Stop complaining

Lauran Stewart of tinybuddha.com exclaims, “We all complain. Even if you argue that you are the happiest person in the world, you still complain sometimes. Sure, a common complaint can bond two people  who may have nothing in common, but too much complaining would just break down the relationship.

"For example,”  Stewart said, “I once had a friend who constantly griped about her health, her family, her relationships, school, and the list goes on. Every time I hung out with her, I felt drained afterward. No matter what I said or did, it never seemed to cheer her up. There is no arguing that she was going through a tough time, but her negative attitude certainly made matters worse. Eventually we grew apart because it was more than I could handle at the time.”

Author George Sison, in his book, “A Miracle Awaits You,” writes, “Accept challenges without complaints. For many of us, one of the things we have to remove from our consciousness is the habit of complaining.  There is no reason to complain because God is simply saying, “You can handle this challenge!  You can always ask for guidance and I’ll help you. But if you keep complaining, I don’t deserve this.”

One morning when three tenants  called me and informed me that their roofs are leaking due to the heavy rain the previous night, I found myself blurting, "God what’s happening? How come there are so  many  problems with the apartments?” After I gained composure, I said, “Lord just help me with these problems, especially financially.”

I’ve learned not to complain  and just accept whatever  problems that come my way.  I just embrace it and ask the Lord to help me go through the rough time. Indeed, I have learned to complain less.

There are ways wherein we can stop complaining. Here they are as cited by our source:

Allow yourself to vent once in a while. Constantly ignoring your negative thoughts could add up. If you are really going through rough time, don’t be afraid to share your feelings with a close friend or family member. Don’t feel ashamed if you need to talk through negative feelings.

Train yourself to be less judgmental. We often complain about others because we think they are not up to our standards. Once you stop judging people without knowing their stories, you will most likely complain less about the things people do.

Make a list of things  you’re grateful for. Stopping for a minute and thinking of all the great things and amazing people in your life will probably put any silly complaints you have to rest.

Be the change you wish to see in the world. Next time you’re with friends, family, or co-workers and engaged in complaint fest, speak up or quiet down, either, speak up to stop the complaining, and change the subject to something sunnier, or simply be quiet and  don’t complain yourself.

Simply ask yourself when you open your  mouth: Would you rather complain or be  happy?