I want to talk to you guys about “drop” for a second.
By Dr. Payne
“Drop,” the shorthand name, is the feeling you get after a Big Thing. I deliver a presentation on Drop, and I’m proud to have delivered it to the Lifestyles & Society group at my employer. I teach people this: Drop is the vacuum of adrenaline’s retreat. All your emotions get charged, all your senses get put on high-alert, and you endure your event–could be a convention or conference (con-drop), could be a marathon (runner’s drop), could be a big project at work (PMO-drop), could be a formal dinner or even a big fancy party. Once your BODY convinces your MIND that everything is back to normal, Drop moves in to fill the space with a host of phrases like “that was close” or “can’t wait to do that again” or “I hope I didn’t embarrass myself” or myriad other panic.
We, the People of the United States, have just gone through a polarizing and divisive period in our history. Regardless your affiliation, it’s not at all uncommon to be calm and focused during high-tension events. When it’s over? Man, that’s when Drop comes in and GETS YA. That’s when your breakdown happens: not DURING the trauma, but immediately following. As Trump leaves office and the vaccines begin circulating, that is where We the People are. Please hold your derision. It could take days–if not weeks–for everyone to realize it’s OK to climb out of our emotional burrows.