Life isn’t the way it’s supposed to be. It’s the way it is. The way you cope with it is what makes the difference.
—Virginia Satir
The woman in the cartoon is a great example of Items #4 and 5 of the Traits of Stress-Hardy, Resilient People. She’s tolerant of imperfection and has a sense of humor. She doesn’t waste energy on things she has no control over.
What about you? Are there areas of your life where you get stuck in the complaining trap..where you get upset because life isn’t the way it’s supposed to be? It’s fine to see things that can be improved and figure out how to take action, but it’s all too easy to get stuck complaining. I find it takes vigilance to avoid that trap. What about you? Please share your thoughts and experience in the comments section.
Thanks to Robert, bikhikebabe and Dina for commenting on last week’s post.
I love to complain. I’ve never heard my husband complain. (He suggests I dust.) You’d think I’d learn from example, but I haven’t. I’ll try.
I disagree with myself. I don’t LOVE to complain. It’s not a happy moment when I’m complaining.
bikehikebabe,
I used to enjoy complaining, in a friendly, humorous way. It would let off steam, my spirits would lift, and I would get on with my life. The main thing is it didn’t keep me stuck. But my husband and I have now developed a no-complaining rule, which works, too. I think the difference now is there are too many things going on in the world that we don’t like. If we got started we might not be able to stop. 🙂
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