A Conversation with Frustration: How to Turn Negative Emotions into Allies
Me: Oh hi, Frustration! What is it you need, my friend?
Frustration: Well, I’ve brought along my friend, Worry. Worry keeps telling me something is going terribly wrong, and I don’t know what to do.
Me: Hmm, tell me Worry, what’s the story you’re telling?
Worry: This doesn’t feel safe. Someone is going to get hurt.
Enter Fear into the conversation.
Me: Fear, what are you afraid of?
Fear: I’m afraid I did something wrong, and now I’m alone. I don’t like to be alone.
Me: What does "alone" feel like?
Fear: It feels like I’m not loved if I don’t get it right.
Me: Oh, but Love is WHAT you ARE!
Fear: How can I feel that love?
Me: You just need to remember that you ARE the love.
Try This Out:
Take a deep breath and speak these words to yourself:
I am the love I am longing for.
Love is the energy of all that is.
Anything other than love is the illusion of the one inside who is scared.
Me: Fear, what are you scared of?
Fear: That I did something wrong and now I have to pay for it.
Me: What’s the cost you’re paying for something you don’t even owe?
The Truth About Fear and Frustration
Fear likes to tell us that everything is on the line when, in reality, nothing is. The cost we think we have to pay? It's an illusion. When we release fear and stop inviting it in, the suffering it creates disappears.
Frustration, fear, and worry are just messengers. They're there to tell you something, but they don’t need to be your permanent guests. When frustration knocks, answer the door, thank it for the message, and send it on its way. Don’t let it move in. Frustration, when invited in, brings chaos—it’s loud, demanding, exhausting, and, quite frankly, terrible company.
The Key Takeaways
Embrace the Knock, But Don’t Let It Stay: When emotions like frustration or fear show up, they’re just knocking on the door with a message. Answer the knock, acknowledge the message, and send them on their way. Don’t invite them to stay and make themselves at home. Recognize that emotions are temporary visitors, not permanent residents.
Feel, Don’t Become: There’s a difference between feeling an emotion and becoming it. When you allow yourself to simply feel the emotion, it can move through you quickly and naturally. Becoming the emotion means you’re holding onto it, which only amplifies its effect and keeps you stuck in the same cycle.
Emotions Are Energy in Motion: Think of emotions as pure energy—energy that needs to move through you. If you resist them or try to shut them out, they’ll stick around. But if you let them flow freely, they’ll naturally pass through. This process takes about 90 seconds, so trust yourself to feel it, acknowledge it, and let it go.
Awareness is the First Step to Freedom: The real power lies in your awareness. When you become aware of your emotions as messages, not truths, you can receive the insight they bring without getting swept up in them. This awareness frees you from negative loops and helps you shift your energy to attract more of what you truly want.
Your Focus Shapes Your Reality: The emotions you focus on give your brain instructions on what you want more of. Frustration and fear signal stress to the body, activating fight or flight. But when you focus on love, peace, and trust, you tell your brain to create more of those experiences, shaping a life of well-being and balance.
If this resonates with you, let’s connect -
