Does Frustration Affect Mental Health?
The answer to this question is ‘yes’. Feeling frustrated leads to a number of negative psychological reactions, most notably the following:
- Depression: Exposure to frustration increases the likelihood of developing depression. It is worth noting that depression can affect anyone, regardless of age, gender, social status, or any other factor. Depression impacts all aspects of the affected person’s life, including physical health, as it causes disturbances and problems related to sleep and appetite, in addition to its various other symptoms.
- Feeling angry: Anger is one of the most prominent negative effects of frustration on mental health. It is also associated with engaging in violent behaviors, either toward oneself or toward the cause of frustration.
- Loss of self-confidence: One of the main effects of frustration is the loss of self-confidence. This usually occurs when the cause of frustration is internal, meaning it results from a personal weakness that led to the individual’s inability to achieve their goal.
How Can I Deal with Frustration?
After explaining that the answer is yes, you may be wondering how to deal with feelings of frustration to avoid or reduce its negative effects. Here are some of the most effective methods:
- Distract your mind from thinking about the cause of frustration, for example by practicing a beloved hobby. This helps give the mind a sufficient break so that it can later return to face the issue and find a solution to achieve the goal. It is worth noting that overdoing distraction should be avoided, as it may turn into avoidance. Avoidance leads to not facing the problem, which in turn results in not attempting to reach the goal.
- Practice meditation, as it helps in managing emotional outbursts and negative feelings, particularly frustration. It is worth noting that mindfulness meditation aims to live in the present moment without judgment of the emotions experienced. This, in turn, leads to acceptance of those emotions and enhances the ability to face and control them. We now remind you to download the Tawazon app to benefit from the information it offers about different types of meditation and to enjoy the available meditations and podcasts.
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