| Histrionic, overreactive, and hand-wringey – this is the opposite of what it means to turn mountains into molehills! To be histrionic is to be over the top emotionally – I’m talking about grand-scale crying, emoting, and yelling. It’s actually a personality disorder as well (but then so is a personality disorder called Personality Disorder Not Otherwise Specified.) I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on the Daily Dish Show. This is just my own (likely unpopular) opinion: While I don’t dismiss the real study of these things, I also think that these “disorders” are more opportunities for Big Pharma and prescription-happy MDs to overly medicate rather than DEAL with a habit pattern of poor thinking. Dr Jennifer Kunst said, “Physically speaking, a molehill becomes a mountain when an animal takes dirt from somewhere and piles it on somewhere else. Psychologically speaking, if we think metaphorically, making a mountain out of a molehill essentially is a massive displacement of psychological dirt from one place to another. We unconsciously dig up dirty issues from one significant area of our lives and pile them onto something far more innocuous. I think this happens because it seems easier to pile a little bit of dirt somewhere else than deal with the psychological mountain itself, intimidating as that often is.” What the good doctor is saying is that we pile on inappropriately – we displace our icky stuff, the stuff we don’t want to look at, and create a diversion, really, because having to face the real thing that needs to be looked at requires a type of honesty that’s too brutal. Oftentimes, our overreacting is very much connected to an old wound or open wound that’s never been properly healed. My mother was the ultimate handwringer – everything was an issue. If it didn’t go EXACTLY the way it was supposed to, she was upset, catastrophizing, and complaining – she had no coping skills and was a yeller when I was growing up. If you’re motivated to stop the histrionics and handwringing, take note: Instead of CREATING mountains out of molehills, let’s MOVE them – ready? 1. Stop, drop, and roll! Yes- you’re on fire and about to create something small into something BIG. THINK. Allow for process and keep your lip buttoned until you can speak with control (and no later regret!) 2. Balance is a myth – we strive for it, but let’s face it, we’re pretty much always out of whack. Your focus is one thing this one week, then the next it’s on something else—that’s just life. Chasing balance is a fool’s errand – it’s never achieved. 3. Create a vision for ALL of your life. The Carousel of Crazy is a case in point – we’ve spent too much emotional capital, actual capital, and precious time worrying about the size of our butts – what about the rest of your life? 4. Establish your rituals! This helps to bring us to center, the real core of who we are and why we’re here. Our Take Back Your Life Journal helps you get your rituals sorted and figured out, just for you–they’re the bookends of your life. Much more, but check out the TBYL Journal here! |
