Do you know a chronic complainer?

1. 67

   BSloanposted 12 years ago

   Do you know a chronic complainer?
   
   Do you have a chronic complainer in your family, circle of friends or workplace?  How do you handle them or rather their complaints?
   
   

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2. 60

   duffsmomposted 12 years ago

   I think chronic complaining is a habit and the hallmark of it is that the suffer of the ailment thinks they are "positive Joes"
   
   I worked with a chronic complainer and it drove me nuts but I also had to watch out or I would end up joining her.  She read something into everything.  I like to say that she not only saw the glass as half empty, she wanted to know what happened to the rest in the glass and wanted to know why everyone was out to get her!
   
   I handled it by listening and nodding and saying uh huh--a lot.  I tried for a while to point out the positive things and it fell on deaf ears....so I sort of tuned her out and "partially" listened but didn't respond too much.
   
   Funny thing is that she saw herself as an up and positive person.

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   1. 79

      Charluposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      I know someone the same exact way and it makes me almost coocoo.  Just the other day I asked if she got up on the wrong side of the bed and who pissed in her Wheaties this morning (sorry it was just Ahhhhh)

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   2. 60

      duffsmomposted 12 years agoin reply to this

      It makes it hard to be positive when someone is so negative.  It is a real battle and in the work place can really make it miserable.

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3. 80

   Escobanaposted 12 years ago

   Worse even! I know a whole nation for being chronic complainers.
   
   Holland! They can find anything to complain about! Not all Dutch are the same but it's a killer to live in a culture like that.
   
   It's one of the reasons I moved to Spain though they tend to complain more these days because of the dramatic economic situation they're in.

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4. 79

   DreamerMegposted 12 years ago

   Yes. I listen for a while, then ask them what they intend to do about it. If it's something they can't personally do anything about (such as the world economy) I remind them of that old saying, "Grant me the courage to change the things I can, the serenity to accept the things I cannot and the wisdom to know the difference". I may have changed the words slightly from Reinhold Niebuhr's original.
   
   If it is something they CAN do something about (such as their personal economic situation) I ask them what they are going to do to change that situation, followed up by "and how will you do that", followed up by "and what action will you take", or similar, concluded by a summary of what they have said they will do. Then I leave them to get on with it!

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