We all complain. It doesn’t matter if you are the happiest person in the world. You tend to find yourself complaining every once in awhile about certain things. But have you ever met someone who just complains pretty much about anything they can think of? Yeah, me too. It’s pretty upsetting and could eventually have a strong effect on you as well especially if someone close to you that you see often complains all the time.

So I want to share with you the top five ways to complain less and to be happier. Here are some tips to stop the complaining and get rid of the negative thoughts so you can focus on the positives and find solutions.

1. Appreciate what you have and be grateful

What I do when I catch myself complaining about something irrelevant, I take out a piece of paper and write down ten things that I am most grateful for in life. Appreciating the amazing people in your life should eventually put those negative thoughts to rest.

2. Is this worth complaining over?

Ask yourself, why am I complaining? Is this going to solve anything or is this just going to cause even more distress in my life? Think about that.

3. Change the way you think

This is obviously easier said than done but our brains tend to gravitate towards the negative. Whenever you find yourself saying a negative comment either to someone or about something, stop yourself and say something and replace that thought with a positive one.

4. Stop judging

Remember, don’t judge a book by its cover. Everyone has a story and just because we don’t know the full story, let's not make conclusions right away. If we stop judging without knowing their stories, we will most likely complain less about that person and the situation.

5. Practice mindfulness

Everyday is busy for most people and involves a lot of intense focus and energy. So why not end the day with pure relaxation and mindfulness to ease away all of the stressors of the day. Meditation is something that I have been practicing for awhile and let me tell you, it's been an amazing experience.