7 constructive ways to deal with frustration

How do you deal with frustration?  Try some of these
constructive ways.

Life certainly has plenty of ups and downs. One of the biggest tricks to being happy (and remaining sane) is learning how to deal with the downs, the frustrations and disappointments in our lives, in a constructive and healthy manner.

Right now is a critical time for Generation Y to develop good habits when dealing with frustration. By finding healthy ways to channel our frustrations now, we are setting an important pattern for the rest of our lives (where frustration will surely continue).

It seems there are two primary ways to deal with frustration constructively—pounding it out in some way or distracting yourself so you forget about it (at least for a little while). 

Pounding it out

Physical exertion.  Running, biking, swimming, anything that exhausts your body will usually quiet your mind. Things where you whack a ball are typically good too (once when playing racquetball, I named the ball something, or someone, I was frustrated with each time before serving. It was the only time I’ve ever won a game of racquetball.)

Turn up the volume.  Cranking your stereo to your favorite angry music or doing something that makes noise (bowling, hitting the shooting range, batting cage, etc.) can do wonders to relieve frustration. (I’d recommend screaming, but I think only heroines in melodramas actually do that).

Writing. Sometimes you just need to sort through your feelings and figure out the root of the frustration. Free writing (writing whatever comes to your mind) is a sure-fire way to get to the root of the problem. Bonus: take it from me, there is a certain amount of satisfaction that comes from scratching angrily across a blank sheet of paper (and it's probably a little safer than pounding unnecessarily on your innocent keyboard).

Tennis, real life or on the Wii, can be a great way to
deal with frustration.  (Photo:  Ruth Livingstone)

Elbow grease.  A little old-fashioned elbow grease goes a long way to blow off steam. Not only will you feel better, you’ll actually be accomplishing something worthwhile in the process. And for the truly terminal cases, whip out an old toothbrush and go to town on the grout in your shower (yes, I’m speaking from experience, and yes, the source of that frustration shall remain nameless).

Distractions

Visual stimulation—A lot of people swear by playing the Wii or video games. (The Wii can even combine physical exertion and visual stimulation. Case in point: my friend, an elite tennis player, came to work one day complaining about being sore, not from a match, but after spending hours playing tennis on her Wii.)  

Quiet time. Sometimes you just need to let the world around you get quiet and the frustration, like the noise, will fall away. Pull out a good book, take a yoga class, do some meditating, etc. (although trying to hold some of those yoga poses could create a new source of frustration).

Go to your “happy place.” If all else fails, you can just pretend to be somewhere else. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and head to the Lourve, Nordstrom’s shoe department, your childhood bedroom, your significant other’s apartment, wherever you find yourself relaxing and smiling. (The beauty of this one:  you can employ it anytime, anywhere and change as often as necessary).