Lately I’ve really found comfort in being dramatic about everything. Sometimes life, for me, just becomes so overwhelmingly chaotic that I can’t figure out if I’m going up or down. These past few weeks I’ve really decided to lean into dealing with it all in a very different way and weirdly, I’ve been far less anxious than I have in a long time. With that being said, I’ve decided to come up with a humorous guide to leaning into your inner theater kid as a creative reset. This will be very much the “I’m fine but absolutely not” vibe. So, here’s the steps I’ve come up with for funsies.

There comes a moment in everyone’s life when the well runs dry, the muse goes on vacation without notice, and you find yourself staring at your messy home or laptop, or whatever needs to be done, and you feel like the world has personally wronged you. This is when lesser mortals “take a break” or “go for a walk”. That’s not us. No doll face, we lean into it. We activate the inner theater kid, and we become dramatic on purpose. That’s because sometimes, the only way to reboot your creativity or chaotic, messy overworked life, is to perform your own emotional one woman or man show in the living room.

Step 1. Set the scene. (Lighting optional, attitude required)

You can’t really be dramatic in a neutral environment. You need an ambiance. You need mood. You need a couch that understands you. Throw yourself across that couch and drape your body like a Victorian heroine who just received mildly inconvenient news. Let your fire engine nails tap against the armrest with the gravitas of a courtroom objection. Tilt your head so your earring catches the light because even in distress we sparkle. Hold your mug of tea not like a beverage but like a monologue. You’re not drinking it. You’re delivering it. This is not hydration. This is performance art.

Step 2. Committing to the bit

Being dramatic on purpose only works if you go all in. Sigh loudly like you’re releasing ghosts from your past lives. Whisper dramatically “I simply cannot”. Even if you simply can. Stare in the middle distance as if you’re receiving a message from the universe or your group chat without having to look at said chat. Throw your blanket, the one you love and use as an emotional support blanket, across your lap like it’s a prop from a Broadway revival. If someone walks in and asks what the heck you’re doing, simply reply “I’m processing”. And shew them away dramatically with your hand. Will you get weird looks, probably but stay in character. They don’t need to know anyways and for that matter neither do you.

Step 3. Let your melodrama melt away into magic

Here’s the secret to why you’re doing this… When you let yourself be ridiculous, your brain loosens its grip on being perfect, being anxious, and overthinking. Suddenly you’ll find yourself coming back and grounding. The chaos will die down and now you’ll see you can finally function. You’ll be able to prioritize what needs to be done now versus what can wait. Your ideas will start popping like creativity. Work will make sense again. You’ll remember that chaos doesn’t have to be part of life and take over. It reminds you to stop trying to be perfect and just start living again. Your inner theater kid, the one that belts songs in the mirror or shower dramatically and falls onto couches dramatically, wakes up and says, “Oh, were doing this again? Perfect” and just like that, you’re back. You’re grounded, you’re ready to take on the tasks that were overwhelming you.

Drama doesn’t have to be a crisis. Drama can be a creative reset button. The next time you feel stuck, don’t just grit your teeth and push through it. Let yourself be too much. Let yourself be extra. Let yourself be the main character in a show no one asked for but everyone secretly enjoys. The art of being dramatic on purpose isn’t about attention, it’s about liberation. It’s about remembering that you thrive when you stop trying to be sensible and start letting yourself play in the chaos. We have to live in it so why not use it to refill our cups.