I would start with, what do you mean by venting? I noticed different people can have different definitions or ideas on what counts as venting. Yeah, some will equate it with complaining, and yea, even whining, like you are stuck in the negativity and not interested in solutions, and some will call it a vent too when you express the negativity to clear your head to be able to move on to solve the problem. The external observer of the negative expression wouldn't necessarily always be able to tell either which is the case.

Also what negative emotion is being expressed, anger or whiny self-pity?

You seemed to equate it with complaining. But you also mention letting feelings out....Complaining to me doesn't seem to be about letting feelings out, it seems to be like, being stuck in them rather than actually releasing them.

Constant venting, that does sound like complaining and whining and being sunk in self-pity.

So yeah I do agree that it would be just a burden for others if doing that at length or frequently or if you mix in a lot of strong anger too.

There is more to this. People also can't often tell if you are trying to talk about a problem to find solutions, without focusing on your own negative feelings, or if you are just complaining.

Personal experience: when I was in a very bad situation, I would try to talk to people about the problem to try and think out loud, to find solutions, or hear input from them, ideas, tips, sometimes perspectives. But most people will still read that as negative, and not neutral. I found that some did have enough people reading skills to pick up on how I was not looking for empathy or compassion, but just a discussion (intellectual solutions finding rather than emotional support).

But eventually I was just like, okay, I do way better on my own with that. I feel better too, lol.

But then I realised that I was keeping too much negative inside, and then trying to show it after so much bottling it up it would come out too strongly or too raw "emotion vomit". That was also no good.

Now I just try to deal with that too on my own, though. Just safer and more comfortable that way.

I don't know if it's to do with maturity or personal growth really. More just realising what works and what doesn't work for me. For others maybe they would go mad crazy dealing with things alone. For me it wasn't ever a real need to talk at length about my problems. Let alone complaining focusing on the negative and feeling negative at length, that plain drains me. I do way better if I just *do* things. Action plan, then do it.

Opening up and letting out feelings isn't really even about negative feelings to me. Showing some private arts work, or letting go and laughing hard at jokes together or mentioning a sensitive (but not negative) topic etc. Those are totally examples of opening up and letting out stuff without it involving negative emotions.

OK, hope some of this helped. I liked the topic so I wrote a bit about my opinions and experiences.