It is interesting to watch how we humans make ourselves miserable by complaining and resisting “what is”.
A great example is weather. It’s February. It is cold. It is snowy and icy. Even though the light of the sun never goes out, it is typically blocked by clouds, leaving many of us feeling dark inside our own minds.
Wherever I go, I hear complaints about the chill, the bad roads and the inconvenience that it all brings.
I notice how one person complaining seems to stimulate similar negative responses in others. The mood, the litany of complaints and the subsequent dark cloud of negativity spreads like an invisible virus that eats at your mood like a moth on wool.
Little by little our optimism is consumed and leaves us with holes in our minds. We feel uneasy, on edge, agitated, annoyed and uncomfortable, and may not even know why. All we know is we are tired of bad weather, so we talk about it.
As with many things we humans complain about, we cannot change the weather. We can, however, be more aware of the impact of dwelling on what we don’t like and don’t want.
If you fall in the camp of complaining about the things over which you have no control, perhaps you would like to exercise your greatest and most positive power to improve your mood instead. If so, my suggestion would be to shift from hating February to gratitude for your warm home, for your car that takes you where you want to go as you sit in your heated seat. Focusing on the enjoyment that comes with the comfort of sitting in front of a fire, the smell of cookies baking or eating delicious warm soups, or perhaps enjoying your favorite winter sport, will create a totally different experience.
Trying to change the unchangeable only digs us into a deeper hole of helplessness. It takes a strong muscle of gratitude to move us through February to March to April and beyond and to always find something to appreciate along the way.