Friday, September 6, 2013

Dealing With Frustration

I can choose my response
















Have you ever had to deal with the frustration of climbing a relentlessly steep learning curve? Perhaps for the sake of new information or technology? It can be crazy-making!

Last week I purchased an Android tablet. I wanted a device that was both a tablet and useable as a laptop when traveling. Hubby and I spent weeks researching the best ones. I finally decided on the Galaxy Note 10.1. It's a really cute little thing, especially combined with the tiny external keyboard we bought to run on Bluetooth.

But adorable wasn't good enough.

I spent an entire week trying to make it work for me. It never did. I had to find countless work-arounds. Then there was one app after another that didn't do what was promised. An external keyboard that never over-rode the built-in, even with a Null Keyboard app. And then there was an Office system that was so basic I could have written the code for it myself. I finally said, enough!

So the Android was relegated back to the dusty shelf at Staples. In came the Microsoft Surface RT. And it come with a perfectly good version of Office. YAY! Before anyone crucifies me for selecting what is probably the most panned piece of technology ever devised by MS, I have to say that for my productivity purposes it's working out very well.

But this post is about dealing with frustrations. So here are four ways I got through mine during these past trying 10 days:

Humor got me through a lot of it. Making up new keyword phrases to describe my frustration was kind of fun. Like "app-ing around". Thank you to my friend Sheena for coming up with the verb. And then there was "slothing up the learning curve". And "I need an app for the app for the app that is apping around". You get the picture. They kept me amused through the worst of it.

Yoga was my best friend. I couldn't wait to park myself on my mat each day to change the energy from negative to positive. Not to mention getting the kinks out from spending so much time on the tablets. Downward dog has become my pet pose. Sorry, couldn't resist.

Meditation was my saving grace. The quietude of stillness brought me inward, which in turn dropped me into my heart space. Then it occurred to me that all of this frustration has been for a grander purpose: an opportunity for deeper healing. An opportunity for tapping into my toolbox of resources.

Someone to bounce things off. The absolute best tool in the box had to be the fact that I could bounce everything off my hubby. He helped me to see that I needed to change up the tablet. And he also did a ton of research for me. Teamwork. I'm so blessed..

How do you deal with your frustration in a positive way?

4 comments:

  1. Humor is my choice for dealing with frustration or other delicate circumstances. It calms me down and often helps ease a tense situation not only for me but also for others who may be involved. However, on occasion some people may take humor the wrong way and are insulted and ask "what's so funny" or say "that's nothing to joke about".

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  2. Yes, hut humor is a very individual thing, Beth. And when it comes to humor, no one says you must be vocal. One can be humorous within oneself. Tickle your own funny bone sort of thing. And who knows, maybe by seeing the humorous side you're helping someone who tends to take things too seriously. Just be true to yourself.

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  3. My niece was molested by her Kumon Math Tutor. Her parents immigrated from Mexico just a couple of years prior to the incident. Although the tutor is in jail now she still suffers from nightmares. Here is what happened:

    http://tinyurl.com/lksy8cu

    How can I help her?

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  4. Just treat her normally and listen if and when she wants to talk. Don't treat her any differently otherwise she will always wonder if you're being authentic. So how do YOU deal with the frustration of knowing this happened to your niece? This is just as important as helping her, Josephine. The healthier you are, especially emotionally, the more help you are to her.

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