Hi, my name is Laurie and I’m a complainer. Well, they say the first step in recovery is to admit you have a problem, right? But then again, who are “they”?
Tonight’s Bible study, led by Charles, was about complainers. Did you know that 65% of people are living unhappy lives? An average person complains 15-30 times a day. That’s a lot of complaints. I know I complain even though I’ve been trying not to. At least I’m not as bad as some people I know. Some I think would die if they couldn’t complain about everything happening in their life.
Kids complain about parents, parents about kids. We complain about our spouses, jobs, finances, politics, and even our churches. I know that I tend to complain about small things, things that really won’t matter in the long run.
What can we do to stop complaining?
- Pray. Ask God to help you eliminate the urge to complain.
- Except responsibility. If you are unhappy, it’s because of you. As Steve Pavlina writes, “Complaining is the denial of responsibility. And blame is just another way of excusing yourself from being responsible.”
- Think and say positive things. Replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
- Remember the old saying, “if you can’t say anything nice don’t say anything at all.”
- Distance yourself from those you know are complainers.
- Realize that you can’t control everything in life. Complaining cannot better the situation but it can make it worse.
- Take time and learn to de-stress and relax.
Old habits are hard to break and unfortunately you won’t be able to stop complaining overnight. But with a little time and effort you can be a happier person that people enjoy being around.
Do you complain more than you want too? What are your biggest complaints? What are going to do about your complaining? Please, feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, I won’t complain.
