Chronic complaining can be harmful to you and to your workplace. Becoming more positive can turn things around.

Whining, complaining, kvetching: Whatever you call it, chances are you’ve done your share—especially at work.

And while letting off steam can feel good at the time, constant complaining can make your life and the lives of those around you miserable.

With this in mind, here are some thoughts on the pitfalls of chronic complaining, how to complain constructively, and how to wean yourself off whining.

The Cost of Complaining
An atmosphere of constant complaints can make your workplace and your challenges seem worse than they are. That’s true whether you’re voicing your concerns or listening to those of others.

When you complain all the time, you’re less likely to see your job, your company, and your life in a positive light. That could harm your health, relationships, and ultimately your success.

Complain Constructively
Complaining to your coworkers about the same things day after day is a lot like whining about the weather—it doesn’t change anything. That said, there is such a thing as a constructive complaint. It looks something like this:

• You complain to someone who can do something about the situation.
• You conduct yourself calmly and professionally. The last thing you should do is approach your boss when you’re worked up about whatever is bugging you.
• You provide one or more realistic solutions to the problem you’re complaining about.
• You choose the right time to complain. Do it when there’s enough time to discuss the problem in depth, for instance, and not when the office is in crisis mode.
• You accept your role in the problem, if you have one.
• You’re sure the problem you’re complaining about is important enough to spend your personal capital on. People who waste the boss’s time carping about petty annoyances risk becoming petty annoyances themselves.

Be More Positive
Negative thinking, which lies behind a lot of complaining, can depress your mood, actions, and health. That’s why, on the flip side, mental health experts say it’s worthwhile to learn to think and act more positively. To do so:

• Train yourself to be more positive. Complaining about how bad things are can become habitual. Luckily, so can being positive, grateful, and optimistic.
• Imagine and write about a positive outcome to a challenging situation. Going into detail may help you find a realistic solution.
• Look for a silver lining. Sure, some workplace situations and people are tough to swallow. But positive elements might be hidden in the negative circumstances.
• Be a bearer of good news. Sharing positive developments with others can help you enjoy it even more.
• Notice and appreciate the good things in life. Try keeping a gratitude journal. Recording the big and little triumphs, achievements, and positive relationships at work can boost your mood.
• Avoid dwelling on the negatives in your work and home life. It’s easy to find something to whine about—if that’s what you’re used to looking for.

Shifting your negative outlook to a more positive one may take practice, but you can do it. In time you’ll find your need to complain is supplanted by a happier, healthier, more positive frame of mind.

By Barbara Floria, senior writer for Vitality. For more information, visit the American Psychological Association at www.apa.org.

© StayWell Custom Communications. Information is the opinion of the sourced authors and organizations. Personal decisions regarding health, diet, and exercise should be made only after consultation with the reader's own medical advisers. This material may not be reproduced for redistribution without written permission from StayWell Custom Communications.