Welcome back everyone!
I’m going to be discussing a topic that most people my age are a little too familiar with for one reason or another: drama, especially the drama found in high school. I feel like lots of people worry about getting wrapped up in drama or encountering mean girls once they start high school, and wonder how these occurrences can be avoided. I will be debunking some myths and discussing the answers to some of those burning questions that might be resting in your brain, so keep reading if you’re interested.
Before I say anything else, I would like to say: if you’re not actively seeking out drama or putting out those ~drama~ vibes into the universe, you most likely won’t get caught up in anything too crazy! It’s all about your attitude and how you treat other people. Obviously we’re all teenagers and can act dramatic at certain points for a variety of reasons, but as long as you avoid certain behaviors, avoid toxic people, and are openly pretty nice to everyone, you should be fine. There may be a few quarrels within your friend group at times, but hopefully that’s the extent of anything you experience- not everyone is going to get along ALL the time, not even the best of friends.
Tip #1: Don’t talk badly about people behind their backs. Honestly, don’t talk about people behind their backs at all unless it’s positive- and if it is, then still tell them to their face, because I’m sure they’d love to hear the compliment! This is something we all hear starting in middle school, but I feel like everyone’s only mature enough to actually live by this rule once they start high school. I know it can be tempting to make comments with your best friends, but just try your best to avoid making other people your topic of conversation. You never know what could get spread around or who could be overhearing, and you don’t want that energy out in the universe regardless.
Tip #2: Maintain friendliness with people you drift away from. I’ve mentioned this in other posts, but in high school your friend group will always be shuffling around and evolving. Sometimes this can be a source of drama; people leaving a group may be hated by their old “friends”, a person leaving a group may leave because they didn’t like their old “friends”, etc. If you are drifting away from a group or someone in your group is drifting away, that’s completely fine! Just make sure you communicate with everyone involved and let them know it’s not their fault and there’s no bad blood (unless there is… in which case just leave as quietly as possible). It’s much better to have a slightly awkward acquaintance-type friendship than become enemies.
Tip #3: Make friends with people in a variety of different friend groups! This is a great thing to do in general just because you can meet so many new people through these types of friendships and you’ll always have someone to talk to. However, another benefit of having friends in completely different groups is that if one group/your main group of friends is involving themselves in a lot of drama and kind of dragging you into it, you can be a sort of peacemaker and just go hang out with a different group in the meantime. Obviously don’t just ditch your friends if you get in an argument with someone; that’s something you need to work out together. But if people around you are getting involved in meaningless drama, you can just go somewhere else and come back once it’s over.
Tip #4: Being the peacemaker is a noble role to take on, but you can only take it so far. I know this sounds a bit odd the way I worded it, but I couldn’t think of a better way to explain this one. Basically, you can try and be the mediator in your friends’ drama and help them out, but there’s a certain point where it ends up with you being fully involved in it as well. Definitely try your best to help your friends out with whatever problems they may run into, but make sure you set boundaries and are able to step away from the issue if it’s not even your own.
Tip #5: If someone seems to be surrounded by drama, don’t get involved with them but still BE KIND! I feel like this is a mistake a lot of people make; they assume that just because someone has a toxic reputation, it means they don’t have to try and be nice to them. Obviously these types of people aren’t the ones you would want to take under your wing or befriend, but smiling and saying hi/small kind gestures still go a long way. You never know what that person is going through, so it’s just as important to be kind as it is to keep your distance. Try and spread your positive energy to everyone!
I hope you guys found this mini-guide useful; high school can be a dramatic time because of the abundance of social events and activities going on, but it doesn’t have to be a negative drama-fest. I am confident that you all will thrive during the school year and have relatively drama-free experiences, especially if you follow these tips! Let me know if you have any more questions about this topic or requests for new topics/posts. I’m always trying to come up with exciting content for you guys!
-Brooke
adventures of a typical high school student 