Some cheese with my whine?

I’m a complainer.
I realized this the other day when, after griping about my overnight shift, my husband, who always has to listen to these gripes, said to me, “Amy, every shift is different but your complaints are always the same.”

He’s right—different circumstances abound in my line of work, but I always whine about the same stuff. And I realized that all this complaining is getting me nowhere. I’m just miserable lately. Um, and I’m making my family quite unhappy, as well.

Basically I had an epiphany: I actually have some control over my reactions. I can respond instead of react to some of the things I dislike about my job.

So, I made a list of things about my job that I don’t like—ok, HATE. Because I’m so grumpy my list is kind of long. I crossed out the stuff I can’t change (like the hours I work, having run-ins with difficult patients, the stress level) and decided to work on the items that were left (like my sore feet, the grouchiness I share with my hubby when I get home, and the fact that I never seem to get a lunch break).

My first order of business—the first change I am going to make from my list—is to tell my husband something positive about every shift I have when I get home. Baby steps! Then I’m going to get some new shoes. As for the lack of lunch breaks, I welcome suggestions!