Have you received a call and as you looked at the Caller ID, you felt all of your energy or positivity immediately sucked out of your body? The energy evaporated before the call was even answered just in anticipation of the conversation that lied ahead. Everyone has that person or persons in their life that complains. I would be willing to bet that at least one person immediately came to mind just upon reading the title of this article. It could be a friend, a family member, a co-worker; or God forbid………all of the above.
It is healthy for a person to vent frustrations. For without a proper outlet, the frustrations can build up resulting in anxiety, depression or some other mental health problem. But, at what point does venting of frustrations convert into chronic complaining? Often when people vent; it is brief and then quickly thereafter their mood improves before engaging in more positive conversations.
However complaining people can suck the living lifeblood out of any positive person. The complaining is not brief but typically monopolizes the conversation. When the conversation is over, the person does not appear rejuvenated or in a better mood. In fact, if during the conversation you attempt to redirect to a more positive topic, the conversation migrates back to the negativity fairly quickly.
Every day is filled with both positive and negative elements. A lot of good can occur in a day with only an isolated incident of frustration (or bad); however, the nature of a complaining person will only focus on the bad element of the day. Often the person then feels a need to share the bad element with another – which will suck any positive energy immediately out of them.
Energy spreads – both positive and negative. Every action has a reaction. It is the reaction that defines our state of mind. Although energy is contagious, positivity often attracts while negativity often repels. In the end what is important is that we frequently and objectively look at ourselves to realize where our focus lies – are we spending more of our mental energy focusing on the positive or negative experiences of our day. But more importantly………..when we call someone; how do we honestly think they feel when our number appears on their Caller ID?
Husband, father, coffee connoisseur and lover of all things hockey. At 51 I sometimes wonder have I done enough. I have been married to my best friend for 30 years. She knows all my faults and loves me anyway, As a father of “almost always” perfect boys, I am always surprised at what life has to offer. It is messy, scary, thrilling, and always fun.
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