Health Notes, Dec 30th 2007, by Sarah Stacey

Lets have a good moan – NOT!

Complaining is a bit like indignation. When you’re the one doing it, it’s always righteous. The same goes for criticising – always constructive – and gossiping – just passing on essential information. Trouble is, the warm glow of being right (and others wrong…) is a fleeting phenomenon, which usually gives way to some degree of angst. Expressing ourselves in this way is actually a destructive habit, which directs our brains – and thus our lives - to be negative rather than positive, according to Will Bowen, the author of a new book called A Complaint Free World. He claims that ceasing to complain, criticise and gossip can bring about a transformation, no less.

‘Our thoughts create our lives. Our words indicate what we are thinking. You are creating your life every moment with the thoughts to which you give the most attention. Complaining is focusing on what we don’t want … and what we focus our attention on expands’ he writes. So the message of Bowen’s book is simple: cut out the ‘ear pollution’ of constant complaining, which he also likens to an addictive and toxic drug, and you clear the way to focus on the good and positive things that you want in your life.

If it all sounds too Pollyanna-ish for words, just see how you feel when you next have a good moan, or say something malicious about a ‘friend’. Exactly… If you consider the truly happy people you know, the common theme is that they complain very infrequently, and criticism and gossiping seem to be absent from their vocabulary. (And they are very soothing to be around.)

Living positively is, of course, the cardinal feature in countless self-help books. Where A Complaint Free World triumphs is in giving you a simple and, promises Bowen, effective way to achieve it. All it involves is a purple wristband (find at www.acomplaintfreeworld.org), or more pragmatically an elastic band. All you do is wear the band (dubbed a ‘doodad’ by his staff) on either wrist and when you catch yourself complaining (which the average person does about 20 times daily, he says), gossiping or criticising out loud - thinking doesn’t count, you’ll be relieved to know - you switch the band to the other wrist.

The aim is to notch up 21 consecutive days without having to switch the wristband so that your ‘mental hard drive’ is reformatted, and a new habit created. It may take many months, Bowen warns, to reach 21 days; the average is four to eight months – but stay with it and he promises you could find ‘less pain, better health, satisfying relationships, a better job, being more serene and joyous’.

The idea has become infectious with millions of individuals and groups in over 80 countries taking up the challenge. Schoolteachers tell him that classrooms are transformed. Offices are designating ‘no moan Mondays’. I’ve been trying Bowen’s challenge for a couple of days now, using a rather battered pink elastic band alternating with a beaded hair scrunchie for evenings... (bit more glam). At the very least, it’s curiously enjoyable to resist the temptation to moan or bitch or carp – though, as the rain beats down on my office skylight and I contemplate the dark days of January, I’m finding it difficult not to ask for a special dispensation to whinge about the weather….

To buy a copy of A Complaint Free World by Will Bowen (published by Virgin) for just £4.99 plus p&p from Amazon, click here.

Clearing spotty skin

Daily vitamin A has completely cleared the blemished skin of a 23 year old reader with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome): ‘I suffered red raw breakouts daily for two years, and had lots of congestion under my skin. I saw top dermatologists and took antibiotics but nothing worked until the pharmacist at Victoria health suggested Vitamin A. My skin is clear and radiant now; I still take the vitamin A for maintenance.’ Pharmacist Shabir Daya says it should also help acne and spots. Vitamin A 5000iu by HealthAid, £5.99 for 100 capsules. Click here to find on Victoria Health.

Toasty toes

Keep your feet warm with Carnation Silversocks: the silver-coated fibres conduct the heat. They may help prevent chilblains and are good for people with poor circulation, such as diabetics. Price just £5.99, available nationwide and from Victoria Health, click here.

Small Green Change

Make your own gorgeous shopping bags from recycled or vintage material; all instructions on www.morsbags.com Fun for kids, too.