Be Careful of Complaining
When faced with adversity and stress often our first instinct is to complain. It can be very satisfying.
“No one works as hard as me.”
“No one has as much on their plate as me.”
“I’m so tired.”
Blah, Blah, Blah.
Yes, it can be satisfying to complain but there are pitfalls to being a complainer. Complaining can have a negative impact on your professional and personal relationships and even have a negative impact on your health. Sometimes, complaining is justified and even necessary but when it is just done for the sake of bitching it can become a toxic stew.
Complaining makes you dumber.
According to research done by Stanford University, complaining shrinks the hippocampus, which is the area of the brain critical to problem solving and intelligent thought. I guess that’s why it seems like the stupid people are always the ones whining.
Complaining often gets in the way of doing anything productive; it becomes a substitute for action because it is easier to just gripe. How many times have you heard people piss and moan about all the work they have piled up instead of actually doing the work? Complaining not only takes up time it uses up the energy that could be used to complete a project.
People love to bond over a common dislike such as an unreasonable boss or long hours or ridiculous tasks they need to complete or whatever. It’s natural. But too much of it is unhealthy. Complaining, like the flu, can be contagious; it can get out of hand. You need to be careful about who hears your complaints and then passes them along to someone such as your manager. It can make you look bad.
Be mindful of how much you complain. It is exhausting being around someone who moans all the time. It is so frigging annoying. You lose credibility; no one will take your complaints seriously. People will start to avoid you if you are complaining about every little goddamn thing; your coworkers, friends, intimate partners: none of them want to hear your tale of woe twenty four seven.
You will become The Boy (Girl) Who Cried Wolf.
Complaining does have its place. We all have bad days and need to vent to someone, let go of those negative emotions. That is healthy. Just remember, if you hate your job and every day is a bad day, no amount of complaining will fix that.
If you have a complaint, talk to someone with the purpose of finding a solution. Do not waste their time with your complaining; listen to what they have to say. It is very frustrating for someone trying to offer help to have every suggestion shot down. They will be inclined to walk away, shaking their heads.
If nothing else, consider the impact complaining can have on your health.
Complaining:
- Causes stress
- Wear you down physically
- Increases feelings of negativity
- Make anxiety and depression worse
- Ruins relationships
- Achieve’s nothing
- Keeps you stuck
- Weakens your immune system
A solid antidote? Be grateful. In my more self-pitying moments I need to remind myself that I ate today, have a safe place to sleep, my health is relatively good, and I am doing pretty well.
There are a lot of people out there who have it worse than me and they don’t never complain. I need to learn from that.
Check out The Working Experience Podcast for some frothy entertainment tinged with serious discussion.
