A Field Guide to Feelings
Frustration
The feeling that detects the impossible.
A lot of feelings will draw your attention elsewhere where your attention doesn’t do you any good. The feeling of frustration is this way. When you’re feeling frustrated, your attention is on the object of your frustration when it should be on yourself.
Just the other day, I was trying to be on time for an appointment and two elderly drivers were traveling ten miles below the speed limit, side-by-side on the highway. I should have known better, but I was feeling frustrated. My attention was on those two drivers because they were in the way. I believed I would feel better only if they let me go by. My feelings were in their hands. However, it doesn’t have to be that way. The part of me that knows better took control when I paid attention to what I was doing instead of paying attention to them.
The part of me that knows better said: The feeling of frustration is what we get when we try to do the impossible.
Frustration said: Not true, it’s possible for one of these old guys to speed up, or one to slow down, pull over and let me pass.
The part of me that knows better said: Yes it is; for them. But not for us. It’s you who’s trying to do the impossible.
