If you are anything like me, frustration can put a heavy damper on your career. Your frustration comes at you from external and internal issues.

Externally you may have to deal with…

> Coworkers
> Clients/Customers
> Technology

Internally you may have to deal with…

> Tissue pain (i.e. a bad back)
> Depression
> Creativity issues

I can make these two lists very long, but you understand all the elements that a worker must deal with. Heck, you deal with your own issues every day.

Dealing with Frustrations

I let frustration whoop my butt up and down my career on a daily basis. There were many times when I questioned my intelligence, my sanity and my life in general. Here are some of the various ways that I’ve used in the past to deal with my frustration:

1. Make Up a Song
2. Make an Emotional Dump List
3. Laugh
4. Vent to a Friend
5. Dance to a Favorite Song
6. Unleash Your Inner Kid
7. Pray for Relief
8. Say No
9. Make Time for More Sleep

1. Make Up a Song

When I’m frustrated and my head feels like it will explode, I make up a song. The song usually has no musical value for anyone else, but I don’t care. All that matters is that it helps me release my frustrations.

The last song I made up was about a meeting that was canceled by the other party. I had become attached to the potential doors that this meeting could open.

It went something like this…

The spasm of my brain,

ringing my cells.

What can I say,

but freak’in,

f’in,

f yah!

I don’t need them.

I don’t need the help of forgetful minders,

tearing down my emotional balance.

All I need is me

and this song of frustration.

So let me be,

let me beeeeeeeee.

Yeah, you wouldn’t want to hear that on the radio.

The song went on like that for 10 minutes; that was just a small clip. This creativity allows me to release my pain and bring myself back into emotional balance.

By releasing your emotions through a made up song, you can deal with your emotions more easily. Give it a try next time you have trouble letting go of your emotions.

2. Make an Emotional Dump List

Frustration is really just an emotional buildup that we can’t release. So we need to figure out a way to clear out these thoughts and emotions and bring happiness back in.

I created an emotional dumping list and focused on the “5 whys”:

1. Why do I feel this way?
2. Why can’t I let go?
3. Why am I so attached to my frustration?
4. Why do I love my emotions?
5. Why is there brilliance in every action?

The key to the whys is making sure that they keep getting more and more positive.

When you can dump out the negative and fill your brain with positive thoughts, you will have a better chance of letting go of the frustration and feeling relaxed.

3. Laugh

When you laugh, you are releasing beta-endorphins (the family of chemicals that alleviates depression) and human growth hormone (HGH; which helps with immunity) from Science Daily. This stress relief will help you release your frustrations.

One of the easiest ways to laugh is to go out to lunch with a friend. If you don’t have any friends available, then watch something funny on YouTube.

As long as you are laughing, your frustration doesn’t have a chance.

4. Vent to a Friend

A close friend can often help you release pent up energy if you vent to them. The problem is that venting can quickly turn into complaining, which only magnifies the pain.

You need to make a plan when you make time to vent to a friend. Try to put a limit on how much and for how long you can vent.

You’ll notice that you are much more economical with your venting when you set boundaries. It won’t take as long to clear out your frustration.

After the venting is all out then try to steer the conversation in a positive direction. Leaving on a positive note ensures that both parties will want to meet again in the near future.

5. Dance to a Favorite Song

Lately I’ve been dancing to ABBA, Justin Timberlake, and Michael Jackson. They always put me in a good mood. It’s hard for me to stay frustrated when I’m dancing like a crazy man on my bed, office floor, or the kitchen.

It’s probably the fastest frustration relief idea in this article.

Next time you are frustrated, take out your iPod or turn on the radio. You can probably feel the frustration oozing out of you just thinking about it.

Take 2 minutes to write your 5 favorite songs on your computer or a piece of paper. By having the list ready, you won’t have to think about what songs will ease your frustration. All you need to do is decide which one will work the best.

6. Unleash Your Inner Kid

We need to let out the kid within us by doing something fun. I find that swinging on a swing is a great way to make me feel like a kid again.

I like doing this when I’m a hard time releasing my frustration.

I’ll take my dog for a walk to the local elementary school, take a lap around the field and then stop at the swings and just swing away my frustration. A few memories of when I was a kid always pop into my head, telling my dad to push me higher or when I was in 5^th grade and I impressed everyone by jumping off, looking like superman. I’m too old to jump off now, but as long as my frustration loosens its grip, that’s all that matters.

7. Pray for Relief

Frustration stems from our constant tendency to expect a certain outcome and not receive. So when a project doesn’t go as smoothly as we would have hoped, we freak out a little bit. The blood boils and we need relief.

I will literally kneel at the edge of my bed and ask for God to take on some of my problems.

When we accept that we can’t control all of our circumstances, that’s when we can reduce our frustration.

Next time you need a little relief let God, The Energy, The Universe or whatever you believe in take some of your worries off of your hands. I know when I give God a little of my frustration I feel relieved.

8. Say No

You can say no to anyone that ask you to do something. Really you can. A client that asks you to meet an almost impossible deadline isn’t extending the courtesy you deserve.

If you aren’t willing to say “no” more often then you can’t blame anyone, but yourself for your frustration.

9. Make Time for More Sleep

I recently clenched my fists and growled because of a project that I couldn’t get quite right. I wanted to freak out and destroy my computer, but luckily I used my frustration releasing techniques.

I was putting together an article about fear and it all sounded terrible. It was late and I kept banging my head against my keyboard.

I gave up, went to sleep, and woke up with the right angle on the article. It was like someone clicked a switch inside of me.

If you aren’t getting enough sleep you are more prone to frustration, anger, depression, and malaise. The effects on your body are also alarming. You are more prone to disease, so take the time to rest and you’ll reduce the intensity of your triggers that induce frustration.

Making Your Reactions Work for You

Your frustrations are really a result of the way you react to your internal and external worlds. If you believe that only you can frustrate yourself then you have an advantage over most other people.

Even if a client keeps asking for small favors that they don’t expect to be charged for, it may be frustrating, but you are really the one creating those feelings. There are plenty of ways to say “no”.

Take the time to work with your frustration and you’ll notice a regular pattern that occurs. I know certain people are going to trigger my frustration. Use this short 4 step process to help you through your feelings of frustration.

You need to find a way to…

> Accept
> Release
> Take Action
> Enjoy

Your feelings are up to you.

When you accept that you are creating your own frustration, figure out how to adjust, so you feel relaxed and balanced, you are taking your emotional power back.

What do you do to release your career/work frustrations?

* Join the Work Happy Now Facebook Page and interact with other people who are trying to improve their superpowers.

* Johnny B. Truant wrote a post about using work as a way to grow. It’s a must read for entrepreneurs. Click here to read it.

If you enjoyed this post then you will probably like this one too:

> How to Harness Your Superpowers

> 5 Ways to Conquer Your Fears

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