By Andrea Arnold
In my opinion, social media has given people too large of an audience for their complaints.
This has opened up a whole new level of complaining.
For some people, it seems that nothing is ever good enough. That there is always something wrong in their world.
Some popular examples I have seen in the last six months or so on different social media platforms:
It’s too cold.
It’s too hot.
It’s too rainy.
It’s too smoky.
It’s too windy.
Complaints like these result in a mix of emotions for me. They are all environmental situations. I do not know of one individual who has control over the weather. I try (I can get frustrated with weather too), to adjust my perspective if any of the previously mentioned complaints spring to mind by considering the alternative.
It’s too cold……..Around here, it never lasts more than a couple weeks before the temperature warms up to a more bearable cold.
It’s too hot….In just a few short months, it will be cold and we will be wishing for warmer temperatures.
It’s too rainy….Crops need rain. So do humans. Keeping our world damp allows for farmers and gardeners to do their thing and to keep our forests safe.
It’s too smoky…I look at the smoke with sadness. But I am also thankful that the origin is not local. My heart goes out to those directly impacted by the fires.
It’s too windy…The wind blows in the smoke, but it also clears it out. Give it a few days or even a couple of hours, and the winds will shift or die down.
Shifting perspective isn’t always easy. I believe that having a more positive outlook on your day can help ease stress and increase happiness, so it is worth putting in the effort.
When I find myself slipping into the world of complaints, I make a conscious effort to find a few things to be grateful for. I head out on a walk and look past the everyday visuals and intentionally look at the details, often finding beauty and amazement.
Finding one or two things to be grateful for, can pull focus back out of the world of negative thoughts. If that seems like an impossible task, start with one thing. I’ll give you a freebee. On a really bad day, I remind myself to breathe deep, and be grateful for clean (usually) air.
