Emotional Benefits Of Complaining
Many times we can “complain” about grumpy people or people who ruin our day with a simple angry gesture. Many of these people who are “natural complainants” use their complaints as a strategy to vent their frustration.
The very act of complaining allows us to eliminate stress, release our frustration and regain the energy we need to overcome and deal with the problems we face.
So how can complaining be emotionally beneficial?
Different types of complainants
There are different types of complaints. No two complaints are alike. They depend on the source, the emotions experienced by the person in question, the emotional context and more. It is important to understand that not all complaints follow the same “negative” pattern, nor should they necessarily be avoided.
A clear example is the difference between complaining about an everyday situation such as the person we are dating not arriving on time compared to our boss’s sad attitude at work, week in and week out. Although the same word is used when we express our negative feelings, the background is completely different.
It is important to distinguish between the emotional tone used when we complain. If we are angry about something, complaining will give us the opportunity to release the discomfort and the excess energy produced by the dissatisfaction. We can say that it is good to think about the crucial moments of our negative emotions before we release our frustration in the wrong way.
Using complaints as an emotional resource
Complaining is an emotional measure that can be a useful tool for relieving tension and discomfort. But it is important to be a responsible “complainant”. If we are not careful, it can backfire. We can destroy relationships by repeating our complaints too often.
If we experience strong negative emotions and a problem arises with another person, we are likely to exaggerate our response. If we had expressed our negative feelings before the situation arose, we might not have exploded. Let’s say you wake up to discover to your horror that you have no milk for the coffee. If you do not complain at that very moment, you will not let go of the negative energy that the situation has generated and the next person who crosses your path may be the one to pay for it.
Finally, complaining excessively or constantly feeling uncomfortable or dissatisfied is a good indicator that we are doing something wrong with our emotional management. When we identify this excess of negative energy, it can be a good opportunity to try to end our work day a little earlier and go home to enjoy an activity that we know will make us recharge our batteries with positive energy.
It is very common to come home after a hard day at work filled with pent-up negative energy and frustration after not being able to let it out during the work day. By making complaints in silence completely to ourselves or out loud, it allows us to release this stored tension which eliminates our possible bad mood so that we can sleep much better when we go to bed.
Complaining is good, but we should not exaggerate
When we express a complaint, we need to think about what we want to achieve with it. Complaints are most effective when expressed on their own, regardless of any request for further action.
A good complaint at the right time can be very useful, both to free us from a negative emotional state and to enable us to change our perception of our immediate environment, but remember that complaints, especially when dealing with others people, can quickly get a snowball effect beyond control.
It is good to be aware that complaining can work temporarily, but the discomfort and negative feelings we feel inside will come back in time if we do not find a solution for them. That being said, it is important to develop other strategies to solve our problems.
