Begin Again

(This entry to my blog is authored by my friend and colleague, Dr. Laura Ellick)


Don't Complain, Begin Again!

With the economy having taken a nose dive, people are working harder than ever, but are still struggling financially. I have noticed that when unfortunate events happen, people have a tendency to "bond" by complaining to each other about all of the bad things happening to them. However, focusing on the negative has a tendency to bring one's mood down even further. Have you ever interacted with a "Debbie Downer?" Did you feel better or worse after listening to her litany of complaints?

Negative tends to attract negative. My challenge to you for this month is to observe how often you complain. A complaint can be something simple, such as "Ugh, my back is hurting again." Instead of focusing on the negative energy created by the complaint, I'd like you to try to "begin again."

In other words, try to find a solution to the problem instead of wallowing in the negative mood state. So, if your back is hurting, you may want to say to yourself, "Hmm, I'd better go back to my stretching exercises. They really helped last time." Sometimes, we complain because we feel powerless to change a situation.

I believe that there is always a way to change a situation or at least change the way we handle it. When you do this exercise, don't be surprised if you find out that YOU are a "Debbie Downer" at times. That's OK--just "begin again!" A great website for encouragement on learning how NOT to be a complainer is www.acomplaintfreeworld.org.


Contact Information
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email: lacwm93@optonline.net
phone: 516-635-6186
web: http://www.strengthwellness.com
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