Filtering Frustration

I am a person who is easily frustrated. The wiki dictionary defines frustration as a common emotional response to opposition, related to anger and disappointment. It arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will.
I thank God for Wikipedia. But if that definition has you lost, allow me to further break it down - If I am not getting what I believe I should get, or able to achieve what I think I should be achieving, I am ready to throw a tornado type tantrum (and sometimes I might).


The perfect example of frustration based on the definition is a toddler trying to operate a toy and cannot, gets frustrated and throws the toy across the room before breaking into tears (hence the relation to anger and disappointment).

Every one gets frustrated. It it just the level at which the frustration presents itself that may be different as well as the way each individual handles it.
We are taught to suppress and control our emotions to be functional adults in society. Some people have suppressed so much of their emotion they explode one day and have what we call a nervous breakdown.
Sometimes we need to let our emotions out. If you are sad, why can't you cry? If you are angry, why can't you shout? If you are frustrated why can't you do both?

Of course a world of people shouting and crying and throwing mass tantrums would be impossible to survive in. There must still be control to an extent. Even though we may be able to cry and scream at home, we cannot simply wild out and smash all our good furniture and appliances - hence, we must be able to handle our emotions. So how do you handle frustration when it is at the point of overflowing into a rage that makes you want to turn into the Hulk and smash that project, business idea, homework, child, husband, lover, home situation or whatever is frustrating you?

I am not suggesting anyone head  to the rum shop. Though many people seem to seek solace in narcotics of many kinds. Alcohol, weed, cocaine, etc... may all numb the frustration (anger, grief) but we must be wary of the ways by which we control our emotions. The habits we choose can become addictive, then we have solved one problem by creating another.

Try to channel your negative energy into something positive. Try to re-direct your thoughts to something you are good at, something you CAN accomplish successfully. The feeling of achieving something can overwhelm the feelings of frustration. And then of course, we have to find out what is causing that frustration and take steps to deal with it (which is a topic for another blog entirely).


I am not a certified psychiatrist and if I was I would be charging by the hour for this info instead of putting it in a blog. But what I have discovered is that writing something that may help someone helps ME! For all of the ten minutes my hands have swept across this page, I am no longer frustrated about whatever it was that made me start this topic, and I feel good enough to head out and have a productive day.

And I hope all my readers have one too!
Bisous!!xoxo