There is always something that we do not want to do or are just not feeling at the moment. That is when the phrases in whining tones are expressed. Annoyingly, these carry on. Nobody wants to listen to them. More than likely, everyone does this at least a couple times a day. These phrases are mopey, pessimistic, and fretful. These phrases are complaints. The noun, complaint, is a statement that a situation is unsatisfactory or unacceptable. Walking to the kitchen, wondering what is for supper, “Ugh, meatloaf again.” The adjective, complaining, is the act of expressing this dissatisfaction or annoyance about something: “This meatloaf is so gross.” However, I eat the meatloaf anyways because I don’t have many other options, and it wasn’t even that bad. Overlooking the situation, did complaining about the meatloaf change my outcome of what I ate for supper? Nope, it did not, so why did I bother?

We all complain, even though it doesn’t help us. Our complaints have plenty of causes:

Tired. Number 1. Of all complaints, being tired is the most popular. Tired is defined as the need of sleep or rest; weary. Going through teen’s minds each and every morning and often into the day, is the complaining phrase, “I’m tired.”

It’s heard in school, at work, practice, and home: “I’m so tired.” We may be tired, but do we really need to express it that much? Take for example, Georgie. She lays her head down on her desk in class and complains about how tired she is because she couldn’t sleep the night before. She has a full class schedule and a game after school. Her body and mind need energy. Before Georgie says she is tired too many more times, she should try to change her mindset and consider the following questions:

Is this complaining doing her any good? Where is it getting her?

Repeatedly saying “I’m tired” could possibly even make us more tired. Giving into the weakness, fessing up to it, and complaining about it drags more energy from us.

Even if we're not the sleepy kind of tired, we could be tired of the same things and the same results. Waiting for change and stuck in a loop can get tiring. We seek change and our way of doing so is complaining about it, thinking that’s going to make a difference. Although, complaining doesn’t help, it only makes it worse.

Hungry. Number 2. This complaint is heard almost as often as being tired. Sometimes, the number one and two complaints go hand in hand. It could be early morning or late at night, and someone is going to be hungry. Do not worry; you’ll hear about it. When complaining about hunger, it is said with a small or large tone of anger: “I’m hungry.” Google defines hungry as feeling or displaying the need for food.  When someone gets really hungry they can become angry.

Hangry is the portmanteau, or blend of words, of hungry and angry. It is classified as an adjective that describes being irritable due to hunger. Social media really puts this statement out there by using this term in memes. Most portray a ‘before’  image of someone angry and then ‘after’ image of them calm or happy. Showing the difference in their emotions from when they are hangry and after they have eaten. Snickers also uses this idea in their commercials. There is always someone overreacting, screaming, or mad. Somebody will tell them to “Eat a Snickers.” They eat the candy bar and their appearance and state of mind returns to normal. That is how Snickers acts out their slogan, “You are not you when you are hungry.”

Exaggeration is easily bolded when you are hungry. The word hungry turns into sttaaarrrrvvvvviiiiiinnnnnnngggggggg. This is totally exaggerated since you are not on the verge of dying from hunger. That is when complaining is taken to the next level.

The more you complain about being in the state of hunger, the more you think about it. Food is running through your mind, making your mouth water. Food might not even be around, which means you have to wait until it is available. If you are constantly thinking about being hungry and complaining about it, it’s going to aggravate the feeling. Accept the fact that you are hungry. You’ll be ready to eat when the time comes, but you must be patient until then.

Bored. Number 3. This complaint is a kids favorite line. “I’m bored.” They could be at home on a rainy day or sitting at a party with their parents. They don’t know what to do with themselves, so they complain about it. Google defines bored as feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity.  

There are a few different types of boredom:

The legit bored. Maybe there really is not something to keep you occupied, so you are in desperate need of anything to do. I mean anything. Sometimes people get bored to the point where they will clean, read a book, or eat.

Maybe you’re just bored and want something to eat. My brother, Carter, confesses up to this all the time. I will see him go from the refrigerator to the cupboards and back to the refrigerator, eating a little of this and a little of that. Not sure what to do, he hangs out in the kitchen eating whatever is in sight. This occupies him for a few moments until he realizes what he is doing, which only makes him realize that he complained about being hungry, but in reality he was only bored.

The type of bored where you just are not satisfied really causes the dragged out complaints. Mainly because you are not opening your mind to other activities. Plenty of opportunities are available to you; however, none of them are meeting your standards at the moment, so you push them off and still claim yourself as being sooo bored. You had your shot, but you did not take it type of thing.

Or bored with how life is going: same old same old, need some excitement, something new.

With regards to this complaint, my mom has always told me “Only boring people are bored.”

Another thing that my mom likes to express when my siblings and I complain about there being nothing to do is she says, “There is always things that need to be done” or “I’ll give you something to do.” Mom does a perfect job of making us run away and find something to settle us away from doing chores.

Busy. Number 4. A complaint that really makes what you are complaining about more real. I have so much to do. I don’t have time. I’m too busy. Usually when this is said, it is the reality. True, there is a lot of business around. Things need to be done at home, school, and work. There are places to go and people to see. “Not enough time in the day,” is what you will hear people say. Google defines busy as having a great deal to do. Being busy keeps one occupied, continuously. Seeking out for a break, they complain.

For example, Alex has a paper due the next morning, but she also has a whole to-do list that needs to get done for the week on top of all the activities she is supposed to attend. Alex has been on the busy grind going on a few weeks now and the completion of this paper is giving her a hard time. She complains about how busy she is and how she does not have the time nor energy to write the paper.

People are going on and on about this and that, how they must finish this, go here, then there, fix this and go get that. People are not realizing they are setting themselves back by wasting minutes complaining about the time they don’t have rather than using that time to move forward.

Overall, complaining does not help you out any. In actuality, it usually just sets you back farther. Therefore, why bother complaining? Yes, it is easy to do, and most don’t even realize they are complaining when they do. It’s the action taken when something is not going your way. Is it necessary? Complaining does not fulfill our wants or needs, it takes a bit more than whining to turn the effect around. Why not start off investing your breath into fixing the situation, since complaining is not worth it?