A cheerful heart is good medicine. Proverbs 18:22a

 

Research shows you probably do this once a minute during a typical conversation—we’re talking about complaining!

Left unchecked, complaining gets worse and can make you sick. Experts say, “Repeated complaining rewires your brain to make future complaining more likely. Over time, you find it’s easier to be negative than to be positive, regardless of what’s happening around you.[1] Complaining is bad for your health, releasing stress hormones that can lead to high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and strokes!

But humans have been complainers for a long time. There’s a story in the Bible about God miraculously providing food for His people in the desert (Exodus 16). In the barren wasteland, 600,000 people needed sustenance as they journeyed to the land God was leading them. So, God made manna, a sweet bread-like substance, fall from heaven daily to provide for the multitudes. But, as you can imagine, it didn’t take long before almost all 600,000 people were sick of eating manna every day (Numbers 11:4-6). When the people lost perspective on the miracle of God’s provision in their lives, they became complainers.

“A cheerful heart is good medicine,” God told us in scripture long ago (Proverbs 17:22) and in fact, mindfully shifting gears from complaining to gratitude takes that stress hormone back down, scientists confirm.[2]

Want to stop the super unhealthy habit of complaining? For 21 days, commit to taking five minutes a day to record even the tiniest things you’re grateful for. There are many “gifts” of God we experience daily without ever thinking about them. God says, “Be grateful in all circumstances” (2 Thessalonians 5:16-18) because He knows it refocuses our minds and leads to our health!

[1] Bradberry, Travis. “How Complaining Rewires Your Brain for Negativity.” Medium, Mission.org, 16 Jan. 2018, medium.com/the-mission/how-complaining-rewires-your-brain-for-negativity-96c67406a2a.

[2] Ibid.