Don't Be Like a Fish Complaining About Water

Don't Be Like a Fish Complaining About Water

Please DON'T get me wrong. Nothing wrong in complaining because I did my fair share of complaining.  I lodged a complaint by escalating it to the Senior Vice President for Public Relations of a top-tier full service carrier voted as the world's best airline for four years by SkyTrax.  And to be fair to that top-tier carrier, they rewarded me with a free one-way regional fare [when I was homeward-bound at that time.  

But per se, there is just nothing wrong with complaining not until you realize that you are evolving to become a chronic one.  So the question is, DO YOU COMPLAIN TOO MUCH?  Whether while commuting, while ordering food over the counter, while driving thru 24/7 counters, while at work or even while at home with your loved ones, with your partner/spouse?

Oh, unless you are akin to that hapless fish about to be preyed by the barracuda?  Otherwise, don't be like a fish complaining about water.  It's not that most people sit around all day pointing out the negative in life.  That's far from it.  Most of us even actively seek to notice and talk about everything we have to be thankful for in life.  We may even frequently share special moments with our loved ones.  But in the end, we still find ourselves complaining more than we need to.  Most of us do need to vent frustrations from time to time, hopefully this is done in the context of solutioning.

True, we need to seek the opinions of those we trust when facing difficult choices or situations.  And that can be positive but it can also often involve sharing stories about problems.  Sometimes that slips into excessive complaining or gossip and oops, that can be a 'slippery slope'.  Point is, we need to be positive, period.  If that rings true to you, let's come up with plan to wiggle out of our foxhole.  

First off, we just need to be aware that we are moving towards being a chronic whiner, complaining here and there.  How do you fight this off?  Studies would often call it "THOUGHT STOPPING", that technique wherein therapists recommend for a variety of issues because it works well.  When an UNDESIRABLE thought enters your head, you literally INTERRUPT it with the mental image of a STOP SIGN and move on to the next thought. Next off, experts call it JOURNALING.  And indeed I've done this at some point before wherein the trick to effective journaling is to write about the problem and your feelings about it and then, brainstorm for solutions and see the positives arising from that situation.

And DON'T forget to seek support.  Social support is a great stress reliever and if you're lucky, you have some supportive people in your life to talk when you're down.  Instead of complaining to them, laugh with them.  If you face a bigger challenge, tell them how you're feeling, seek their thoughts, and then move on to the next topic.  Next time you fill-up the customer survey, it may not be a 1-star anymore.  Just Don't Be Like a Fish Complaining About Water❗❗❗