Stop Living With Chaos.

Drug, alcohol and various other physical addictions can take over a person's life and keep them a prisoner of their own bodies. Are you familiar with drama addiction or chaos addiction? They might not seem textbook, but they are valid. Being addicted to upheaval involves a person who is trapped in the intensity of life. You know the person who is constantly involved in some mess or some sort of drama and who always has to be in the center of things? People of this nature are "In a culture where the extreme theme has become the norm, people are increasingly seduced into believing that intensity equals being alive," author Dr. Keith Lee wrote. If this sounds like you, you may find yourself in relationships with people who are toxic. You may exaggerate issues, gossip, start trouble or you look for drama in another person's life because yours is boring. You're not the only climactic person in the world. Madonna, Britney Spears, and others are noted for making drama. But they channeled their talents to use it for success, unlike Charlie Sheen who allowed it take over his life. You have a choice as well. If you are looking to feel more at peace in your life consider the following ideas on how to stop living with chaos.

Channel your energy.

Focus all that emotional energy you are used to investing in emotional mayhem and use it for good. This can be energy funneled towards making your career work, helping a charity, organizing the house or whatever it takes to get you off the grid of chaos. Look into other creative ways to use your energy. Give yourself an opportunity to express yourself whether it be through painting, writing, sculpturing, acting and singing to help you have a release.

Stop the negativity.

This will be hard to do, but start filtering all the negative thoughts and emotions, which steers your chaos. Thelawofattraction.com reported, "When you notice that negative thoughts or images are starting to enter your mind, try actually say 'stop!' to yourself." Take 15 seconds and pause to face the thought instead of acting impulsively. Start counting to 10 to help with the anxiety if emotions are bubbling up. You can use imagery by visualizing your negative thoughts as a balloon and watch it drift away. Do this for all your threatening thoughts and feelings. Negative energy will always fuel chaos.

Watch the company that you keep.

Pay attention to the people you hang out with. How do you feel after being with them and what are your communications centered on? If you know that it's poisonous, this will only support the chaos in your life. If you are around anger, gossip and just being around miserable people, you will emulate these behaviors. Proverbs 13:20 shared the following about the company that we keep. "He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will suffer harm." If you are finding the people that you are spending time with are draining, exhilarating tautness among others and just creating trouble, it's time to move on.

Mind your own business.

There is always someone who can't mind their own business and they can leave a trail of destruction from doing so. Are you one of these offenders? If so, don't take pride in it. You are hurting people and yourself as well. "You inappropriately take on issues that are not your battle to fight. The healthy response is to take the time to evaluate what is truly within your control and what is not," author Dr. Crista Gambrell wrote. It's pretty simple but stay in your own lane to avoid getting embroiled in more messes.

Go to another world.

Close your eyes and imagine a tranquil place in nature or whatever helps you to become still. Do this for 10 minutes and then record it in a notebook to use when you sense a panic coming into your emotions and into the body. Meditation, prayer, reading and yoga could help you enter this world. This process can be used to train the mind and to train the body on how to handle anxiety and stress better.

Start creating boundaries.

Decide what you will not tolerate ahead of time to avoid the traps of chaos. This can be absorbing too much media, jumping into a gossip session or feeling a need to fix a problem that is not yours to handle. Life coach Cheryl Richardson said that creating stronger boundaries is the number one way for people to improve their lives. "If you feel your own resistance to focusing on yourself, remember when you put yourself first, you are then fully available to others without resentment or anger," she shared with oprah.com

Decompress by unplugging.

There is a connection between technology use and mental health and if you're more prone to drama, having access to the internet all the time through your smartphone increases chaos. "Such consequences include the emergence of possible behavioral alterations and a loss of control," The Journal of Preventive Medicine and Hygiene found. Pew Research found most people sleep with their cell phones because they're afraid they will miss something. "Cell owners (67 percent) find themselves checking their phone for messages, alerts or calls — even when they don’t notice their phone ringing or vibrating." Doing this all the time will keep you from having peace since you never allow the brain to shut off to drama. Take time to unplug from the world by finding a quiet place to disentangle from the nosiness of life.

You don't have to be a drama queen for the rest of your life. Maybe you never gave it much thought on how it can damage you and your relationships. We all get dramatic as it's human to do so. However, when we allow chaos to become an addiction it can be lethal to your well-being.

Beliefnet.com