The Complaint Challenge: How Shifting Your Focus Can Rewire Your Brain

By Coach Onowa

Did you know that humans complain between 15 and 30 times a day? 🤯

At first, that might sound like a lot—but when you think about it, complaining is actually a shared way people connect.

✔️ “Ugh, this weather is terrible.”
✔️ “I barely slept last night.”
✔️ “Traffic was the worst this morning.”

Sound familiar? It’s completely normal! But what if we got curious about our complaints and tried a different approach?

The Science of Complaining: Why It Can Hold You Back

Research shows that frequent complaining can rewire the brain, making us:

❌ More problem-focused instead of solution-focused
❌ More likely to stay stuck in negative thought patterns
❌ Less creative in finding ways to improve our situation

Complaining trains our brain to look for what’s wrong—but the good news? We can retrain it to focus on what’s possible.

Try This: The Mini Complaint Challenge

What if, for a day (or even an hour), you simply paused before complaining?

🔹 Step 1: Observe – Notice when you’re about to complain.
🔹 Step 2: Pause – Ask yourself: “Is there a different way I could express this?”
🔹 Step 3: Shift – If possible, reframe it with curiosity or a solution.

💡 Instead of: “This meeting is going to be so boring.”
✨ Try: “I wonder if I can find one interesting takeaway from this meeting.”

💡 Instead of: “I’m exhausted.”
✨ Try: “I need to make rest a bigger priority tonight.”

The Power of Focusing on Solutions

When we complain less, we open up space for:
✅ Problem-solving – Finding ways to improve situations
✅ Gratitude – Noticing what’s going well instead of what isn’t
✅ More energy – Complaining can be draining, but curiosity fuels growth

Challenge Yourself Today

For the next 24 hours, see how often you catch yourself complaining—and experiment with shifting your perspective.

💬 I’d love to hear: What do you notice? What shifts for you when you complain less? Drop a comment below!

With curiosity and possibility,
Coach Onowa