But some people out there are consumed by their constant complaining. And it’s infectious. The more you complain the more you find and see things worth complaining about. And that’s not healthy. It’s not healthy for them, it’s not healthy for the people around them.

I can’t pay you for every minute you have to face something that annoys you—I’m really sorry—but that doesn’t mean you can still pretend I do and see what happens to your mind. You might be surprised.

On complaining – Manu

When it comes to personal improvement, this is one of the things I am constantly working on myself. I love to rant and unlike Manu here, I find myself sometimes consumed by one rant leading to another until my mood is sour while the thing itself hasn't changed.

Not numbing myself with youtube and podcasts had the biggest effect honestly. Once I stopped constantly feeding myself "content," I found that I was not really "enjoying" but telling myself a story of faux-productivity. I was just chasing a hit that made me forget about life and the problems facing me and thinking about something else.

Through this, my anxiety keeps growing as deep down I knew I was escaping from reality and not facing it. Instead I turn to writing now. Writing with pen and paper, ideally in some semblance of quiet and I don't worry about what comes up and just let the mind process.

It not only calms it down, but I usually find that I bring my anxiety down, thinking about the problem and this reinforces itself building a new pattern. The other thing I've heard work and sometimes seen work but never practiced is the walk.

The doorway effect is a fascinating effect I learned about recently. Doorways seem to be event boundaries that make us forget about what we were thinking. Now, this isn't the path to process. However, it does provide a less insidious path to getting past anxiety. Hence, going for a walk before you react. :)