How to Deal with Frustration

Frustration isn’t something that suddenly hits us out of the blue, it is rather something that builds up progressively over time. You might initially feel a little resistance at first. This resistance manifests from the fact that you don’t feel as though you are in full control of the situation. All of a sudden you start feeling a little anxious as you sense your inadequacies and limitations bubbling up to the surface. You have all these expectations about how things should be, but for one reason or another doubts start to creep into your head. Being mindful of these feelings will help you capture the precise moments of frustration.

Instead of stomping out of the room, immediately stop yourself and get curious. Get curious about this situation and about what exactly is getting you so worked up. Ask yourself what’s working and what’s not working for you. Moreover, figure out how exactly you are approaching this situation and whether or not this is actually the best approach to take. See your frustration as a problem or puzzle that must be solved. You know for instance that you can get this done — if you didn’t, then you would feel despondent. However, you are instead feeling frustrated. Use it as motivation to move yourself forward.

It’s time now to gain some clarity about what it is you want to achieve. In other words, what’s your goal? What are you trying to accomplish? What is the outcome you would like to realize? Your frustrations may very well result from the fact that you don’t quite understand what you’re working toward. You haven’t been clear enough, and subsequently the methods you have chosen to work through this puzzle haven’t gotten you the results you had expected. However, once you have the necessary clarity of mind, this will help you see things more clearly and allow you to move forward in more optimal ways.

Now that you have some clarity about what you want, it’s time to challenge yourself to view your predicament in a more optimal way. In other words, it’s time to shift your perspective of the situation and choose to view your frustrations as an opportunity or challenge to do things better. Your first objective is to identify what exactly has been working for you. There must be something that you have done well. Identify what that is and then also figure out the mistakes you might have made along the way. Now view those mistakes as helpful coincidences and use them as an opportunity for positive change.

In order to work through your frustrations in optimal ways, it’s vital that you think flexibly and creatively about your predicament. You’ve obviously struggled and made mistakes along the way. However, these mistakes haven’t been in vain. Making mistakes has helped you learn valuable lessons about what works, and about what doesn’t work in this particular situation. Use these learning experiences as a platform for finding alternative ways for getting things done. Maybe there is a better way to work through this that you hadn’t yet considered? Or just maybe someone else can help you think things through a little differently?

We all get frustrated from time-to-time. However, some people deal with frustration in more optimal ways than others. Those are of course the people who work with purpose. They turn their frustrations into a game and commit themselves to taking proactive and purposeful action until they solve their frustration puzzle. Turning your frustrations into a game will keep you interested and focused. It also stimulates your imagination and encourages a lighthearted playful approach to problem solving. Moreover, it challenges you to try new things — to take chances and risks in the pursuit of your goals.