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8 Ways to Stop Complaining. Take The No Complaining Challenge Today!
- Kristi Hurley
- May 30, 2017
- 7 min read
Updated: Oct 29, 2024
Hey there! I hope you all are doing well! Thank you for stopping by! I am thrilled that you are all here!
Since this is the first week of summer for my kiddos & many others, it seemed like a great idea to talk about complaining! We all know that it is very easy to do! Right? Today, I will be giving you all 8 ways to STOP COMPLAINING & I will share with you the 7 Day No Complaining Challenge!
The whole reason I started this blog is to help others become aware of their thoughts, shift their mindset, learn to live with gratitude, create happiness in their lives, live life with positivity, & help them to realize that we are in control of how our lives go. Life doesn’t just happen to us…. we create our lives & we get to choose what kind of life we want to have!
It may sound silly, but it is true!!!
The power that we have as humans is unbelievable…if only we all understood & believed that!
This is why I want to share the subject of complaining! Complaining is so incredibly toxic for you & for all of those around you! Unfortunately, it is so easy to do that we have all found ourselves doing it! Right?
We seem to find things to complain about that we can’t even control like the weather, traffic, etc.! I know that one can be easy for me!
I want you to take a moment & think of things that people usually complain about….
The weather.
The house being a mess.
Too much to do.
Not enough time.
WORK.
People at work.
MONEY.
Family.
Homework.
Laundry.
Being BORED. (Kids 🙂)
Tired.
Overweight.
Traffic.
ETC.
Do any of this sound familiar to you? Unfortunately, I have caught myself complaining about all of these categories at some point & it is a horrible thing to do!
On a side note…. I have to laugh, because as I am writing this to you my 2 beautiful younger children are outside detailing my car, fighting, & complaining as they are doing it! I literally just have to laugh about it before I head out to have the talk with them! The struggle is real…lol!
Honestly, summer has just begun & this is EXACTLY why I am tackling the subject of complaining this week! 🙂
I promise you will always get what is real & sometimes crazy at my house, but I want you to know that we all have the same obstacles to tackle throughout our lives & the only difference becomes how we handle them!
With that being said…if you are here, you are obviously interested in changing your lives, right? Well, the perfect place to begin is to STOP COMPLAINING!
If you have read my other posts, you’ll already have a grasp on becoming aware of your feelings & thoughts & you should know the importance of finding 10 things to be grateful for in the morning, the importance of laughter, but maybe the most important lesson is to stop complaining!
Complaining is annoying & negative, but it is also incredibly bad for your health & for those around you! Think for a moment…have you ever been in an incredibly good mood & ran into a good friend who couldn’t stop complaining? What happened to your mood? It just dampened, didn’t it?
I want to take a minute to show you how powerful complaining is & the negative affects it can have on you & others!
Complaining stops gratitude right in its tracks. You cannot complain & have gratitude at the same time. It is impossible!
Complaining makes others uncomfortable & unhappy.
Complaining becomes a way of thinking.
Complaining is a very easy habit to pick up.
Complaining becomes your vision and your leadership.
Complaining causes stress which is terrible for you.
You are who you hang out with. So, if are with others who continually complain, you will get sucked into that habit & do the same creating more negativity for all of you!
Complaining may be the biggest killjoy there is. When you complain about your situation in life, what you’ll get is a lot more to complain about.
Complaining is truly a conditioned response to the parts of life we don’t like. Most times, we don’t even know that we are doing it. We even complain about things over which we have absolutely no control, like the weather or traffic. No wonder why we feel drained by the end of the day.
Complaining is also very contagious. It spreads, and it brings others around you down. You’ve heard them — the people who go on and on about their parent, spouse, sibling, neighbor, friend or boss who never stops complaining.
Just reading that drains me…. what about you?
Now that we are aware of the negative effects of complaining, you may ask how do we stop this habit of complaining, this negativity?
We have been conditioned by society to think more on the negative side than positive which makes it easy for us to complain just about everything! This is why it is so important to really become aware of your thoughts! If you haven’t noticed everything that I have talked about so far centers around being AWARE of your thoughts! Right?
There is a reason for this…. being aware & retraining your brain can CHANGE your LIFE!
Here are 8 things to do to help you to stop complaining:
1. THINK before you SPEAK!
Think about what we are complaining about? Is it valid? How else can we express our feelings, or do we need to say anything at all? Will it help to complain about it or does it bring negativity to those around you?
2. Turn that negative into a positive!
If I want to complain about having a headache, which sometimes I do, I stop, think, & say to myself “I am so glad I am starting to feel better!” The funny thing is that once I continually say this to myself, I honestly start to feel better!
Complaining about it only draws more attention to it which in turn makes my head hurt more! Being grateful for something brings about more to be grateful for!
3. Be GRATEFUL every day!
I know I say this over & over again, but it is so important to learn!!!
Write down 10 things you are grateful for each & every day & you will find more & more things to be grateful for! It is truly a magical gift that will keep giving & take away the complaints & negativity!
4. Make sure you hang around positive, grateful people!
The less that you are around complaining the less you will complain! The best advice has always been…you are who you hang out with! Make sure you choose wisely! 🙂
5. Exercise!
When I am crabby & I can’t find my way back to my happy self, I go on a walk or run! Being outdoors, by myself, helps to clear my mind. I can then focus on what I am grateful for instead of what I want to complain about! I don’t want to spread my mood to anyone else!
6. Write!
It is important to keep a journal of some sort to write in. Writing is very therapeutic & writing your feelings down on paper usually clears your mind, as well as heals what may be bothering you! I have been writing in journals for over 10 years….it is the most amazing therapy & such a great tool for you to measure your growth over the years!
7. Laugh!
We have talked about the importance of laughter! If you feel those complaints creeping up in you be proactive & sidetrack your brain! Yes, you are in control & have the power to derail all negativity! You just have to be aware of it!
Before you start to complain out loud take a moment & think of all of those who have less than you have in life!
Especially when you want to complain about how you feel or how little money you may have! Think of those with terminal cancer & how they must feel or think of someone who literally lives in a shack, without food. That truly centers me & puts me back on track to where I need to be! It certainly goes back to being grateful for every single thing that you have in life!
These are very important life changing lessons to learn & to teach your children!
If your children complain a lot, you must be aware that they may get it from you or whomever is in your home. I like to see my children as little mirrors, because they truly mirror what my husband & I do….it is scary at times, but a very important & accurate lesson for us all to learn. It goes as the old saying…” you are what you eat” same exact thing “your children are whom they have learned from”.
Yikes, right? 🙂
Don’t worry it is NEVER too late to make the change! This is exactly why I am here! I have made all of these mistakes in my life! I am still very aware of them & I still make mistakes, but I have made it my life mission to change & it has been the most beautiful & rewarding mission ever! I have NEVER been happier & I see that in reflected in my children & that is the best gift ever!
So let’s all go on a 7 day NO COMPLAINING challenge! I CHALLENGE YOU!!!
If you haven’t already read my posts leading up to this regarding being aware, gratitude, & laughing make sure to do so as it will help you to get through the next 7 days!
I would LOVE to hear from you all & see how you’re doing, as this is an incredible challenge for anyone! I promise that if you start each day by being grateful for 10 things that you have in your life, you continue to be aware of your thoughts & feelings throughout the day & take some to do some much need giggling you should have NO PROBLEM not complaining!
I am excited to be on this life changing journey with you all & I know we CAN do this! Let’s have some fun with this…please share your comments when you have saved yourself from complaining, or even share your complaints, whatever it is…it is time to make a change & we can do this TOGETHER!
Let your kids on this challenge! That will make it even better as we can be held even more accountable! Let’s make it the most amazing week yet guys! We got this!!!
Download your NO COMPLAINING WORKSHEET HERE!
7 days to go!
We got this!
Much love to you all,
Kristi 🙂
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