Confession time: I am a drama queen. I know that if my mom is reading this right now, she is rolling her eyes because my mother, more than anyone else, knows how true and unnecessary this proclamation is. I have always been dramatic in just about every sense, whether it was performing in my high school drama club or posting melodramatic song lyrics as my AIM away messages. Over the years, the feedback I have received from assorted parents, roommates, best friends, and significant others is that I should probably chill out. Usually this advice is manifested in the following formats: "This one paper is not going to make or break your college career, you really do not need to be crying over it," "You aren't dying, you just broke a finger," "Yes, I know that Chris Evans is a beautiful and perfect angel from heaven, stop making that face," and most notably and frequently, "I don't care that leggings are life. Please put on real pants," (sorry, Mom).

I have learned to use my dramatic flare for humor and for coping with mildly irritating situations. Sometimes when I am incredibly stressed out and have more work that normal to get done, my emotions get the best of me and I wind up curled into the fetal position, rocking back and forth, and crying into a can of chocolate icing. That is totally different, and maybe not a great coping mechanism, but I am not perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be. That being said, here is a short explanation on handling your drama when the world is not actually falling apart, but you think it is.

1. Lighten up a bit.

A good attitude will get you though most stressful everyday circumstances. There is always a perfectly reasonable way to justify our behavior in the moment we believe the world is falling apart. Looking back, however, maybe it was not so perfectly reasonable to lie on the floor and solemnly declare, “My life is over. This is it for me. Tell my mother that I love her,” upon discovering that my sister ate the last of the Pringles, but I am sure we have all had moments like this. So go ahead and overreact, just be aware that you probably look ridiculous.

2. Embrace your dramatic flair.

Be a queen, king, or whatever non-gender-specific entity you identify as, but channel it into something creative and unique to you. I have slowly come to realize that all that drama and angst does not disappear after magical age of 18, or even 21. Chances are if you were overly dramatic in high school, you still are. It might just manifest itself differently now. In high school, I was in drama club, I wrote a few skits and short stories, and had other constructive outlets for my feelings. These days, I knit and write poetry. Both of which are fun pastimes on their own, and great ways to reduce stress and relax, and also serve as an outlet for getting out aggression toward perceived wrongs. I think the last point illustrates this concept in a concise (if not borderline extreme) way.

3. Laugh at yourself.

Or post your own dramatic poetry online. Either way.

I titled this piece, "When Your Family Takes Their Annual Beach Vacation Without you and you're Salty as the Ocean Air." Enjoy.