Let’s Give Up….. Post 1

This week, we will explore 5 things that we can give up in order to optimize our emotional health. Today, let’s look at giving up complaining.

Think about how much we actually complain in a day. The weather isn’t as nice as we might want it, someone was rudely unaware of themselves at the grocery store, a loved one did something to annoy us, the price of gas is too high, etc. Further to this, how much do we complain in our own heads, how much do we complain to others?

To some degree, venting is important. It is part of the way that we process our feelings or something that is bothering us. But for venting to be of service to us, it must also come with a solution. When we move to action about something that is upsetting us, we tend to not only solve our own problems, the people we vent to won’t see us a chronic complainers.

Outside of venting, complaining really doesn’t do us much good. It tends to create negativity and it depletes energy. Complaining can be  both emotionally and physically taxing on ourselves and on others, as it creates increased stress. Complaining is also a way to remove ourselves of responsibility as it is easier at times to blames others for our own misfortunes.

We are much better served to be aware of the tendency we have to complain and to begin to actively reduce it. Catching ourselves before we complain is one way to do that; increasing our ability to be thankful for what we have is another. Living simply and being satisfied with our lives also helps us to not focus on what we don’t have.

Let’s give up complaining – we will be happy that we did.

Photo credit: https://unsplash.com/@photoholgic