After a really crappy day, sometimes the best medicine is unloading all my pent-up frustration onto anyone willing to listen. I can go on and on about a rude interaction at the DMV, a stubborn food stain on my favourite white pants, or whatever else has me on edge. And honestly, complaining can feel so good that it’s almost.
..addictive.
It’s no secret that venting has some legit mental health benefits . “When stress and agitation are brewing inside us, it’s important to find a release, get support, and move forward,” Ingrid Helander, LMFT, a couples therapist based in West Hartford, Connecticut, tells SELF. But in my experience, I don’t always feel much better after popping off.
In fact, sometimes I end up more riled up than I started. So I wasn’t surprised to learn that blowing off steam doesn’t guarantee relief—and in certain cases, it can actually be counterproductive. According to Helander, constantly complaining can just breed more negativity .
Not to mention, turning every minor inconvenience into a griping spree will likely strain your relationships too, she adds. To help you determine whether you complain too much, we asked therapists to lay out the biggest signs that complaining is dragging you (and your loved ones) down—instead of providing the cathartic release you were hoping for. 1.
You feel even worse than before Obviously, whining for half an hour won’t fix your problems. According to Helander, though, a productive complaining session can .