How to Deal with Frustration – 6 Tips

Some of us find it difficult to deal with frustration.

Often, we do not know how to deal with it.

We get frustrated when our plans do not work out, when our efforts do not bear fruit, or when we expect too much from ourselves but do not stand up to our expectations.

Frustration is an automated and natural reaction that occurs whenever things go wrong, not as expected and not as planned, and we feel like running into a wall.

You work hard and spend time and effort on a certain goal, but nothing works. You might feel stuck with some project and cannot find your way out. In both instances, you might feel angry and unhappy for not getting anywhere, no matter how hard you try.

You might have to deal with frustration concerning important matters as well as simple matters. You might confront frustration due to a lack of appreciation at work or due to matters relating to relationships.

You might try to use a certain program on your computer, open a can of pickles, or try to fix something at home but fail and, ultimately, get angry and frustrated.

You might also confront frustration when you try to bake a cake but burn it down or when you want to make yourself a cup of coffee and discover that you ran out of milk.

This can also happen when you plan to go to a movie with your wife but discover that all the tickets have been sold out.

If plans do not work out, people often give up and quit, but is this the right thing to do?

Frustration seems to be part of life, and we often run into it, but there is no reason to give up. If something does not work out, it does not mean that it will not work out the next time we try or on the third or fifth time.

How to deal with frustration and how to overcome it? I would like to suggest a few simple tips.

6 Tips on How to Deal with Frustration

Here are some simple tips on how to deal with frustration.

Try some of these tips, because they might help you.

1. Analyze What You Did Wrong

Before letting any negative feelings overwhelm your mind, stop everything, and try to think what you did wrong and where you need to improve.

Maybe there are simple steps that you overlooked, and if you follow them things would be different. It’s important to think on what you did and find new ways to act.

2. Take a Break

Instead of giving in to frustration, take a short break, and stop what you are doing.

Sometimes, when we leave what we are doing, when we let go of our feelings of frustration and do something else, we see things from a different perspective. This allows us to think in a different way and see things we did not see before.

It also helps understand what we are not doing right and know what we need to do.

How many times did you let go, relaxed your efforts, got busy with something else or went to sleep, and then, after a while, discovered the solution to your problem?

When we try hard, but nothing seems to work, the best thing to do is to take a break and do something else. This refreshes the mind and allows it to look at things differently and from a different perspective.

3. Stop Being Angry

Frustration leads to anger and anger to unhappiness. One negative feeling leads to another negative feeling. It is like adding fuel to a fire.

Anger does not help and does not solve anything, and tends to inflate any negative feelings. If you cannot achieve or get something, there must be reasons for it. Try to find the reasons and learn how to improve.

Sometimes, the reason for failure has nothing to do with you at all. It could be due to circumstances, other people, or doing something not at the right time.

To stop anger, just leave what you are doing and go for a walk, go see a movie or have a good meal. Do anything that takes your mind away from the anger and its cause. When we are angry, we cannot think straight, but when the mind becomes calm, it is easier to address the problem causing the frustration and the anger.

4. Try to Be Positive

Being positive, helps you overcome your negative feelings.

Think of times when you succeeded despite difficulties. This will give you motivation and help you overcome frustration.

Look for solutions and expect to find them. Believe in yourself, and remember that people who achieved success in any area of life, have confronted failure, but did not give up.

5. Maintain an Attitude of Detachment

It is tough to display detachment when you confront failure or keep banging your head against a wall. However, this is one of the best ways to deal with frustration and overcome it. A certain degree of detachment will help you keep a calm mind and deal better and more efficiently with every situation.

Strive to calm down a little, take a few breaths or exercise your body for a few moments. This will relax your mind, making it easier to display detachment.

You would minimize your frustration, if you view every situation objectively, without letting negative feelings to bias your thinking and judgment.

6. Stay Active and Do not Succumb to Passivity

Never allow feelings of frustration to weigh you down. If you failed, it is not the end of the world. Try again, improve your actions, or do something else, if you think this is the wise thing to do, but never succumb to passivity and stop being active.

Keeping active and doing things, prevent you from succumbing to passivity.

These are simple tips, which can help you deal with frustration. Remember to use them whenever negative feelings arise.

“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”
– Lee Iacocca

“See the positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.”
– Ralph Marston