What to do when frustration has you stuck


ThinkSpot

You'll notice right away that this is not a picture of frustration. It's a picture of the opposite of frustration: people are experiencing connection and growth with other people and with the garden that surrounds them. And yet, it's also a picture of how close we always are to frustration.

Our topic at ThinkSpot was Dealing with Anxious People. When someone we love is anxious, we feel blocked at every turn. It's easy to feel that nothing will change and there's no way to move around the facts of anxiety. Everyone that came that afternoon knows that anxiety is a breeding ground for frustration.

It was our third spring day at ThinkSpot and the forecast early in the week predicted clouds and rain. I laughed. "Our usual," I thought. But the sun came out and the afternoon was a gift. Things do change.

The answer when you are frustrated is some form of what is happening in the picture above. Breathe. Move. Connect with kindness. And when you are feeling very safe and very brave, allow yourself to become aware of that need that is calling to you through your frustration. 

Because frustration is a sign that growth is happening and you're ready to move. And the thing that's got you stopped, the thing that feels like it will never change - that's the thing inside you that won't move until you give it kind, high-quality attention.

And then, maybe the sun will come out and the buds will uncurl and you'll notice that change was happening all along.

Comments

Marg Hughes said…
When frustration hit in the past, I used to get depressed. Because of NLP, I am able to shift my focus and the depression lifts. Thank God!

Now. when trouble rears its ugly head, I do a lot more meditating, take a drive, or get out for a walk into nature and change my focus from a cup half empty to a cup half full.

One of my favorite sayings is, "This too shall pass, like gas!"

And to Linda.

Thank you for sharing your talent and wisdom, and for a wonderful afternoon at ThinkSpot!
2:31 am
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