3 Ways to Dial Down Your Own Drama  

It’s my pleasure to welcome author friends to be my guest so you can get to know them and be blessed by their words and ministry. Today’s guest is Cindi McMenamin. She’s a national speaker and author who helps women and couples strengthen their relationships with God and others. She is the author of 17 books, including When Women Walk Alone (more than 125,000 copies sold), When God Sees Your Tears, When Couples Walk Together, 12 Ways to Experience More with Your Husband, When You’re Running on Empty, and Drama Free, upon which this blog is based. For more on her ministry, or for resources to help strengthen your marriage, relationships, and parenting, see her website: www.StrengthForTheSoul.com.

Is there a little too much drama in your life? 

If you’re like me, you’ve often said – or thought – I don’t do drama. 

Yet, as much as you and I would like to shut the chaos, confusion, and cattiness out of our lives and convince ourselves we don’t do drama, it has a way of creeping into our lives anyway. 

Drama happens when unexpected circumstances hit and we are unprepared to handle them. And drama happens when we react emotionally, rather than respond maturely, to whatever comes our way.  

I’d like to think I’m never the cause of anyone else’s drama. But in reality, I can play into unnecessary drama at times without even realizing it. 

Whether our drama is the petty stuff (like being gossiped about or having a bad day) or the truly painful stuff that catches us off guard (like a cancer diagnosis, the ending of a friendship, or suddenly losing someone we love), how we respond makes all the difference – or all the drama – in the world.  

You and I can learn how to maturely respond – rather than emotionally

react – to what life brings us so that we can dial down the drama, diffuse it, or eliminate it altogether. 

Here are three steps to help keep yourself in check and dial down the drama so your emotions don’t get the best of you: 

1. Consider the bigger picture. Life – and therefore every circumstance you encounter – is meant to conform you to the image of Christ (Romans 8:28-29). Once you consider this, you can relax and realize God knows what He’s doing in the circumstances He’s allowing. He’s often showing you something about yourself and your relationship with Him. Be teachable by considering what He wants to teach you in the moment. When you consider the bigger picture you can focus on passing the test, rather than failing it through unnecessary drama. 

2. Capture your thoughts. In 2 Corinthians 10:5 we are instructed to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ because we are in a spiritual war in which the enemy will do his best to run rampant through our thought life, creating doubt, fear,  and confusion. 

To take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ means capturing or binding them with the truth of God’s Word. Instead of entertaining a loose thought like “I can’t get through this situation” capture that thought with the truth of God’s Word:  “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Or, instead of entertaining the thought “I’m alone in this” capture that thought with the truth that Christ has said He’ll never leave you nor desert you (Hebrews 13:5). The more we know of God’s Word, the better we will be able to tame our reckless, wild thoughts. 

3. Correct Your Thinking. When you begin to feel overwhelmed by life and start to freak out, ask yourself: “What am I believing about God that isn’t true?” In other words, focus on the facts, not your feelings. What are the facts about God when your feelings are telling you otherwise? When our feelings lead us down a dark tunnel of despair, we need to switch on the facts of what we know about God to direct us back out. 

When we know Who God is and what He is capable of, our worries, fears, and freak-outs can be stilled. 

Would you like to win a free copy of Cindi’s t book, Drama Free? Comment below with one or two words that cause or represent drama in your life and also tell us what state you live in. You’ll be entered into a drawing for a free, signed copy of the book. The winner will be announced here next week. (U.S. mailing addresses only please.)