Exacerbate: to irritate; to exasperate; to inflame angry passions; to make a problem worse.

Complaining about you problems rarely improves your plight.  In fact, complaining usually exacerbates the problem.

Exacerbate comes from the Latin verb exacerbare (to irritate, provoke, enrage). 

Exacerbare derives from ex (out; out of) and acerbus (harsh, strident).  Acerbus derives from acer, acris (bitter, pungent, sharp, sour).