Drama-Queen-Itis

I have a flair for the dramatic that I have to reign in at times. No – I’m not theatrical – I’m a drama queen waiting to happen. I realized it (again) as I walked to the bathroom tonight. I felt a stabbing pain in my head. Instantly, instead of thinking “paracetamol” –I thought “brain tumor” which lead quickly to: what my little girl would do without a mother, should my husband remarry (I decided yes), how would I make sure he knew to remarry and on and on.

Now - I’m a (mostly) reformed drama queen. I keep these mental outbursts to myself barring short confessions like the one I’m making to you now. Unchecked – drama-queen-itis can be a menace.

Now ladies, all of you have at least one girlfriend who brings the drama with her wherever she goes. You’ve probably learned to deal with it on a friendship level. What I want to talk about today is the drama queen in the workplace.

He’s the one (oh yes – they can be male!) who doesn’t just have a cold, they have the plague.

She’s the one who isn’t driving calmly somewhere, she’s got to go immediately because it’s an emergency.

They’re the one whose relationship is always on the brink of disaster (although their partner typically doesn’t know anything’s wrong).


It’s the employee who always has the client who makes her life impossible and absolutely cannot be reasoned with.

In short, they create chaos where it doesn’t need to be.

What to do if (like me) you have drama queen tendencies? Go back and read the children’s fable the Boy who Cried Wolf.

What to do if you work with a drama queen? Get a salt shaker, pop it on your desk and either, learn to take everything they say with a grain of said salt, or reconsider and find yourself an employee (if you’re the boss) who you know is grounded, reliable and speaks the drama free truth.

By Kirsty Dunphey with No comments