Does Complaining Lead To Better Or Only To More Complaining?

I’m pretty sure I’m not alone in my fraught relationship with complaining.

Photo by Brett Jordan

Recently I’ve been complaining about certain things here and there. Personal matters of little significance for these lines. The concept of complaining, however, is a juicy one.

I don’t really enjoy complaining. At the same time, I’m not a stranger to it. In fact, I tend to feel like I complain too much. The thing is complaining doesn’t make me happy, but its outcome often does. The old adage about picking our battles applies here. Since I don’t particularly enjoy the process, I only complain when I feel I must. My challenge, then, is not complaining when perhaps I should, simply because I don’t like doing it.

Is complaining healthy or unhealthy, though? I think it’s both. Oh, great, Marti, thanks for the insight.

Seriously, in the absence of complaining, the risk lies in resignation and contentment at best and grievance at worst. When we complain, we let things out. It took me years to be gracious about my complaining, the same years I took to cure most of my own insecurities, I guess. When we don’t complain, we brood. The feeling of unfairness festers within us and prompts the most unpredictable outbursts. Indeed, I used to be known for my…