Overcoming Chronic Complaining

It has been said that complaining is like bad breath: you can recognize it in someone else, but not in yourself. A lack of self-awareness often accompanies complaining. When we complain, we focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have. We become more attuned to the negative than to the positive. Additionally, complaining causes us to fixate on our problems rather than on our provider, Almighty God.
Neurologists have noted that our brains physically change when we complain. This behavior leads to a rewiring of the brain toward negativity, affecting neural pathways and shrinking the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory and problem-solving. Doctors also assert that complaining releases cortisol, the stress hormone, which elevates blood pressure, weakens the immune system, and can result in a persistent state of stress.
I know from personal experience that when I fall into the habit of complaining, the medical results I mentioned earlier become true. I also notice that I feel physically weaker when I complain. I have to be careful, though, because if I allow myself to stay complaining, my inward grumbling can quickly turn into outward expressions and become chronic.
Thus, the key to overcoming a complaining mindset, even if it has become chronic, is two-fold:

First, let us be obedient to what the Scriptures say.

Philippians 2:14, "In everything you do, stay away from complaining."  The idea is to stop complaining and refuse to go there mentally.

First Peter 4:9 adds, "Be hospitable to one another without complaining."  A common complaint concerns our contributions to others. Whether we are helping them or meeting a need, the Bible instructs us to do so without complaining.

Secondly, we need to shift our focus to what is mentally healthy. Philippians 4:8 says, "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you."
By following Scripture's guidance on complaining and focusing on what truly matters, we will appreciate our blessings rather than lament our burdens, thereby overcoming the tendency to complain.