5 Frustrating Moments Mindfulness Can Help You With
Late trains, sleepless nights, moments when time seems to move at snail pace. Here are 5 frustrating moments where we can call upon mindfulness.
By Erin O’Connor
Being frustrated or annoyed at a situation that life throws at us is normal - it’s just one facet of the kaleidoscope of human emotions. However, there are some moments when it can very easily get the better of us and leave us feeling drained and perhaps a little miserable.
5 real world frustrating moments where mindfulness can come in handy
1. The Hold Music
We all have experienced the monotonous elevator-style music as we wait for our call to be picked up. This could be the simple phone call to the bank that seems to take up hours, or calling up your doctor to make an appointment. During these moments, time seems to pass so painfully slowly, and this only heightens our frustration that we can’t get on with our day. This reaction is totally normal - we’ve all been there I’m sure.
Next time you find yourself in this position, instead of letting the impatience build and the stress to creep in, try using the time to focus on your breath. Simply observe how it flows in and out, whether you’re breathing from the chest or from the belly. Taking your attention away from something you can’t control to something you can is a wonderful way to stay calm and present.
2. The Delayed Train
What happens in that moment when you’re still waiting on the platform for your train that should have been and gone 10 minutes ago? Chances are you let the tension build, your foot might start tapping away and your eyes start to dart around, perhaps catching the eye of other equally frustrated commuters. It’s quite unsettling knowing that you might be late for your meeting, or that your day is a bit behind schedule. However, in moments when things are out of our control a great thing to do is focus on your feet. Pressing down through the edges of your feet and observing how it feels to be grounded can help ease a bit of the anxiety and tension. Next time you are feeling uncertain, try this!
3. The Slow Cook
When I get overly excited about my dinner cooking in the oven, oftentimes I let the impatience and frustration of having to wait another 10 minutes or so get the better of me, and pull the food out early. While I’m in no way interested in eating undercooked meat or anything of the sort, I do think that those extra few minutes could be the difference between something tasting good and something tasting amazing (a little extra crisp and caramelisation can never go awry, right?!) Patience when it comes to your food is rewarded in the delicious meal that comes out of it, so in these moments of temptation, try to focus on the sensations around you - the delicious smell of the food, the warmth emitted from the oven, any gentle sounds you can hear. These also may help to heighten your experience of the food!
4.The Technical Glitch
Lockdown saw every possible technical glitch that could happen, happen. I mean, it’s unsurprising since Zoom became our collective office space, and our WIFI routers were being run ragged each day. In these frustrating moments of technical difficulty; when your WIFI is down, or your computer is making that dodgy whirring noise and getting so hot it may spontaneously combust at any second, we can often find ourselves losing patience and working ourselves up into a state of stress. Instead of bashing the keyboard or smacking the lid of your laptop shut, try closing your eyes and taking a few deep breaths to settle the nerves.
5. The Sleepless Night
Sleep isn’t always easy for everyone, and some nights are definitely more difficult than others. When we can’t fall asleep easily, our tendency is to grab our phones and start scrolling through the ‘gram to fill the time, or worse, start to read work emails. This might feel like you’re doing something productive, but this can actually worsen our ability to sleep. Instead, try some mindfulness techniques like alternate nostril breathing or some gentle stretches. You might even want to make yourself a cup of herbal tea, ideally something soothing like camomile or valerian.
Next time you’re faced with one of these situations, try to move away from the sensation of frustration and allow yourself a few moments of mindful calm.
ERIN O’CONNOR
Erin is a writer based in London. When’s she’s not attending a space rave, or attempting to make her own face scrub she is writing about anything and everything to do with wellbeing and mindfulness.
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