Last Updated on September 20, 2022

“How can I stop getting frustrated easily?,” asks an inner voice.

You’re asking this because you freak out over the littlest things — and you don’t want to anymore.

So what should you do?

In this post, let’s answer that question and more. The goal is to help you eliminate your frustrations so you could enjoy your life to the fullest.

How can I stop getting frustrated easily? The significance of this question

Dealing with frustration is exhausting. And the level of exhaustion is up a notch if you get frustrated easily.

It’s also one of the symptoms you’re suffering from: an anxiety disorder, anger problem, and mental health issues. You react to situations the way you do because of an underlying problem with your mental state.

If you’re tired of your situation, it’s understandable to raise this question. You want a solution. And it’s mostly because your reactions are getting the better of you.

Here are more reasons you’re asking this question:

• Needing an escape – Picture yourself going through 24 hours of not getting frustrated. That’s how life can be for you — a peaceful and stress-free existence.
• Strains on your relationships – If you’re easily angered and irritable, your relationships with loved ones will have negative effects. Personal and work-related relationships can have negative and irreparable effects.
• More professional – Want a calm mind, body, and soul so you can perform your best? Taming how you handle frustrations is a way to get these perks.

Related: What are Signs of Frustration

10 ways to stop getting frustrated easily

Have the urge to smash the closest item?

Don’t give in to this urge. Two reasons. One, you’ll just regret it and two, it accomplishes nothing.

Here’s a list of things to do instead:

Passive ways

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1. Be mindful

Don’t let your mind wander. Mind-wandering gives you anxiety. It makes you anxious over situations that aren’t even happening.

Don’t think about an issue that currently doesn’t demand your attention. If you believe you need to think, do it in a proper setting. Go for a solitary walk or head to your room.

However you go about it, remember to be mindful. Be in the present, focus on what’s going on, and don’t concern yourself with non-urgent affairs.

Here are other ways on how you can be mindful:

• Breakaway from gadgets – Turn off your electronic devices. For hours, no cellphone, laptops, tablets, and more for you.
• Disconnect from social media – Refrain from checking in on social networks. Being on Instagram, Facebook, and/or Twitter causes distraction.
• Get enough rest – Getting adequate sleep makes you more energetic and alert. It reduces stress, too.

2. Let go of the past

Past achievements, expectations, and everything that relates to your past has to go. Otherwise, you’ll be dealing with a load of unnecessary frustrations.

Clinging on to the past is like reaching for an imaginary carrot.. The funny thing about it, nobody is even dangling in front of you. It’s like you’re intentionally frustrating yourself.

Here are reasons the past needs to go:

• NO to powerlessness – It already happened. You can’t change it.
• Intervenes with a forward-thinking approach – Focus on moving on and drop everything that stands in your way.
• A need to experience freedom – You can’t experience freedom if you pressure yourself to look back.

3. Adopt a proactive mindset

Life and everything it comes with is a constant source of frustration. However you try, you can’t change this.

You can also complain all you want about it. And scream at the top of your lungs, too. Your complaints, though, won’t solve your problems.

Inarguably, complaining — talking to someone — reduces frustration. Simply talking and not doing, however, isn’t the solution.

Instead, be proactive. Think about doing something. Don’t settle for a session of complaining.

Here are ways on how you can adopt a proactive mindset:

• Be accountable – Take personal responsibility for what you want to happen.
• Decide – And stick with it. Don’t pursue something half-heartedly.
• “Just do it!” – If it’s the wrong action, tell yourself to do better next time.

4. Be fearless

Another reason and meaning why you get frustrated is your fear. You’re allowing it to control you and keep you from performing actions your heart truly wants.

If you want to be fearless, it’s easy to say you do. However, going on the journey to fearlessness tells a different story.

Here are ways on how to be fearless:

• Always speak your mind – Say what you need to say. If something bothers you, speak up.
• Be confident – Coach yourself to always do your best. And don’t let other people, especially the unimportant ones, affect you.
• Chase after your goals – Go after what you truly want. If others object, remind yourself it’s your goals and not theirs.

5. Practice gratefulness

Gratefulness is about appreciating things and people for their effects on your life. Without the things and people worth thanking, your life would have less meaning.

Practicing gratefulness is how you can stop getting frustrated easily because it prevents you from taking anything for granted.

Things and people — mundane or extravagant they may be — serve a purpose in your life. Recognize what these purposes are and you can get rid of frustration.

Don’t know what to be grateful for? Here are some simple ones:

• Starting your day right – If you woke up naturally from a satisfying sleep, be thankful. Even more so if starting your day in your favor doesn’t happen every day.
• Having delicious meals – Enjoyed nutritious and delicious dishes? Acknowledge the act and thank the one who prepared the meals for you.
• Getting uninterrupted cell service – Be glad you don’t need to walk miles or go to high places for communication. Remember, not everybody can enjoy this privilege.

Active ways

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6. Unleash creativity

There’s a link between cognition and creativity¹. While a useful fact, it’s probably not news to you considering the many times that different researchers mentioned it.

What may be news to you is this: Your tendency to get frustrated easily if you keep creativity in².

Here are creative activities you can engage in:

• Writing – Want to write about what frustrates you? If you don’t want to write those kinds of stories, write about your favorite hobbies.
• Gardening – Get down and dirty and plant a simple vegetable. A carrot, for example.
• Painting – Bring to life breathtaking places. You can also use your loved ones as your inspiration.

7. Solve the problem

And speaking of adopting a proactive mindset, you should also address your frustration. To do so, you need to quit asking “How can I stop getting frustrated easily?”.

Instead, identify the specific cause. Then work your way to getting rid of it.

A challenging aspect of this is sometimes it’s difficult to accept this as the cause of your frustration. And to avoid this difficulty, you turn a blind eye. Wishful gets the better of you and you hope your frustration goes away on its own.

Sometimes, you can color yourself lucky if the problem goes away. However, even if it goes away, you’re giving matters a band-aid solution. What you should do, instead, is fix the problem permanently.

Here are causes of frustration that can be difficult to accept:

• Family and friends – If people who meant the world to you turned unbearable, a moral quandary is yours to deal with.
• Work – Stressed, overworked, and always anxious? If your job puts food on the table, think twice before you quit.
• Loved one – Longing to be with someone spoke for? Decide if you’ll settle for unrequited feelings or move on.

8. Communicate better

What you have to say may be important. However, if you don’t say it well, it won’t matter.

And this is where frustration enters the picture. You get frustrated easily because you can’t relay your message.

Effective communication also goes both ways. You need to listen well, too.

Perks of effective communication? Some are strong relationships, raised trust, and increased productivity.

Here are ways on how to communicate better:

• Meet face-to-face – It brings a personal touch and improves a message’s positive effect.
• Short, clear, and concise messages – Choose words well to capture a listener’s attention.
• Accept limitations – Identify the negative sides to specific communication channels. For example, text-based communication can limit how you explain situations.

9. Eliminate situations that make you angry

Don’t set yourself up for unfavorable situations. You get frustrated easily because there’s something that will frustrate you easily.

Here’s an example. Does that messy area you always see every time you enter your friend’s house make you angry? Get rid of it, or ask your friend to get rid of it — it’s as simple as that.

The Complexity Bias³, as it’s called, says that sometimes, a solution is simple and obvious. However, because of its straightforward nature, you ignore it.

Here are ways on how to eliminate situations that make you angry:

• Don’t hold a grudge – If the other person offers to rectify a mistake, be open to it. Otherwise, let bygones be bygones.
• Strategize realistically – Create a doable plan. Don’t expect too much (or too little) from other people.
• Engage in activities that make you happy – Invest time, energy, and other resources in things and people who increase happiness.

10. Exercise

This is a possibility: You get frustrated because you have the energy to get frustrated. Therefore, direct this energy towards working out and get around to lots of physical exercises.

Walking, jogging, and brisk walking are effective exercises. However, why not engage in something else you can do at home?

Here are exercises you should try:

• Burpees – They’ll boost cardiovascular endurance. They’ll also pump up your energy levels and give you the freedom to move your entire body.
• Lunges – As they challenge your balance, they boost strength in your glutes and legs.
• Squats – They improve flexibility and raise the strength of your core and lower body.

Conclusion

How you stop getting frustrated easily is up to you. There are no rules to follow or a set timeframe when you should make a choice.

Unfortunately, the result you desire might not be instantaneous. You need to give time for things to work.

The good news is, you can do something about it. And committing to doing something is the first step to getting rid of your problem for good.

The last approach — exercise — is what many people choose. They choose to exercise because it benefits them in more ways than one.

Next to helping them overcome their frustrations, exercise also sharpens them. Their physical and mental well-being can benefit.

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Links:

¹ https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fncir.2019.00018/full
² https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23311983.2020.1760186
³ https://fs.blog/2018/01/complexity-bias/