Mindfulness Audios Download: Feeling Frustrated

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Feeling Frustrated

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
This exercise is to help you develop tolerance of emotions. The audio provides guidance for being mindfully present with frustration.
However, the actual practice of mindfulness is to allow yourself to be fully aware of your experience when feeling frustrated. Although trying to create the emotion of frustration would not be mindful, it may be possible to create the conditions that might cause you to feel frustrated.

Next Exercise

Listen

Transcript of Audio: Feeling Frustrated

Allow yourself to fully experience the feeling of frustration. But instead of relieving the frustration by focusing angry thoughts on someone else or yourself, let yourself just experience the sensations of the frustration. When thoughts of blame or demands enter your mind, just focus away from those thoughts with a mental “shrug.” Don't try to get rid of the thoughts but just refocus on the actual sensations of the feeling of frustration. If thoughts that you shouldn't have to feel this way come to mind, just refocus back to the sensations. Let the thoughts go as you refocus. Notice how you experience the frustration. Where do you feel it in your body? Do you feel physical tension in your muscles? Do you feel a tightness in your forehead or jaws? What is it that you are experiencing? Do you feel an increase in your temperature or in your breathing? Just focus on the sensations without judgment or blame, without trying to get rid of them. Let the sensation of frustration flow over you without the focus on demand or blame. Let yourself “be” with the feeling of frustration, no matter how you might experience it.