15 Life Lessons From Grey's Anatomy

Grey's Anatomy is a guilty pleasure TV show if there ever was one. Chances are, you've been obsessed with this show since the first season aired back in March of 2005. Maybe your BFFs have moved on at this point, citing unrealistic storylines and annoying characters, but you're considering not being friends with them anymore. Just joking (well, kind of). You don't care. You still love this show -- maybe even more than you did back at the beginning. You find it sad, tragic, happy, hopeful, inspiring, and tragic (yes, it's so tragic that it needs to be mentioned twice). You miss the characters that you have been forced to say goodbye to, you're always excited to see what Shonda Rhimes has done next, and you eagerly await every new episode. It doesn't matter how long it's been on the air, you still think it's one of the best shows out there and you're never, ever going to stop watching it.

Here are 15 life lessons from Grey's Anatomy.

15 Your BFF Is The Most Important Person

Now you're sad about Cristina Yang leaving the show, right? Or maybe you've been sad about it this whole time. That makes sense since pretty much everyone is devastated about this. Cristina and Meredith are #friendshipgoals and they are the example of a TV friendship ever. They dance it out when they're sad or when they need to celebrate (but mostly when they're sad). They are each other's drinking buddies when necessary. They talk about everything (sometimes even to death) and they really get each other, which is the most important quality to have in a best friend. They can be blunt with each other since they are such strong women, but they never make each other feel bad and they don't get jealous or competitive. It's a truly beautiful relationship and proves that your BFF is a really important person, if not the most important person in your life.

14 It's Okay To Be Sad Sometimes

Just look at Meredith Grey. She's had a lot of pain and suffering in her life and Cristina didn't call her "dark and twisty" for nothing. She proves that it's okay to be sad sometimes. Meredith is a really good example of someone who doesn't just smile because she feels like she shouldn't feel bad today. She feels her feelings and she knows that it's important. Sure, maybe she's incapable of pretending to be happy and cheerful because that's not really her normal personality anyway. But it definitely seems like Meredith embraces the dark parts of life and knows that it's only a matter of time before things look bright and sunny again and you just have to get through it in the meantime. It's something to consider the next time you're annoyed that you're in such a bad mood. It's better than trying to cheer yourself up and not really listening to what you're so concerned about.

13 Tequila Solves Everything

Maybe you think that coffee solves everything. Or avocado toast. Or binge-watching The Real Housewives. But you probably think that alcohol solves everything because that's just the way that things go. Maybe you don't think that tequila solves everything -- maybe for you, it's a nice glass of red wine or a cold beer -- but for Meredith, this is the truth. And a lot of the other characters seem to agree with her. Seriously, Meredith loves tequila. She's often doing a series of shots at Joe's bar or even drinking straight from the bottle in her house. It's kind of hilarious but it's also a bit worrisome since you know that using alcohol that way isn't always the healthiest thing. But hey, at least you can relate. Poor Meredith. That's basically what you think every single episode. You know she would hate that but hey, she's kind of a tragic figure.

12 You Don't Need A Traditional Wedding

What is super awesome about Meredith and Derek (R.I.P.) is that they don't have a traditional wedding. Well, not at first, at least. They famously have a post-it note wedding and decide that is going to be good enough for them. It's super romantic and sweet and one of the top TV moments of all time. It definitely makes you look forward to having a sweet moment like that with your own boyfriend (or your own future boyfriend if you're currently single AF). Of course, thinking about this moment is enough to make you want to scream since you miss Derek so much. You definitely miss him even more than Meredith does. You would never have dated that other guy or even slept with him because you wouldn't be able to move on from Derek. So you definitely blame her for that. Okay, you still love her, but this is a grudge that you have to hold.

11 Love Is Worth It

This show totally teaches you that love is worth it, even when it seems like it's not at first. It's easy to think that you're not capable of loving or even being loved in return. It's even easier to think that there's no point in even trying because your life is crazy busy and you just have too much going on. But Amelia and Owen prove that love is always worth it. They have both had really rough times in terms of love and romance -- Owen and Cristina fell apart in a terrible away and Amelia lost her baby and boyfriend all in one go. If it wasn't for Owen and Amelia deciding to throw caution to the wind and just date each other no matter how nervous or unsure they are, you might think this show proves that love is a bad idea. After all, there isn't a single character that manages to escape the wrath of falling in love. So you're really glad that you don't have to give up on love since Amelia and Owen are such a great example.

10 Friends Can Be Your Family

Just look at the doctors on this show. They are truly each other's family members and it's really awesome since most of them aren't even related. If your friends are your family, you can totally relate. If you have a lot of people that you want to get closer to but things like life and work have gotten in the way, then what are you waiting for? You should definitely try your best to get closer to those people because it's definitely going to be worth it in the end. Life is hard and the majority of the time, it's necessary to have good and helpful people around you to get through the days. Maybe you do have an awesome family that supports you and is always there for you, but hopefully, you have some great friends that function as your family too because it's always better to have more rather than less people in your world.

9 You May Have More Than One Love Story

You totally believed that Owen and Cristina were crazy in love, right? You wanted them to be together forever and ever and ever. It just worked on all levels. Well, expect when it didn't, but that was okay too since that's how it goes sometimes. But now that Owen is with Amelia, you're into them, aren't you? You think they seem like a great match and are pretty perfect together. They seem to really understand each other since they both have had a lot of pain and suffering in their lives. So while you might be kind of torn since you're not sure which character you really think that Owen should be with, you also think it proves that you can have more than one love story. After all, life is long. Why would you have to be alone just because one relationship didn't work out for whatever reason? That's pretty crazy.

8 Life Can Be All About Survival Skills

Jo is a really sad and tragic, and yet a totally inspiring character. She has gone through a lot from sleeping in her car to not having any family or friends to making something out of her life and becoming the awesome doctor that she is today. She is a great example of someone who has a lot of survival skills, for better or for worse. This is another life lesson from the show: sometimes life is all about having survival skills, which means that at times, you just have to survive. You just have to get through the tough times and the hard stuff and believe that it is all going to be okay. You may not believe that it is okay to be okay right now, but that almost does not matter because everything is going to be fine anyway. It almost does not matter what you think.

7 Bad Things Happen To Good People (A Lot)

If there's one show that proves to you that bad things happen to good people, it's most likely Grey's Anatomy. Just look at the character of Meredith Grey. She's had everything happen to her that probably could have. She almost drowned. Her one true love and husband died. She had a baby without that husband. She lost her parents. She got attacked by a patient. She's gone through it all and even more. So sometimes, if you're feeling particularly sorry for yourself, you might feel like you've had a lot of bad things happen to you. But if you can learn one life lesson from Grey's Anatomy, you should think about the fact that sometimes this stuff just happens. It doesn't really mean anything because guess what? Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes life is random. And sometimes it feels like the universe is out to get you. But you can survive. After all, Meredith Grey has.

6 Nothing Is Really Over

Broke up with your dream guy? In between jobs right now? Wondering if you will ever get your life together? If you have learned one thing from this glorious show, know this: nothing is really over. Just look at the characters and everything that they have been through. Sure, sometimes people really do stay broken up, but other times, they are just one conversation away from making things actually work a second time around. Just look at April and Jackson. Do you really believe that they are over and that they will never get back together? No, you definitely do not. Because no one thinks that. They are truly destined to be together and it is honestly only a matter of time before they both realize that. When you are wondering if it is too late to tell someone how you feel or to try and take a risk, remember this show.

5 You're Awesome Just The Way That You Are

Think about the best and most memorable characters on this show. Are they super boring and normal? Nope, definitely not… and you absolutely love them for it. Just look at George, Izzie, Alex, Meredith, Callie, Arizona, Dr. Bailey, Richard, April, Jackson, Jo… And the list goes on and on. These people are not anything even close to dull or boring. They are amazing and quirky and interesting and make you laugh and smile. They are all hilarious in their own way and you just know that they would make the best friends in the whole world. They definitely keep the show fascinating season after season, so no matter how long it's been on the air, you are always into watching more episodes. If you want to take another life lesson from this show, it should be that you're awesome just the way that you are. You don't have to change for anyone and you definitely shouldn't pretend to be someone that you're not.

4 You Always Get A Second Act

Call it a second chance, another shot at following your dreams, luck or even a miracle. Look at how Dr. Bailey is now married for the second time and things are going a lot better than they did the first time around (well, mostly… ). And look at how Richard has survived alcoholism and the death of his first wife. Now he's married to Jackson's lovely mom and still working at the hospital, which is what he loves and what he never wants to stop doing. This show proves that you always get a second act to do what you love and to enjoy your life. Just because you're not having the best time right now or are going through something tough doesn't mean that things will always stay that way. In fact, the only thing you know is that they won't. You will be okay and that's the honest truth. Think of Richard and Dr. Bailey every time you're questioning whether you can change your life.

3 You Should Realize That Change Is A Constant

There's a saying that if you can know one thing about life, it's that change is a constant. You don't know where you're going or what your life will look like two years from now, five years, or even tomorrow. But you do know that things will change. Your life will change. You will change. You might not hang out with the same people that you do now. Friends will move away, you will stop talking to some people for various reasons, and you might get fired or realize that your dream job isn't so dreamy anymore. You will move apartments or even cities. Maybe you will fall in love and move far, far away. Who knows? Definitely not you. So go ahead and believe that whatever happens to you is meant to happen and that change is a good thing. You might as well because you can't stop change from happening, even if you wanted to.

2 You Need Dreams And Goals

Just look at the awesome character of Callie. Sure, it sucks that she left the show and you definitely miss seeing her spunk around the hospital but forget about your own pain for the moment. Callie knew that she wanted more than just the same old, same old, and she decided to follow her heart and go to New York with her new girlfriend. She was okay with leaving everything that she knew behind she has dreams and goals and she doesn't want to miss out on anything that life has to offer. That's pretty amazing. If she was a friend of yours, you would be cheering her on every step of the way and you would definitely think that she was a motivating person to know. Let's forget for a minute that this means that she and Arizona seem to be totally done. You're not okay with that and you can't get on board.

1 Life Goes On

If there is a number one life lesson from Grey's Anatomy, it's that your life will go on, no matter what you go through and no matter how bad you think things are. Every character on the series has gone through something terrible and you would think that they couldn't handle it and move on, but somehow they manage to. Totally inspiring, right? So instead of thinking that Meredith is a super tragic character who should basically just give up right now because she has suffered way too much, you should totally see her as a really motivating person. She's definitely gone through enough that she could quit her job and move to a desert island and never think about anything medical ever again. But does she do that? Does she stay in bed all day and cry and wallow? Nope, definitely not. She is just out there crushing life every day (well, every episode). So you should resolve to be more like Meredith Grey every day of your life. There are definitely worse people to be.