We often can spot complainers, when it’s other people — they’re the kind of people who always seem to be complaining, negative, stuck in victimhood.
It’s harder to see it when we’re the ones who are complaining so often. And in fact, in my experience most of us are in the habit of complaining, either out loud or to ourselves. Myself included.
I’ve seen people who have gone on a “Complaining Diet” — where they don’t let themselves complain for a month. This is incredible practice. However, if we simply try to stop the complaining, we miss a wonderful opportunity to bring mindfulness to the process.
For example: if we are complaining, what is the emotion underneath the complaint? Could we practice being with that? Could we be with the fear that is at the root of the emotion?
With this kind of mindfulness practice, the complaint becomes an opportunity to be with our experience, to be with our fears and emotions, instead of simply shutting down a part of ourselves.
Let’s take a look.