Staying Calm When You’re Feeling Frustrated

Staying Calm When You’re Feeling Frustrated
We can all lose our cool, but lashing out leaves regrets and can cost us our connection with others. fizkes/Shutterstock
Leo Babauta
Updated:
Someone recently asked me about getting frustrated when they feel overloaded and then shutting down or lashing out:
“This has been something I’ve struggled with for most of my life. I had an instance today where I could have been more calm and rational about the situation, but calm and rationality gave way to frustration and anger. I’m wondering what habits I can use instead to keep from falling into fits of anger.”
This probably sounds familiar to some of us. We feel overloaded, and then maybe lash out at someone in frustration and anger.

We hope that things will be calm, orderly, and simple. The world doesn’t always comply with this hope, however. It is chaotic, disordered, and fluid. So we get frustrated, angry at others, and feel anxiety.

Leo Babauta
Leo Babauta
Author
Leo Babauta is the author of six books and the writer of Zen Habits, a blog with over 2 million subscribers. Visit ZenHabits.net
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