Coping With Frustration... It’s Frustrating!



Posted: Thursday, March 20, 2008

by
The Giddy Gander Company LLC

I don't know one person that can say that they are PERFECT at coping with frustration. I believe the most we ever achieve as human beings is developing methods of coping until whatever is frustrating us gives way to further action or decision. Ahhhif only we could be perfect, right!

Never fear, as I see it, there is a silver lining to this cloud of frustration we all experience from time to time, and its found in growth and named "creativity." Frustration offers us the opportunity to grow in very creative, highly positive, and unlimited ways. Beyond that of just the emotional development our own discomfort fosters, is the intellectual, spiritual, and sometimes even physical development, which can occur when a mature view of "frustration" exists. Less harmful behaviors, such as drinking and drug taking, constructive habits and skills, such as exercise, hobbies, relationship building, and increased learning, can be adopted to manage ourselves more effectively, which will also prove to make us stronger, more widely rounded, capable individuals overall. No doubt, our individual natures require each of us to be "creative" in the coping and expression of our personal frustrations (for instance, I bake), but we all have the ability to be successful in perfecting methods that work for us (transform a bunch of nearly rotten apples into applesauce). Pretty resourceful, I would say!

Rightly so, the creativity needed in learning to cope with frustration can only be the same creativity we enact to generate unobvious but quite successful answers to challenges that will only expand and become harder over time. As much as a few of you will absolutely roll your eyes at me when I say this, frustration is actually good for the world if mentored properly, which is the reason it is so important that parents teach their children to cope with their own frustration effectively from the ground up. No child is to young to learn and coping with frustration is a lesson that only becomes more difficult to perfect and entwine into everyday behavior if left untaught until "an appropriate age!" (Meaning mom and dad just don't want to deal with it today)!

Leading by example and sometimes letting your child kick and scream on the floor of the supermarket are two suggestions that will set the lifelong route of dealing with frustration with and for your child. Teaching, that despite the catalyst, frustration is but one of many human emotions and that not all human emotions are comfortable but do hold the ability be dealt with, both effectively and constructively, should be an important goal of ALL parents as it only hastens to better the lives of ALL children. The point is to focus on solution rather than impetus.

So the next time you are ready to throw a chair against the wall or scream at your child with gibberish he'll probably neither understand nor listen to due to sheer volume alone, take a step back (or maybe even a time out), think through where you want to end up once the frustration ceases, and maturely place yourself upon that road as oppose to the one your are standing upon now. In acting like a "grown up," we (as parents) will continue to "grow up" while mentoring our children to follow in our footsteps!

By the way, that kid on the floorhe's light enough to be picked up and whisked out of the store if need beand his clothesa little soap will solve that issue too!

Laura J. Wellington is the creator of THE WUMBLERS children's television series and brand as well as the CEO of The Giddy Gander Company and a mom.

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