Do you find yourself feeling like you’re going to lose your mind after you have been cut off in traffic? You forgot your wallet at home, and you are already halfway to the grocery store. Do you explode in anger? These scenarios can cause high frustration levels for people with low frustration tolerance. Individuals with low frustration tolerance can become easily frustrated over minor inconveniences.
By contrast, individuals with a high frustration tolerance do not become easily irritated or suffer irrational outbursts due to inconvenience.
What Is Low Frustration Tolerance?
Low frustration tolerance is when an individual has a low frustration threshold. In other words, they are easily frustrated. These frustrations can come from various sources, but they are often everyday inconveniences such as traffic jams and a crying baby. These inconveniences can cause an emotional reaction in someone with low frustration tolerance.
LFT (low frustration tolerance) can make It difficult for individuals to progress through life. This is because they are less likely to be able to handle setbacks. These individuals can feel the desire to give up easily or avoid certain tasks or obligations. This can affect what they can achieve in their life over time.
LFT can also take a toll on relationships (of all kinds).
People with low frustration tolerance are more likely to have negative emotional outbursts in emotionally stressful situations.
Why Do People Have Low Frustration Tolerance?
Multiple factors can cause low frustration tolerance. Here are a few:
- Mental Health Conditions
Has been closely linked to low frustration tolerance. Many people with ADHD have low frustration tolerance. Other mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety can lower frustration tolerance.
- How A Person Thinks
If a person has expectations that nothing should ever go wrong, they will be more likely to have difficulty when things do go wrong.
What Are the Signs of Low Frustration Tolerance?
Low frustration tolerance will manifest differently in different people. Here are a few signs of LFT:
- Habitual procrastination of tasks or activities that cause frustration.
- Impatience
- Need for immediate gratification
- Easily gives up when challenged
- Easily irritated by everyday stressors
How to Build Frustration Tolerance
Luckily, there are ways to build frustration tolerance! These can be learned, and over time you or a loved one can develop their frustration tolerance over time.
- Accept Frustrations and That Life Won’t Always Be Easy.
We mentioned earlier that what one thinks can directly influence frustration. If a person expects not to be inconvenienced or shouldn’t be, that is a recipe for frustration. Unfortunately, things will go wrong, even those that shouldn’t go wrong. Try to remind yourself that something will happen, and these situations are only temporary.
- Positive Self Talk
When frustrating situations happen, and you begin to feel overwhelmed, you can take a few deep breaths and tell yourself that you can make it through these frustrating feelings. Remind yourself that this is only a temporary situation.
- Put Yourself in Mild Frustrating Situations
You can purposely expose yourself to frustrating situations to build your frustration tolerance. Start small, and you can build your tolerance for frustrating situations over time.
- Talk Therapy
Talking through the thoughts at the core of your frustrations with a professional can also help build frustration tolerance. It can also be a source of support.
Bottom Line
Low frustration tolerance can cause an individual to become easily frustrated. This frustration can come from everyday stressors. There are multiple possible causes: mental health conditions such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD. There are treatment options as well. Reframing your thoughts and talk therapy, to name a few, can be effective in treating LFT.
If you’re looking for help with LFT, MYCHN offers Virtual counseling, psychiatric, and other mental health services. Please visit our website or call (281) 824 – 1480 to learn more.
Resources
https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-deal-with-low-frustration-tolerance-4780883
https://mychn.org/the-epic-healthy-new-year-resolution/
https://study.com/academy/lesson/low-frustration-tolerance-definition-examples.html
