top ten things to do when drama gets out of control

1. go for a long walk, by yourself. explore somewhere you've never been.

2. get out of town! hit the road for a saturday. take along a friend who has nothing to do with the drama. eat at a restaurant three towns over and head home. be sure to bring along good, upbeat music to blast.

3. confront it. talk it through, try to see all sides, and try to convince the other party (parties) to see your side.

4. take one of the people assisting the drama for something completely unrelated and whimsical. remember why you've put yourself in a position that you're willing to put up with drama from someone, and try to restore a little normalcy to the relationship.

5. say no to drama. walk away from the situation, and possibly the person/people causing the drama.

6. get on with your life. give it a week or so to blow over before returning to it. many times, it will have deflated to realistic proportions.

7. list out your priorities, and figure out where the drama falls. many times drama comes from having to choose one priority over another. a friend of mine had drama when her five-year boyfriend didn't want to live with her adult child, and she had to choose whether caring for her child was more important than her romantic relationship.

8. vent to a friend. pick someone totally unrelated to the situation.

9. take a class, something you can do with your hands or body, to get your mind off the subject.

10. journal it. sometimes getting it down on paper will help you sort through it.