Save the Drama for Your Mama Part 2
For better or worse, melodrama has become part and parcel of our culture and communication today. Unfortunately, because we’re constantly subjected to never-ending drama, many of us are perpetually in a heightened state of fight or flight as a consequence. This dynamic not only affects our peace of mind, it also leads to increased anxiety and poor decision-making too. Here are some ways you can eliminate the melodrama, reduce your stress and live the good life:
Be slow to judge
In today’s melodramatic, click-bait world, judgments are often made instantaneously. It doesn’t have to be this way. When you’re confronted with a challenging situation or idea, don’t immediately jump to judgment. Instead, try to give the benefit of the doubt. Pause, wait and find out more before you judge. A great phrase to think of is ‘blink, but think.’ When you encounter something you consider to be shocking or outlandish, take a few seconds to ‘blink, but think’ and choose how you want to respond. You can still come to your own conclusions and reach your own decisions, but if you take your time you’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary trouble and drama.
Learn to think for yourself
These days, it’s very easy to simply react to events along with everyone else instead of taking the time to think for yourself. As Albert Einstein once said, however, “When we all think alike, no one thinks very much.” In life, there’s never just one side to a story and it requires thought and diligence to figure things out. Avoid the groupthink mentality. After all, most people aren’t rich, healthy or financially successful so why would you want to think like them? If you want to really thrive in life, make sure that you don’t just automatically follow the crowd. Take the time to pause, reflect and think for yourself instead.
Plug out to plug in
To really connect with ourselves and others, we have to plug out the constant stream of technology and social media we’re surrounded with and plug into our hearts, minds, souls and bodies instead. Don’t get sucked into the one-dimensional and divisive rhetoric online. Instead, become a student. Read and reflect, don’t just watch and react. Do this and you’ll reduce the melodrama in your life and regain peace and perspective.
To learn more about how to reduce the melodrama and live the good life, listen to the latest episode of “It’s a Good Life”.
