What is the definition of complaining? According to Google, “Express dissatisfaction or annoyance about something.” At that moment, I realized I could not say anything that I disliked. Not even “I don’t want to go to school,” or “I have too much homework.” I had to maintain a positive attitude for a week.
It all started when I had no inspiration on what to write. I surfed the internet and that’s when I came across the article I Went 7 Days Without Complaining by Melissa Dahl. My first thought was, “It can’t be that hard.” So I decided to put it to the test. For one week, I didn’t complain, zilch, nothing, nada.
It all started when I had no inspiration on what to write. I surfed the internet and that’s when I came across the article I Went 7 Days Without Complaining by Melissa Dahl. My first thought was, “It can’t be that hard.” So I decided to put it to the test. For one week, I didn’t complain, zilch, nothing, nada.
Day 1: SUNDAY
11:40 a.m: I lasted five hours. I didn’t even realize I had complained until afterwards. I was calling someone when they abruptly ended the call. I thought out loud, “Wow, she just hung up on me,” and froze once I realized what I had just said. I wondered if that was considered complaining. Which after a while, I guess it was. I’m kind of ashamed that I couldn’t even make it past one day. Day 2: MONDAY 11:40 a.m.: My friend snapped about her classes and the rest of my table mates joined in. They talked about what they hated and how things needed to be changed. It was a very heated conversation, but I couldn’t join in because, well, that would be complaining. They used wild hand gestures and emphasized certain words by getting a little louder. They seemed so into it, and I sat there only being able to nod and hum in agreement. In a weird way, I felt left out. |
Day 3: TUESDAY
6:30 p.m.: I slipped a little. I was telling my sister what I did wrong on a test and annoyance slid in. My sister said I was only complaining because I got the harder version of the test. I hadn’t even realized I started complaining until she pointed it out. I stopped the conversation and turned to do my homework instead.
Day 4: WEDNESDAY
3:30 p.m.: I was getting picked up when someone told me I should stop goofing around with my friend because I was making him uncomfortable. Automatically I wanted to argue because people don’t get our sense of humor and it’s none of their business anyway. I didn’t say anything because I shouldn’t have to explain myself to anyone. Yet, this person’s comment was stuck in my head. I decided to apologize if I made him uncomfortable. He texted back saying he knew I was trolling around. If I hadn’t taken the person’s “advice” and ranted all day, I would’ve still been paranoid whether I made him uncomfortable or not.
6:30 p.m.: I slipped a little. I was telling my sister what I did wrong on a test and annoyance slid in. My sister said I was only complaining because I got the harder version of the test. I hadn’t even realized I started complaining until she pointed it out. I stopped the conversation and turned to do my homework instead.
Day 4: WEDNESDAY
3:30 p.m.: I was getting picked up when someone told me I should stop goofing around with my friend because I was making him uncomfortable. Automatically I wanted to argue because people don’t get our sense of humor and it’s none of their business anyway. I didn’t say anything because I shouldn’t have to explain myself to anyone. Yet, this person’s comment was stuck in my head. I decided to apologize if I made him uncomfortable. He texted back saying he knew I was trolling around. If I hadn’t taken the person’s “advice” and ranted all day, I would’ve still been paranoid whether I made him uncomfortable or not.
Day 5: THURSDAY
6:10 a.m.: I woke up this morning proud of myself, even in my dreams, I stopped complaining. I dreamt about this girl who was complaining and ranting about something she hated, but I took great offence to it. I stood up from the table and started ranting back to her face, I suddenly stopped, gave her the death glare and said “I can’t complain,” and walked away thinking that she was lucky that I was not allowed to say anything. Day 6: FRIDAY 10:30 a.m.: We had an alphabet quiz in Vietnamese, where my teacher sounded out a letter, and we had to write what letter it was; it was the easiest five points. When my teacher said a certain sound, I wrote it down confidently, but when I got my paper back, the letter was wrong. Instead of writing “S,” I wrote the exact sound of the letter “Sh.” The exact sound that came out of my teacher’s mouth. When I realized what I had written, I burst out laughing instead of getting upset and complaining. Day 7: SATURDAY 9:00 p.m.: There is open gym for badminton at school, meaning my friends are going to be there. After making it through the last few days, today wasn’t hard. When I did “complain” while playing against my friends, I was just joking around. There was not a single complaint that I meant during the three hours at school. All my complaints were meant to make other people laugh. This week has been a rollercoaster ride. First day in and I felt like my freedom of speech has been taken away. It felt like not complaining meant not being able to talk. As the days progressed, I got the hang of it. I avoided the little things that bothered me and instead searched for the things that made me happy. I noticed throughout this week that there were MANY things that bothered me, and on instinct I would complain about it. But they weren’t necessary to complain about. Not being able to complain, I was able to ignore my dissatisfaction and quickly move on. However, there are just some things in life people need to get off their chest, things that should not be kept inside. That’s why I hated not being able to say anything. Now that my week is over, for some reason, my brain is still telling me that I am doing this challenge. I would say something, but my subconscious would tell me to stop. When I complained, it felt so foreign in my mouth and I felt a little disappointed for giving in. In the end, I stopped complaining about certain things. Overall, I feel like people should have the freedom to complain, though, there are just some things in life not worth complaining about. |