Personal Dragons, or I hear them more often referred to as personal demons, are creatures that everyone has in one form or another. I'd like to introduce you to a few of mine.
The heavily barbed Anxiety, the silver scaled Fear, and vibrantly orange ADHD, are my largest. Depression is much smaller for me, but he's a wispy black thing that skimmers in unnoticed until he has enveloped me. Stress is small but when he gets his claws into my shoulders and back, he's just as hard for me to detach as the bigger guys. Naturally there are others but these are either my big dragons, or most common ones that come to visit.
We hear a lot about conquering our fears and problems. But funny thing about dragons is they always come back. You think you have ADHD all bottled up with discipline and he manages to wear a hole in the glass with his pacing alone. In my experience, they never go away. No matter how many times you plunge your sword into their hide, they heal and return. No matter how many chains you wrap around them and deny they were ever there. They still whisper, still will get a claw or wing loose, still will shake off their bonds to come sink their teeth into you when you're not looking or worse, focused on getting another back in their cage.
So, slay your dragons...or make friends with them.
A friend is someone you know. You're familiar with their attitudes, their moods, and how they interact with you. You know how to treat them, and you know what you need to do to manipulate them.
I can study all day if I keep ADHD busy and take breaks. So I either draw during a lecture or chew on something while studying. Most times I can recognize Anxiety's triggers now before she works herself into a panic. I respect Fear, but she has a habit of being a blabber mouth. Catching my attention when there isn't anything I really should be afraid of. I have to tell her that, and since she rarely listens, I keep going on with my day. Depression is a dragon I'm still working on, because I've had bigger dragons to work with. The best that I've managed to do with him is have compassion for the both of us and understand that I need some down time and a crafting project to keep me from falling more into his shadow.
Unfortunately this isn't a fix-all. Especially if your dragons are large and ever-present. It's a constant act of mindfulness and compassion for both your dragons and yourself. And thankfully, there's professional dragon tamers out there who can help in the form of psychiatrists and psychologists.
So, if you've been fighting dragons to the point that you're bone-weary, maybe try dropping that sword, spell book, or bow, take a step back, and observe. Perhaps there's a way to make friends with your dragons, and find a bit of peace in your life.
