After the initial excitement of freshman year, our daily activities can seem rather mundane. The routine of waking up, going to class, going to work, doing homework and then going to sleep gets really old really fast. We are young and somehow our lives are already lacking excitement. To combat this feeling of hollowness we, intentionally or unintentionally, create drama. The reality is that drama is not good for anyone and some of its negative consequences are irreversible.
It’s common for people to say “I don’t do drama” or “I’m drama free”, but in actuality those are the ones who create the most drama. One area where I have witnessed a major amount of drama is between groups of friends. At first I was appalled because your friends are supposed to be your backbone and your breath of fresh air in this hectic world. Friends are the family you choose, so why so much drama? I’ve noticed that once we hit the college environment and see how big it is, we feel overwhelmed and insignificant. We no longer have the identity we had in high school. Very few people, if any, know who you are and sometimes that leads to feelings of low self worth. To get this much needed feeling of self worth we then start to make changes within ourselves that will draw attention to us. These actions can include changing the way you dress, talk, act etc. While creating this “new identity” you can loose your true self. This new person you’ve become can then cause clashes between you and your friends. You then may start to alienate your true friends or try to out shine them with your so-called fabulousness. I’ve seen people turn into selfish, boisterous, arrogant individuals all for the sake of attention. Their lives are stimulated by drama and that is what they are known for. They then have no real friends, just a whole crowd of people around them who only stick around them for superficial reasons. People need to realize that NC State University is not College Hill. You are not getting paid to act ridiculous. Becoming a fake person and pushing away your real friends is one of the worst things you could do.
Drama can also ensue over significant others. Having an intimate connection with someone on a higher level than friendship is exciting and something many of us crave. This is a great thing, but the problems begin when the significant other gets in the way of the other constant things in your life. Sometimes it may not even be the significant others fault. You could be the clingy one. Spending every waking and sleeping moment with each other is unhealthy. You can become jealous and obsessive without realizing it. I have been witness to a myriad of broken friendships based on the idea that the individual blamed his/her friends for trying to steal his/her significant other. The key is prioritizing. If there is a dramatic situation brewing between your significant other and friends think about who benefits you the most. Who is there for you when you need them? Who doesn’t judge you? Who loves you for you? Pick the one(s) who you feel are real and true.
A big part of this drama ordeal is the urge to be known around campus. It amazes me how people want to have some type of fame around campus and not for the right reasons. The more people you know the higher potential for drama. If you want to known for be academic reasons or for networking then that is great. Getting to know people of all demographics will definitely help you in the long run, personally and academically. Wanting to be known can be negative when your only motive is to get into parties and social events. You can end up in the wrong crowd of people who want nothing more than to make you just like them. You may even feel pressure to “perform” in front of people constantly. Being around people who don’t really know you can be mentally and physically exhausting. Appearing as someone that you are not and trying to assimilate yourself to their liking wastes your time and others.
We are all too old for drama. We are not living in the fabricated existences that are created in reality shows. Try your best to keep the drama in your life to a minimum. You can have an exciting life without you being in other people’s business and them being in yours.
