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The Right Way to Complain about Stuff
How you do it matters more than constant positivity.
Halfway through college, my friends and I got sick of listening to each other. We had a conversation about it, and came to this conclusion: You don’t always have to bitch about what’s bothering you.
Great advice. Sort of.
How do you decide when to vent, and when to shut up?
Some research has shown us that complaining offers a kind of cheap therapy. But it can also cement negative thought patterns. Your brain gets used to complaining, and soon that’s all it wants to do.
But let’s face it. None of us like a perpetually cheery person, either. We want license to bitch, at least for a few minutes. Bitching done right can put you in the mindset to create solutions.
Emphasis on “done right.”
Bitching also helps people bond. You feel closer to someone if you know you can trust them with some of your less optimistic opinions.
No matter how many ice breakers you do at work, the real bonding happens when you let your guard down. We want to share our real thoughts with friends, not just the happy ones.
Still, you can burn through relationships fast by talking about every single problem in your life. You…
