i give you permission to complain more

ur welcome

Every once in a while, aka basically every day during finals season, I feel like a limp noodle who should be studying or cleaning or “being productive.” Right now, I’m sitting in the dining hall with friends who are very much studying. Meanwhile, I’m making the following meme:

ur mantra for when things suck

I made this meme because I think you should complain more if you want to. I’ve noticed that often when I say I am a limp noodle, I don’t mean that I want to be a complete degenerate forever. I just want to vent. If I go ahead and be productive right away, I’m suppressing the part of myself who knows that some tasks are just complete and utter bullshit.

It's okay to not want to do things you "should" do. Simply admitting what you’re actually feeling about the task can make the work bearable. My best friend and I like to lean into really hating things and truly getting to complain: we’ll lay in bed under the covers and pretend we’re six and throw small pretend tantrums about doing work for a few minutes, while the other person indulges us a little and speaks in a baby voice and eventually forces us to get out of bed, and suddenly we’ll feel way better.

So yeah, I really fucking hate studying for my geometry class and think that it’s bullshit that I’m going to have to memorize twelve proofs and translate a bunch of classical Greek for a math class. And yeah, I really hate cleaning because I am a hobgoblin who likes to be messy. And you know what? It’s okay to have things I really despise doing, and to eventually do them anyways!

It’s okay to complain! I give you permission to make complaining your love language. Feel free to throw a few fake tantrums just because you want to. And as always, feel free to comment with any complaints you have.

Thanks to Lucy Liang for talking about complaining with me.