In this episode we unpack Frustration and its Symptoms. “Frustration is a normal reaction to situations in which needs are not being met and corrective actions cannot be taken”. – Psychology Today. How often do you feel frustrated?
Paul Eckman a psychologist in the 1970s identified six basic emotions that he suggested were universally experienced in all human cultures. The emotions he identified were happiness, sadness, disgust, fear, surprise, and anger.
If you have come across the emotions wheel, frustration falls under the anger/mad emotion.
Frustration can show up in a few different ways such as upset, irritability, stress and annoyance. Some common stressors that lead to frustration are work stress, pursing an unattainable goal or the inability to solve a problem.
Some symptoms of frustration can be:
- Feeling sad or anxious
- Throwing in the towel and giving up
- Self-medicating
- Sleep issues
- Losing one’s temper
- Signing
- Tapping fingers
Frustration can also lead to negative self-talk that induces a negative spiral of thinking, leading to more aggressive behaviour. – WebMD
Frustration also carries with it an acknowledgment that when we feel like we have little or no power to change the situation we face. It can leave feeling hopeless, even with our best efforts feeling stuck.
So how can we deal with frustration?
We can start with understanding the root of the problem. If these feelings won’t go away on their own, we need to figure out what’s the cause of them
This can be done by talking to someone we trust about our feelings. As talking out loud can help us sort through what we are feeling rather than keeping it inside. Journaling can also aid in gaining self-awareness and perspective.
Determining what we can change and what we can’t enables us to adjust our expectations. Sometimes we can come up with a solution and other times accepting the situation can relieve feelings of frustration when we understand that we don’t have control over everything that happens
We can also find other ways to accomplish our goals or plans. This can be done through learning and equipping ourselves with new strategies.
With this in mind I am giving away x3 Creating Change Lessons. The Creating Change Lesson is a collection of topics to assist you to understand change and how to facilitate it, set well-being goals, how to prioritise tasks and come up with a plan. Included with the lesson is a workbook to guide self-reflections, resources and immediate access.
To put your name down CLICK HERE before Tuesday 22nd of August 2023 11.00 pm AEST. You will be notified on Wednesday 23rd of August 2023 via email if you have been allocated an enrolment.
Sources:
https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-types-of-emotions-4163976
