This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UCSD chapter.
1. Shock
You had heard rumors online, but wasn’t sure it was true. When Zayn finally said his official goodbye, you were in complete disbelief. The five sexiest 20-some-year-olds now were becoming a quartet? It can’t possibly be true.
2. Sadness
Unfortunately, it is true. Zayn left One Direction to become a “normal” 22-year-old, whatever his version of “normal” may be. It’s time to break out the tissue boxes. Excuse me if you don’t see me for a few days as I lock myself in my room and cry my eyes out.
3. Anger
When you’ve used up all the tissues in your immediate vicinity and the sadness has faded, you become frustrated and angry. Why does the world hate you so much that it would allow your favorite boy band to split up?
4. Denial
You decide to simply ignore the inevitable. You turn off your computer, hide your phone, and resist any temptation to check social media. Zayn did not leave One Direction, there’s no way. There’s still hope this is all a ruse to gain attention. He’ll come crawling back, you just know it.
5. Understanding
Okay, so it was some false hope that Zayn actually didn’t leave, but a girl can dream, right? After all that emotional trauma, you can finally accept the fact that Zayn is moving on in his life and he has every right to do what he feels is best for him. You fully support Zayn in his decision to pursue what is best for his mental, emotional, and personal health.
6. Realizing that you just went through an emotional roller coaster over a boy band
After you finally accept that Zayn left, you reflect back on all the emotions you went through and question your own mental health. You ask yourself, “Did I really just get that emotional over a boy band?” And the answer to that question is yes, yes you did. But there’s absolutely no shame in that, because rest assured, many other collegiette’s around the country shared these same stages of mourning with you.