Stop Complaining! People Who Constantly Complain Are Harmful To Your Health

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    We all know that one person who likes to complain incessantly. No matter what they have going on in their lives, good or bad, they find a way to vent or grumble about something. Of course, everyone has moments, as expressing complaints comes naturally to us, and there are likely times when even you were the constant complainer. While it may seem harmless to air your frustrations, consistently vocalizing negative sentiments may become a subconscious habit leading to some overall harmful consequences for your health.
    It’s not only unattractive to others and a total mood killer to the liveliness of those around you, but continuous complaining can cause damage in other ways too. Constant complaining over time can have an immense impact on brain function and take an overall toll on your physical well-being.
    So how about throwing in the towel on complaining for a whole month? The Complaint Restraint project established by Thierry Blancpain and Pieter Pelgrims was created to eliminate negative statements that plague our daily routines. The idea is as simple as it sounds…just stop complaining! The thought of not complaining for an entire month may seem impossible, and will likely be impossible to do perfectly. Perhaps, then, the challenge's goal is not simply to give up complaining but to become more cognizant of our thoughts. When we hear ourselves complain, it can be empowering to shift our language to change the conversation and shift our perspective.
    So, why should you consider practicing the art of giving up complaining or mastering transforming your negative thoughts into constructive ones? Aside from the obvious constant complaining is just draining, why else would one consider giving up something that comes like second nature to us?
    The Negative Effects Of Complaining
    The more you complain, the more likely you are to choose negative over positive thinking in the long run. Fascinatingly so, each time you complain, your brain is actually physically rewiring itself, making it easier to adapt to that reaction in the future. The results are clear: negativity breeds more negativity.
    If the idea of breeding continual negative notions in your brain isn’t enough to get you to stop complaining, how about learning that it can also damage your memory? MRI scans have shown that constant complaining can lead to the shrinkage of the hippocampus, the region in your brain responsible for cognitive functioning. The smaller your hippocampus, the more likely you are to have your memory decline, as well as difficulty adapting to new situations.
    The aftermath effects of complaining don’t stop there. The more you complain, the more your cortisol levels increase. High cortisol levels are associated with health problems like increasing depression, insomnia, digestive problems, high blood pressure, and even increasing risk of heart disease. There’s a reason they call it the stress hormone!
    There’s an old adage that says you become like those you spend the most time with, sharing personality traits, quirks, and interests with the people you surround yourself with most. While it’s unlikely you are surrounding yourself with unpleasant people, if you are the person who is constantly complaining, you may find that your peers either distance themselves from you or even begin to adapt to your negative habits. Hearing someone complain gives those around you permission to join in or even conjure up their negative, unhappy thoughts to add to the pity party.
    How To Stop Complaining
    While it may feel amazing to get some frustrations off your chest, it can be done in a positive, healthy, and uplifting way. There is nothing wrong with expressing how you feel, but keep it constructive to help you move forward rather than getting stuck or spiraling downward. There can be a middle ground between being a black cloud of negative thoughts and thinking you must throw the towel on venting altogether.
    If you’re ready to give complaining a rest, here are some tips that can set you up for success:
    1. Define complaining:
    When you start to realize the difference between a complaint and an observation, the conversation changes. If you are pointing out that it is cold outside, that is an observation. Stating, “It’s cold outside, and I hate living in this place,”- is a complaint.
    2. Track your complaints:
    Becoming aware of how often you complain can be shocking. Begin tracking how many times a day you are complaining. You’d be surprised to see after only a few hours how your complaints add up.
    3. Distance yourself from chronic complainers:
    Instead of becoming one of the complainers when listening to others during their rants, offer responses that are positive or uplifting instead of contributing to their vent session. Likely, those who prefer to continue complaining may no longer vent or complain to you because their brains aren’t being fed with negativity to satisfy their rant.
    4. Catch your complaining:
    If you find yourself caught in a complaining session, you can choose to instantly turn it around. Example: “I don’t like driving to work…but I’m grateful to have a job, a car, and the ability to drive.”
    5. Shifting from ‘have to’ to ‘get to":
    This could be one of the most pivotal ways to nip complaining in the bud. This simple switch turns your complaint into a choice. After all, everything we do and say is ultimately a choice. So when you say you HAVE to do something, it feels like a chore or something that’s a burden. But shifting the conversation to you GET to do something turns it into a privilege, a right, or an opportunity to express gratitude and appreciation. Example: Change “I have to go to the gym today” to “I get to go to the gym today.”
    The more you practice and work these tips into your daily life, the more second nature they will become. While complaining will likely not disappear entirely, the compulsory need to vent your frustrations may wane. You get to live a complaint-free life. What are your next steps to kick the habit?