"Fact-ing" or Complaining?

Day 74: Declaring a "Complaining Fast"

There's a fine line between complaining and stating a fact. It's a very different thing to say "today hasn't been great" than to say "so many things today went wrong, I'm so unhappy, why me, etc. etc. etc." It's definitely something I think humans struggle with on a daily basis. But this negative attitude causes negativity in other aspects of our lives. It puts our loved ones in worse moods, it affects the way we perceive the world, it's actually really unhealthy for your mental state.

It's easy to walk through the door, kiss your spouse hello and tell them everything that went wrong in your day. It's definitely ok to say that things went wrong in your day, you can tell your spouse about them, but make sure not to leave out the positive things. Ok, so you got stuck in traffic or someone cut you off, you got 15 new bug bites today and you can't stop scratching, you had to spend your whole day with someone whose company you don't necessarily appreciate. But what went right? You had your favorite fruit as a snack? You read something that impacted you? A stranger smiled at you as they passed? It's the little things.

By stopping your complaints for a even a short period of time, you will find your level of happiness much improved.

I could tell you that I only got 4 hours of sleep last night, that I accidentally cut someone off in traffic today, that a car almost merged into mine later on, that the painters at my grandmother's apartment couldn't get the colors to match up. But no, I spent a great day with my grandmother, I had an amazing dinner with my parents, my mom and I went on a walk, and my dad and I watched an episode of Green Acres.

I tried all day to notice my line between "facting" and complaining and I think I found that perfect balance. Now, despite being dog tired, I'm a very content me, and I'll take a tired, content me over a wide awake unhappy me any day.