Do You Have A Low Tolerance For Frustration?

Alicia is twenty-three years old and has recently traveled with her parents. As the plane boarded, she realized her passport wasn’t in her carry-on where it should be. Furious, she blamed her mother,  because she had done all the laundry the day before and must have forgotten to put the passport in the bag with the clothes. Alicia reasons that if her mother had done everything the way she should have, she wouldn’t have forgotten her passport.

Alicia has little tolerance for frustration,  not realizing that she shows it by managing her feelings in a negative way. And you? Are you one of those people who drown in a teaspoon of water?

‘My wishes are my demands’

Almost all children have little tolerance for frustration. During the learning process, they develop the skills to deal with situations where they don’t always get what they want, whether it’s playing with another child,  sweets that their mother doesn’t want to buy,  or an ice cream that has fallen and in return. for which they do not get new ones.

But there are people who will never understand that their desires do not always come true. They cannot accept that their preferences are interrupted by their environment. They don’t think about the wishes of others. And they struggle with the adversities they have no control over.

Little tolerance for frustration emerges when the person is faced with a stressful situation. He reacts with anger or sadness to situations that most people can resolve without difficulty.

In the most serious cases  , a low tolerance for frustration can lead to problems with substance abuse, social isolation or suicide.

Learn to tolerate frustration

There are four characteristics that are useful in classifying a person with a low tolerance for frustration:

• The person cannot separate his desires from his necessities of life.
• The response to an unsatisfied desire is manifested by an explosion of feelings of anger and  verbally attacking the person responsible for not satisfying the desire.
• These types of people have a hard time accepting that life doesn’t have to be easy and comfortable as they think it should be. They cling to how it should be, not how it is.
• They suffer from performance anxiety and have little patience.

Low frustration tolerance is  a major emotional disorder that can disrupt relationships,  both within the family and with friends and loved ones. However, people with little tolerance for frustration can learn to cope better with adversity and to relax.

It is important that people with little tolerance for frustration try to cope with their disorder. Otherwise, it can lead to compulsive disorders such as trichotillomania (hair pulling), shopping addictions, kleptomania, self-harm or angry outbursts.