I'm Frustrated!!

I'm frustrated!

Things aren't going well in my life right now. I'm not where I want to be. My relationship isn't fulfilling my needs anymore. This job sucks! I'm too fat. This list goes on and on for too many of us. Here are a few of the usual suspects that bring frustration to many daily.

Too Little Resources

"I'm trying to "make a dollar outta 15 cents! Operating with too few resources brings a sense of frustration many of us need to become more familiar with. Whether developing our household budgets or being the director of a program at a local nonprofit, we all know various thoughts and emotions, including anger, disappointment, helplessness, etc, when you don't have what you need. You're responsible for making ends meet and achieving specific outcomes, but doing your job effectively takes more than what you have at your disposal. What do you do when this happens?

The Over-extender

"Sure, I'll help you with your baby" (a project near and dear to their hearts ) right after I come home from work, tend to my family, put out several fires, deal with my health concerns, etc. You're exhausted, spent, and dead to the world at the end of the day, but the phone calls and text messages don't stop. Why did I say "yes" when "no" was the most appropriate response to their request of me? What was I trying to achieve by over-extending myself to help when I'm not in a position to "add value?"

Groupthink

I'm working on a project that needs to be reinvented to stay relevant and practical. After a third brainstorming session with my current team, we're as far along as we were at the beginning, with the same ideas as before and no solutions to our challenges. Groupthink has set in, and everything is sounding the same. I've expressed in the conversation the openness to do things differently than we have in the past, but that was met with resistance and why..." because we haven't done it in the past." What should I do? How do I move ahead? Who should be added or removed from my team?

Now what?

Most of our frustrations result from our expectations of ourselves and others. This frustration can grow to anger and rage depending on the severity of the situations that we're facing. Those of us who tend to commit over, operate on too few resources, or find ourselves the most intelligent person (i.e., most information & resources) in our circle often find ourselves in the "frustration zone." I'm not saying that dealing with frustration is an easy task or there is a quick-fix solution. I'm inviting you to think about the things that frustrate us most in our lives and work and how you tend to deal with them. Write them down and share them with your trusted sources. This is not about judgment; it's more about recognition and process. These are essential to addressing them and ensuring your responses are healthy, viable, and productive.

"To conquer frustration, one must remain intensely focused on the outcome, not the obstacles."
― T.F. Hodge