I wish there was a light in my kitchen that would glow green when it is safe to take my bra off. Seriously, isn’t that the first thing you want to do when you get home? I get in the door, drop my things, pet the dog and then wonder, “Can I do it yet?” I’m always nervous if I unlatch too soon, the doorbell will ring or one of the kids will have a friend stop by. So then I end up staying holstered hours longer than I really need to. Again, the light would be helpful. A little red light/green light for bra safety. Why doesn’t someone invent that?

And while I'm at it, you know what I really can’t stand? Pumping my own gas! Someone invented a self-serve gas system and now there’s no other way. I long for the days of sitting in the warmth of my car while some handsome young man asks me if I’d like regular or premium. He’d even be interested in what my oil looked like and I admit I always let him look.

Why all of this complaining today? Because we are starting a complaint cleanse and I just need to get some of it out of my system before we commence. We found this research that says too much complaining actually changes your brain. That’s crazy! And falling down the rabbit hole of negativity doesn’t feel so great either. We’re going to see how long we can go, and we hope you’ll join us. Just don’t ask me how I am if you see me in the next few weeks.  We are starting our cleanse on November 14th and it’s going to be like Fat Tuesday for me. I’ll be enjoying some bellyaching for awhile about bras and hot guys who work in gas stations and who knows what else. After that, complaint free zone I promise Kim!!

When we complain, our bodies release the stress hormone, cortisol, which has many negative downstream effects on our overall health and wellbeing. Recent studies have proven that cortisol harms the neural connections in the areas of our brain used for problem solving and other cognitive functions. Therefore, complaining is not just bad for our bodies, it’s also bad for our brains! And what’s worse is that this is also true when we listen to someone else complain. Experts say that listening to others complain is as bad for our health as secondhand smoke!

So how do we go about changing our propensity to complain?

• All change begins with awareness. Start by paying attention to how often you complain. You may be surprised when you begin tracking your complaints!
  
• Limit the amount of time you spend with chronic complainers. And when you must be around them, try to respond with something positive rather than joining in on the rant session.
  
• Shift your focus from the problem to the solution. Harping on the problem won’t do anything to change it. Identify the problem, and then shift your attention to finding a positive solution.
  
• Look for the silver lining by adding a “but”, followed by a positive statement. For example, “I really hate this rainy weather, but I know that the water is necessary for the plants to grow.”
  
• Reframe the way you look at a problem by changing “I HAVE to” to “I GET to!” For example, change “I have to make dinner” to “I’m so fortunate that I get to make dinner for my family!”

Join us for an interesting experiment that we think will help change your outlook to be more positive. We are calling it a Complaint Cleanse, and we challenge you to see how long you can go without complaining.

Let us know how you’re doing either on Facebook, Instagram or send us an email.

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