13/11/2025
Frustration tolerance refers to a person's ability to cope with setbacks, obstacles, or challenging situations without becoming overly upset, angry, or discouraged.
If you’ve noticed signs of low frustration tolerance, the good news is that it can be strengthened over time.
Try incorporating the following strategies to build greater frustration tolerance:
1. Practice mindfulness: Develop awareness of your emotions and reactions so you can respond thoughtfully rather than impulsively.
2. Reframe negative thoughts: Challenge unhelpful beliefs such as “This shouldn’t happen to me” or “I can’t handle this,” and replace them with more balanced, realistic perspectives.
3. Set realistic expectations: Recognise that setbacks and difficulties are a natural part of life and work.
4. Take breaks: When you start to feel overwhelmed, pause and step away briefly to regain your calm before returning to the task.
5. Strengthen problem-solving skills: Focus your energy on identifying solutions instead of dwelling on what’s going wrong.
6. Build patience: Use everyday inconveniences, like waiting in line or dealing with delays as opportunities to practice managing frustration.
Developing high frustration tolerance promotes resilience, emotional maturity, and success across both personal and professional areas of life. By consciously building this skill, you’ll notice greater confidence, balance, and satisfaction in how you handle challenges.