Heads up! Your man Daniel is about to get dramatic today. No no, nothing’s wrong, I just want to chat about how the heightened emotional situations that many of us have become accustomed to can affect our energy, our nervous systems and our everyday lives.
The whole world is pretty dramatic most days, but we all know times in our lives where the emotional energy gets ramped up due to circumstances that arise. It’s very easy (too easy, in fact) to get sucked in and it can really throw us for a loop. So let’s dive into the connection between that heightened energy and what it does to your overall wellness so we can keep the drama to a minimum!
degrees of drama
I feel like somewhat of an expert in the area of Drama – not just because I literally have a degree in Drama – but because I’ve been caught up in my fair share of it throughout my life. I’m happy to say I’ve learned to navigate it fairly well.
Don’t get me wrong, I fall into the trap once in a while, but I think I’ve gotten a good handle on what to do when $#!% hits the fan on an emotional level.
So what do I mean by drama? I’m not talking about a Shakespeare play or an episode of Days of Our Lives (though growing up and watching Marlena get possessed by the devil did cause years of nightmares). What I’m talking about is that unneccesary energy that usually manifests in the form of world drama, work drama, or family drama.
We’ve all been there. Sometimes we say or do things we don’t mean, or someone does something that throws us off track. Triggers get triggered, feelings get felt, and the drama ensues.
Here’s a thought – nip that $#!% in the bud. Most of the time we are feeding into a narrative that doesn’t exist and, in many cases, the drama is all based on a misunderstanding, miscommunication or a mistake. Sometimes it’s legit, but I would argue that most drama can be neutralzied if you’re courageous and vulnerable enough to face it head on.
The alternative is to stay in a funky vibe, ignore it and become desensitized or, more likely, get completely addicted.
getting high from low vibes
There’s no denying that sometimes drama can be a teensy bit enjoyable. Think about it, there’s a whole category of entertainment devoted to it! For example, Steve and I are watching the new Netflix series “The Perfect Couple” about a truly f’d up family and a murder case; it’s just dripping with drama. Yes, drama can be entertaining…. but we can’t get so comfortable with the storytelling aspect of drama that we readily invite the real thing into our lives. Because let’s be real, drama is far less enjoyable to watch when it’s yours.
We all know that it feels good to get something off your chest, go off on a solid rant about something or someone who has done you wrong. Sure, once in a while we need to vent about a co-worker or complain about our crazy family, but it’s when we get trapped in the heightened bull$#!% of our lives that negative energy becomes an addicting, perpetual ritual. It just makes us a magnet for more of the same.
Lest we forget what it’s like to watch the news in 2024. Not a day goes by that we aren’t bombarded with messages of fear and chaos… drama. It’s not hard for things the be this dramatic when there are approximately 8 billion unregulated nervous systems on the planet. Take it from someone who knows – from 2016-2020 while I was living in the US, I was completely addicted to the news. Im talking 4-6 hours a day of pundits absolutely crushing my nervous system with nonsense that actually didn’t directly affect my life in the slightest. Meanwhile my emotions were all over the place and I was frustrated and angry all the time. Why? Because I got sucked into the drama of it all.
My advice (again, I have a degree in Drama, so I’m fully qualified): pay close attention to how your body feels when you subject yourself to entertainment, gossipy conversation, dramatic situations, or the news. Many of us have become numb to the what drama does to our nervous systems. I really feel that our constant exposure to drama in the form of entertainment, politics, and interpersonal relationships has caused us to almost crave it as a source of distraction from what truly matters. We’re smarter than that!
the nerve of it all
Have you ever lost sleep because of drama? I’m sure you have – we all have! You play a conversation or situation over and over in your mind and it consumes you to the very core. Then you play out what you might say or do over and over. It’s a silly (and sometimes hilarious) cycle – but ultimately it does our nervous systems zero favours.
It’s important not to underestimate the toll that the energy of drama can have on your well-being. Sometimes drama is so palpable that you can feel the tension in your body. Your mind becomes consumed, and it’s your nervous system pays the toll. Don’t think this won’t affect your mind and body on a deeper level in the long run! The sooner you can sort things out, the better.
Recently I caught wind that someone had pretty much stabbed me in the back. I was immediately pissed off and felt all the feels. I sat with this intense energy for the few hours became increasingly unwilling to allow it to continue.
I told a couple people about the situation, and felt myself getting very amped up, emotional… dramatic. To be honest, it felt good to have my feelings validated as I recounted the juicy details of the story. But therein lies the problem. I was just perpetuating the gross energy of the situation because it felt “good” momentarily. Luckily I smartened up. Soon after, I had a phone call with the person who I’d felt had wronged me. It was uncomfortable, and at times heated… but then it was over. I felt an immediate weight off my chest.
It didn’t change the outcome of the situation itself, but I was able to reclaim my energy toward the situation. Now when I share this exact situation with others, I’m almost bored of the story. And that’s exactly how I want it. No more drama!
take a break
Sometimes drama is inescapable and you just need to remember what it feels like not to be in the thick of it. That’s what we’re here for!
It’s funny to me when people come into the studio and start rhyming off all the things that are going on in their lives in a dramatic fashion, because I know in a few short minutes they’ll dip into a session and come out feeling calm and relaxed, leaving that less-than-stellar energy behind. The ol’ nervous system just needed a reminder that it feels much better to be in a state of calm than in chaos.
My challenge to you is to simply notice where drama gets sparked up in your life and, when possible, diffuse the hell out of it.
And, not to be dramatic, but you should probably book a session soon ;)
