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Denial helps us to pace our feelings of grief. There is a grace in denial. It is nature's way of letting in only as much as we can handle.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Denial allows us to cope with grief by regulating the amount of emotional pain we feel at one time.

This quote by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross highlights the role of denial as a protective mechanism when dealing with loss and grief. It suggests that denial serves a critical function in our emotional processing, allowing individuals to gradually confront their feelings without being overwhelmed, thus offering a sense of grace in handling such difficult emotions.

Themes

DenialGriefEmotionsCopingClosure

In practice

Example use cases

This quote is perfect for a presentation on the stages of grief.

More from Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Death is staring too long into the burning sun and the relief of entering a cool, dark room.
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The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not "get over" the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.
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The simple life on the farm was everything to me. Nothing was more relaxing after a long plane flight than to reach the winding driveway that led up to my house. The quiet of the night was more soothing than a sleeping pill.
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The ultimate lesson all of us have to learn is unconditional love, which includes not only others but ourselves as well.
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There is no joy without hardship. If not for death, would we appreciate life? If not for hate, would we know the ultimate goal is love? At these moments you can either hold on to negativity and look for blame, or you can choose to heal and keep on loving.
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We're put here on Earth to learn our own lessons. No one can tell you what your lessons are; it is part of your personal journey to discover them. On these journeys we may be given a lot, or just a little bit, of the things we must grapple with, but never more than we can handle.
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