How To Overcome Frustration
A mindful approach to combating negative thoughts.
“Now is no time to think of what you do not have. Think of what you can do with what there is.” — Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
When I first read The Old Man and the Sea, I was still in high-school. The novel stayed with me for years, and I come back to it every now and then.
Although I was a teenager at the time and had never gone fishing for a gigantic marlin, I could (and still can) relate to the old Santiago. Something about his doomed quest struck close to home when I was a rebellious teen, and it resonates with me to this day.
We are all chasing our own marlins with single-minded determination. Life is all about overcoming obstacles and persevering despite all the bullshit. That’s what Santiago can teach us — but he wouldn’t be interesting without his frustration.
What is frustration?
In its most general sense, frustration is a complex emotional state induced when we’re faced with an obstacle or when we can’t reach the desired goal. But is it actually an emotion?
