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February 15, 2011

Frustration

Definition of frustration from Wikipedia (bolding is my emphasis):
"...a common emotional response to opposition. Related to anger and disappointment, it arises from the perceived resistance to the fulfillment of individual will. The greater the obstruction, and the greater the will, the more the frustration is likely to be. Causes of frustration may be internal or external. In people, internal frustration may arise from challenges in fulfilling personal goalsdesires, instinctual drives and needs, or dealing with perceived deficiencies, such as a lack of confidence or fear of social situations.  Conflict can also be an internal source of frustration;  when one has competing goals that interfere with one another, it can create cognitive dissonance."
 Well there you have it...I'm frustrated by what I see as a lack of forward movement in my life.  I'm plagued by a number of ideas and yet I seem unwilling or unable to find the time and energy to follow through with them.  It always seems like I end up looking to others for fulfillment. 

I've been working hard to learn to be open to new possibilities and opportunities.  It's hard not to get frustrated when I see someone else moving forward.  I'm happy for them but still a bit jealous.  What is it about human nature that makes us jealous of those people; that makes us think the grass is always greener on the other side, so to speak?

When I stop to take the time, I realize my life is great.  I'm learning new things, I love my job, and I love my family.  Stuff and things are not the important part; people are the important part.  Guess that's why frustration "can create cognitive dissonance."

Not sure this post makes any sense.  Welcome to my thought process!

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Jealousy can be a very healthy emotion if you use it to identify what you want in your life.

The key is learning to identify what it is that is making you feel that way, evaluate it to see if it REALLY is something you want in your life (or just a passing whim) and prioritize it.

Example: I was jealous of a lovely glass item someone made. I evaluated and determined that I did not want to OWN that, but to MAKE that. I determined that it is too much of a project for me time wise and money wise to work on that, so I prioritized it to my 'when I retire' projects list.

You have a LOT of things going on in your life right now. Maybe making 'Now', 'When baby goes to school', 'When baby goes to collage', 'When I retire' lists to prioritize your 'wants' might help.

I have 'now', 'durning med school', 'after med school', 'after practice is established' and 'retirement' lists.

Fresh and Feisty said...

Good thoughts Kristina. As always, you have great perspective. Being an instant gratification sort of gal, your suggested activity had not occurred to me before :)

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