Drop the Drama
I have a lot of feelings.
Ever find yourself watching Teen Mom on purpose? Lifetime movies? Crying over songs Justin Timberlake wrote for Jessica Biel? Super Bowl commercials?
It can get a little embarrassing, but I do. When people open up about great loss, when they open up over great triumph, when they make something beautiful, when they display any degree of passion in any direction–I cry. I can face it: I cry a lot.
Past
As a kid, my mom and other relatives would call me a “drama queen,” and it caused me great hurt. My feelings felt so real to me; how could people who love me devalue them like that?
When I grew into an adolescent, I rebelled against my feelings. I hated that I was emotional, so I took on a persona of “hippie” and “chill”. Drama free, care free. I wanted to be Cool Girl, and I steered clear of all people who were always fighting about who knows what, in favor of others who shared the same carefree careless attitude toward life. I wanted to be strong.
As an adult, I embrace my feelings, and take pride in the empathy I have for others. I learned that strength comes from knowing yourself, expressing yourself fearlessly, and inspiring others to do the same. I steered away from the drama-filled people and the careless, and confide in people who are emotionally aware. Now, I’m really drama free, right?
Present
Not quite. A little perspective I gathered from my 40 days meeting today:
Just because you steer clear of unnecessary conflict and people who are always wrapped up in it, doesn’t make you bulletproof from drama.
How often do you think, “Well, I really want to _______, BUT _____,” where BUT is some aspect of life that you allow to limit your growth?
- “I really want to lose weight, BUT I can’t make the time to work out.“
- “I really want to eat healthy, BUT I hardly know how to cook.“
- “I really want to blog everyday, BUT I worry that there’s nothing valuable in what I have to say, and no one will care.“
- “I really want to simplify my life, BUT first I have to tend to my to-do list.“
These are limiting beliefs I’ve let control my actions–my life even. I bring drama to things like going for a run because I haven’t done the laundry yet. I bring drama into cooking because I might fail again, I bring drama into blogging because “Oh no, I posted a link to my blog on Facebook and now people who I know could read about how I really feel and things I do that no one probably cares about and I’ll be vulnerable and they’ll judge me and my writing isn’t good enough and and and!”
I bring drama into finding misplaced objects: “Where is that f*cking thing?” and as I continue to look, “Damn it! I can’t live in this mess!” and I bring drama into laundry: “I’m going to fold some laundry, but first I need to find a movie on Netflix to watch while doing that.” Then later, “Ugh! Why does Netflix keep messing up, I’m trying to focus on getting this stuff done!”
Future
Now that I’ve noticed these thought patterns, I can bring ease into my daily life. I can stop thinking about what could limit me, and just BEGIN. I can think to myself, “Where is that useful object?” and replace the word “f*cking” with “delightful” in any situation. I can glide over the hurdles effortlessly if I’m focused on the finish line. All I need to do is see and drop the drama.
Is there something simple in life that you add drama to? Let me know in the comments!
Featured image found on https://myfitwitjourney.wordpress.com/
Is your son emotional? Just curious. I tend to not be but my daughter is incredibly so; very different from my son. You’re born a certain way and that’s your personality.
Glad you’re no longer fighting your way of being. But recognizing where you could do better. I’m going to remind myself of your lesson when I start with but… Good luck!
YES! He’s SUPER emotional. And though its tempting to call him a drama king when things go too far, I remember how yucky it felt and resist.
Lol, maybe it’s a first born/only child thing?
I’m pretty chill on a regular basis, but do find myself getting flustered when I’ve had too little sleep or too little exercise. Just this morning, I came home from a night shift and BLEW UP because I wanted a banana and there were none. Ha!
I can relate SO MUCH! Down to the banana!. It’s often when I haven’t taken care of my basic needs (food, sleep, exercise, rest) when my fuse is short over the other things mentioned.
[…] I mentioned in my post about dropping the drama, I’ve been participating in my third 40 Days to Personal Revolution program at my local yoga […]
Ok this is so on point for me I could’ve written it myself! Ha! Except for the realization you’ve had but it makes me think. It helps, thanks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for reading; it feels good to know I’m not the only one!
[…] there will always be moments where I’m seeking approval or taking things too personally, or adding drama. There’ll be moments when I’d rather eat a cookie for breakfast than meditate […]