How Should You Deal With Frustration
I have been feeling frustrated recently. I guess we all are in some way. Yet, despite the similarities in feeling, we all struggle in different ways with it.
Something that has been frustrating me for a long time and has just gotten stronger and stronger recently is Studying Korean. I love this language but am so lost in figuring out my own level than I either go for too easy or way too hard content. This impossibility of finding what fits me has frustrated me for such a long time that I have even gotten used to it and can live my life without letting it impact it too much.
This being said, as I am slowly moving towards new challenges, my wish to improve my Korean skills is starting to eat me away. Nowadays, I will regret not doing any proper Korean study almost once a day and this rhythm is getting worse as I write about it.
I am thinking daily of new possibilities I could start practicing it again but I am also making sure not to let it eat me alive.
To live through this, I have found 4 ways to overcome this frustration:
1) Realize that what is frustrating you is not the only thing in your life.
It may be important for you, but it clearly isn’t the only thing you are doing with your life. Even if you fail or don’t succeed entirely at it, you are still certainly having other successes in other parts of your life. Whenever you feel like you disappointed yourself, expand your thoughts to other areas and realize that you are better than you just let yourself believed moments ago.
2) Take incremental steps to improve
While, just like me with not studying Korean enough, you may be feeling like you are not doing enough, take note of the tiny efforts you have put. You may not be practicing/studying enough compared to what you wish to, but if you take the time to appreciate the small advancements you have done recently, you can provide yourself with a little bit of satisfaction that, at least, you are not at a standstill. Focus on those and keep them so that you will always be going forward.
3) Simply take a long breath
Have you ever noted that after any hard effort, or before any experience that stresses you out, you take a long deep breath? The air coming through your lungs, the time spent concentrating on this long breath will give you a short break from this frustration. You will then be able to think about other things or at least put things in perspective.
4) Spend time with the people that matter
Always thinking about your frustration won’t get you anywhere. You need to get out of your own head, enjoy life as a whole. Spending time with people who are important to you will provide you with just that. You can not only think about other things but also, if need be, get an outside opinion, allowing you thus to hear a whole new perspective. It probably won’t always fit what you want to hear, but you may come to see that all isn’t that bad.
Frustration is, well, frustrating. But it shouldn’t define you. Take the time to understand where it comes from, what triggers it and make your peace with it. Only this way, you can, one day, fully overcome it.
