It is very likely that at some point in your life you have felt frustration. If you have never experienced it, perhaps you have heard someone around you, or in the media, talk about frustration. Despite being a common emotion, on many occasions we feel that it is difficult for us to manage it.
In this article we will explain what frustration is, what its causes are and the impact it can have on our daily lives. All this will help us understand why it is so important learn to manage frustration. We will delve into this topic by exploring different tools that can help us.
Frustration is a common emotion among human beings. That is, anyone, of any age, can feel frustration. It usually appears in situations in which a desire or expectation cannot be satisfied.
It is considered to belong to complex emotions and derives from the basic emotion of rage. Therefore, it can often be confused with anger or manifest with certain similarities. However, there are people who may also feel anxiety, sadness, or other unpleasant emotions.
Causes of frustration
There are many and very diverse causes that can trigger frustration in a person. It is interesting to keep in mind that in Western society this emotion is present more easily.
Below are some of the influencing factors that have been most commonly observed:
Learn to manage frustration
As is the case on most occasions when we talk about emotional regulation, one of the key points in learning to manage frustration is self-knowledge. Understanding the causes that lead us to feel this emotion is key.
Below are some tools that may be useful, but it is important that each person allows themselves to explore which ones work for them. Let’s remember that each individual is different and there is no universal solution.
Recognize what I’m feeling
The first step to being able to optimally attend to an emotion is to realize what we are feeling. Naming it is usually useful, although sometimes it is difficult because we lack vocabulary related to emotions. It is important to work on validation and give ourselves permission to feel whatever we are feeling.
Set realistic goals and objectives
In many cases, frustration is linked to unrealistic goals. Sometimes we forget that perfection does not exist. It is interesting that we can review the objectives we have established and reformulate them if necessary.
Practice acceptance
In line with what we said about realistic goals, it is important to assume that we are human beings and have limited resources. Practicing acceptance is not easy since society exerts a lot of pressure. However, we can’t do everything—or not everything at once—and that’s okay.
Learn conflict resolution techniques
Tools for conflict resolution can help us feel that we have more resources and, in this way, lower the intensity of the emotion. They can help us change certain patterns of thinking or behavior and obtain great benefits.
A key aspect when it comes to regulating our emotions is self-compassion. Talking to us with respect, without judgment, and accompanying us from the validation of what we feel helps us with emotional regulation. What we feel is valid and welcome because it gives us information about our internal and/or external world.
Ask for professional help
Self-care spaces are essential for better management of frustration. It is important to connect with people who nourish us and pleasant activities. If, despite everything indicated so far, you feel that this situation is overwhelming and beyond you, perhaps it is interesting that a professional can accompany you in the process.
Its effects on daily life
Although frustration is usually uncomfortable to feel and experienced in an unpleasant way, if we manage to address it optimally it can provide us with experience and learning. In this sense, emotion, in its adaptive form, moves us towards action, creativity and problem solving.
The problem lies in the occasions in which the intensity with which we feel frustration is no longer adaptive. In these cases, anxious symptoms may develop, avoidant behaviors, intense anger, recurrent intrusive thoughts, a feeling of loss of control due to suffering a lot of pressure and stress due to this situation.
Studies suggest that people with a tendency toward low tolerance for frustration have a greater tendency toward aggression. It is clear that this way of discharging the energy produced in our body by frustration is not the most appropriate and can lead to serious problems in the person’s different vital areas.
