Well, I’ve been sitting here with my laptop on, you know, my lap, hoping I could somehow magically make a blog post without thinking about it too much. I guess I didn’t really think that would happen, but I was hoping my stomach would stop hurting and I would start feeling a little less tired. Oh dear, there I go whining again. Sorry about that.
Ooh, here’s something to have some Monday Middle-aged Musings about: why do I complain so much and how can I stop? I’ll answer the second part first.
Complaining is basically a bad habit, and I have heard of a few good ways to stop bad habits. One very simple way is: when you notice yourself doing the bad habit, stop. Really, I read this somewhere. It is a matter of being aware of what you are doing and choosing to do something else. When I am complaining and notice I am doing so, the complaint has already been voiced. So then I say, “And now I’m complaining too much so I’ll shut up.” And then I try to (it is very difficult for me to not talk at all, but at least I say I’m going to).
Lately I have come up with a new technique. I try to counteract the complaint by saying, “But that’s OK, because…” and finding a silver lining or some such. For example, if I have been lamenting the fact that I am at work when I would rather be home, I might say something like, “But that’s OK, because this is not a bad job.” If I have been whining about feeling lightheaded, I often say, “But that’s OK, because at least I don’t have a headache.” Sometimes a complaint will get, “But that’s OK, because… I don’t know why, but I’m sure it’s OK.”
Regarding why I complain so much, well, I am fond of saying, “Always go with your strengths.” Who knows where these bad habits start? Sometimes it’s just the easiest thing to do. For example, the bad habit I have gotten into lately of making these foolish blog posts. Some of these posts are pretty bad. But that’s OK, because somebody might like to read a bad foolish post. I hope.
