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Go Complaint-Free for a Day

Quit your bellyaching — for better mental health

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 20, 2023

Updated April 20, 2023

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Quick Win

Replace negative thoughts and complaints with a focus on what you’re thankful for and happy about. This habit change may buoy your mood!

Try This Today

Choose your words. Throughout the day, refrain from voicing complaints or criticisms. Keep your comments positive and appreciative.
Find and replace. If negative thoughts come up — and they probably will — notice them and shift to something you’re grateful for.
Positive in, positive out. Have fun conversations with friends, listen to uplifting music or watch a comedy or feel-good movie to reinforce the good vibes.

Why

Complaining is a habit, but so is positive thinking. While some people are born optimists, research suggests that adopting a positive mindset may improve mental health. People tasked with writing letters expressing gratitude reported better mental health than those who wrote about their feelings and thoughts about stressful experiences, according to a study involving almost 300 psychotherapy clients reported in Psychotherapy Research in 2016. In a stud y of 233 adults reported in the journal Emotion, prioritizing positivity was linked to greater well-being.

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Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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