How to Watch a ‘Grey’s’ Episode Written by Shonda Rhimes: A Survival Guide

How to Watch a Grey's Episode Written by Shonda Rhimes: A Survival Guide

There’s nothing more code red than seeing ‘Written by Shonda Rhimes’ in the opening credits of a “Grey’s Anatomy” episode. Here’s how to prepare.

Between the chest cavity bomb, the Denny Duquette thing, the ferry boat disaster, the shooting, the plane crash, and the McNightmare that was last week’s episode, it goes without saying when you watch an episode of “Grey’s Anatomy” written by Shonda Rhimes, you should have a crash cart handy—because you know that by the time the hour’s over, she’ll have ripped your guts out of your ass.

And that is why you love her, even when you hate her. (See what I did there?) So when you see her name in the opening credits, here’s how to keep your dignity in tact. Well, some of it:

1. Turn off your phone

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This should already be a #TGIT ritual, but some of us just don’t know any better.

2. Prepare stress food… I mean, snacks

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Lots and lots of snacks.

3. Bust out two boxes of tissues

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Because with Shonda Rhimes, you can never be too careful.

4. Say a little prayer

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That you don’t go into cardiac arrest.

5. Hit play

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And don’t forget to breathe.

6. Feel all the feelings

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So. Many. Feelings.

7. Let it all hang out

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Up until this point, you’ve done everything humanly possible to keep your shit together, but there comes a point in every Shonda Rhimes masterpiece where you explode into an ugly-crying, Xanax-needing, snot-bubbling pile of hormones.

8. Question your sanity

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“I never feel this bad about real people WHY CAN’T I STOP CRYING?!”

8. Seek emotional support

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Hit up the #GreysAnatomy hashtag on Twitter. Since you know, therapy is expensive.

9. Go into recovery mode

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Now that you feel like a gutted fish, it’s time to turn off all the lights and sulk. And hate the universe. And make more snacks.

10. Live to fight another day

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If Mer can do it, so can you.

11. Never listen to “Chasing Cars” again

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Because duh.

How’s your emotional stability been since last week’s “Grey’s”?

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Image: Watching TV photo via Shutterstock / GIFs:

Krissy Brady

Krissy Brady is a women’s health + lifestyle writer who’s so out of shape, it’s like she has the innards of an 80-year-old. Instead of learning how to crochet, she decided to turn her emotional baggage into a writing career (genius, no?). You can follow her shenanigans on Twitter (you know, if you want).