people, they get really hyped for you too. All in all, a great 3-4 day. Comparable to a honeymoon.
2. Meet Me! (ETA until departure: 2-3 weeks before D-Day)
- Depending on the person's friendships, this stage can manifest in many different forms: extreme excitement, emo reminiscing, depression. Personally, I showed symptoms of extreme fun and excitement as I hung out with people. It was really cool to be able to do different things with each person that really characterized my relationship with them. Side note: time constraints were also an issue for many hang outs, sorry. By scheduling and spending time with people, it is the person's way of milking as many memories out of the proverbial udder as possible because, realistically, he/she knows at the end of the day, many of those friendships will end up fading away. Another interesting observation is that the closest friends of the person leaving will typically NOT try to schedule hangouts (for whatever reason). This is a phenomena that I have yet to understand.
3. EMOOOOOO (ETA until departure: 3-4 days before D-Day)
- Most people who leave will try to make little gestures of appreciation to their close friends. A little note, homemade gift, arts and crafts, whatever it is, as a person starts working on it, memories will begin flooding in and inevitably trigger the EMO phase. Depending on their Emotional Quotient (EQ), this phase can be quite debilitating or just a mild nuisance. Additional signs of emo phase? Listening to depressing music, crying, dressing in all black and experimenting with black nail polish.
4. Acceptance (ETA until departure: D-Day)
- One of the hardest phases to arrive at. Most people end up hung up on stage 3 indefinitely. However, when people do arrive at this stage, they see the future move in a more tempered light; it's no longer the wild optimism or a debilitating fear, but a quiet and firm sense of determination. I don't think I've reached this phase yet, but working on it.
I'm sure there's more phases after this, but I haven't thought to look into it yet. Maybe in the future.
hmmm...i wonder if i went thru these "stages"...oh tiimm...
ReplyDelete