Low Frustration Tolerance: A Time Bomb For Emotions

Frustration is a feeling of helplessness, an emotional response that emerges when certain desires or expectations cannot be fulfilled. Just like anger, frustration is one of the most common emotions; if we do not learn to manage it and eventually overcome it, it will consequently cause us a feeling of constant disappointment.

Failure to “cure” feelings of frustration can cause demotivation and abandonment of all plans and goals in every aspect of our life. Clearly, life is not easy and learning to control the low blows that fate strikes us requires patience. Otherwise, what would become of us if we threw in the towel at the first signs of frustration?

Why is it important to learn to tolerate frustration?

Like all other emotions, frustration must be controlled and channeled in a positive way, so that the subject can face the difficulties and limitations that present themselves day by day.

It is important to remember that frustration itself is a transitory feeling, a state of uncertainty that does not define us as people. We must understand that going through a frustrating situation does not mean that we are failing, and that developing a tolerance to frustration involves a learning process that begins in childhood and never ends.

What are its causes?

Low frustration tolerance mainly depends on these aspects:

• The subject has a distorted perception of the situations he experiences, because he sees only the negative side of things.
• The person has a tendency to want to control every event in his life and the inability to maintain this control is reflected in a feeling of discomfort.
• At the same time, the subject is unable to bear the malaise that involves coping with the difficult circumstances of life.

People who learn to tolerate frustration live less stressed, because they are able to see an opportunity in every problem and therefore have sufficient clarity to seek adequate solutions, without overreacting in the face of any inconvenience.

How to handle the frustration?

Any human being has felt frustrated at one time or another, and while frustration is an emotion that cannot be totally eliminated, with a little patience one can learn to control it. To do this we must:

• Become aware of the emotions and feelings that frustration generates in us and proceed to analyze them.
• To assimilate the fact that desires are not needs that require an immediate solution.
• Recognizing that perfection does not exist and that being absurdly demanding with oneself fosters frustration, inhibits productivity and creativity.

• Control the negative impulses that are harmful to the goals and emotional balance of the individual. Remembering the negative situations these impulses have caused in the past causes the person to learn not to make hasty decisions because of frustration.

Tolerating frustration is a virtue that involves a lot of effort and a lot of patience. There is no evil that is not also good and, although certain situations can cause annoyances or discomfort in the present, then the satisfaction of having overcome the difficulties will be infinite.

Image courtesy of Leland Francisco