These are such brilliant tips.

I feel like the thing with complaining is that we often just end up going down the rabbit hole of grumpiness and misery!

For me, the more I complain, the more it drags down my mood - and makes me think the world is against me.

Whereas, when I complain proactively and politely - because sometimes it IS valid to complain - it makes me feel empowered.

If we can do something about it, it takes it away from just being moaning to being of service to the wider community. I want my complaint heard to stop others going through the same situation - and to educate, for example, a vendor.

Take a poor restaurant meal as an example. I don’t want every couple spending their hard earned cash on a night out to have an unpleasant dinner. If I complain, I’m helping them avoid that. Also, I don’t want that restaurant to close, so I’m educating the restaurateur to better serve their clientele. AND I get to proactively get rid of my own feeling of frustration. Win, win, win!

I definitely turn to the question you raise of “What can I do about this?” along with “Who am I helping by doing something about this?”

Thanks for this article - really thought provoking!