Law of Attraction-Letting go of Self Pity
Nobody wants to hear about your aches and pains
Self-pity is an acid which eats holes in happiness.
Earl Nightingale
Maybe a few examples will give you a better idea about the kind of complaining that’s counterproductive. One of the most common areas of complaint is the subject of illness.
In this category are comments such as “My back is killing me” or “I have a terrible sinus headache.” Worse yet, some people get very graphic in explaining the gory details of their particular ailment (such as “I had this green stuff oozing out of my…”) and doesn’t it just make your day when your co-worker tells you that he or she is nauseous?
Let’s face it. What can I possibly do for you if you have a stomach ache? I’m not a physician – go to a doctor if you have a medical problem. More importantly, why are you telling me this? You might want sympathy, but all you’re doing is dragging me down and reinforcing your own suffering. Talking about pain and discomfort will only bring you more of the same – and encourage those around you to look for the exits.
When it comes to complaints about illness, the principle of escalation usually rears its ugly head. Here’s how it works. You tell your friend about the agony you went through with the flu. Your friend interrupts and says, “You think you had it bad. When I had the flu, I had a 104 degree fever and had to be rushed to the hospital. I almost died.”
Or, tell someone that your back or foot hurts – and count how many seconds it takes for that person to switch the conversation to his or her own back pain and aching feet. Complainers love to play this game – their pain is always worse than yours.
