A Simple Practice To Let Go of Frustration

Having trouble studying or writing? This practice will help you to become more grounded and enable you to let go of that frustration by focussing on your breath and body. The track includes the sounds of a singing bowl to guide you.

Transcript

Hello,

Unique learner.

Great you are here and that you are taking this time for yourself.

We all have been there.

Wishing if we could just study,

Concentrate and be super efficient,

Everything would be alright.

If only it were that easy.

Sometimes,

To make things worse,

We even start beating ourselves up or feel guilty.

We become restless and even more frustrated.

What I learned is to feel the frustration.

Is it really frustration?

Or is it anxiety and fear?

Where do you feel the frustration?

In your neck?

In your stomach?

Are you tightening your arms?

Once you feel where the emotion is stacked in your body,

Focus on it.

Don't try to change it,

But allow it.

Let it run its course.

Think of studying and everything that made you frustrated in the first place.

And that is exactly what we are going to do in this practice.

We are going to feel that frustration when we are thinking about studying or that we have to write something and it doesn't work.

And by focusing on that frustration,

It will get less power over you.

This practice will help you feel more grounded,

In touch with your emotions and eventually will help you work more efficient.

So let's start and find yourself a quiet place to sit.

Turn your phone on the do not disturb light and dim your lights.

This is your time.

Wiggle your fingers and feet if you need to and place your hands loosely in your lap.

Now close your eyes if you haven't done that already.

Take a long deep breath in.

Hold it for a couple of seconds and then slowly exhale making sure you empty your lungs completely.

Take another long slow deep breath in.

Hold it and then exhale through your mouth.

Take a third deep breath in.

Take your time.

Hold it for a moment and let it go.

If you find that your mind wanders during this meditation,

That's okay.

Simply bring your awareness back to the sound of my voice.

When you think of studying and the frustration,

Where do you feel it in your body?

How does it look like?

What's the temperature?

Allow that feeling and take a mental note.

Breathe in through your nose again and breathe out through your mouth.

Now think about something positive in your life,

Something calming,

Your inner temple or your happy place.

Where do you feel that?

In your heart space?

How does it feel?

Same thing as before,

Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.

Now let's try to go back to that feeling of studying and perhaps the frustration that you are feeling.

Where do you feel it now?

Has it shifted?

Has it changed temperature or is it still the same?

Try to allow it and not change it.

It is there in your body but it isn't you.

Breathe in through your nose and don't forget to breathe out through your mouth.

Now one more time,

Think of your happy place.

How does your body feel when you think of that?

Where do you feel it?

Has it shifted?

Has it changed temperature or color?

Is it still the same?

Try to focus on this feeling.

Sit with it.

How does that feel?

For the last time let's go to that feeling and the thoughts of I need to study,

I have to study.

How does that feel in your body right now?

Has the level of intensity decreased since the beginning of this meditation or has it changed?

Breathe in through your nose and breathe out through your mouth.

It is possible that you feel lighter in this moment than when you started.

But more importantly realize that these are feelings that do not define who you are or your self worth.

So great awareness.

Remember these are very individual practices and give yourself space to find out what works for you.

Now become aware of the room in which you sit.

Wriggle your toes and fingers and when you are ready in your own time thank yourself for taking this time for you,

Your body and your mind and perhaps this will bring a smile on your face.

And now open your eyes.

Reviews

Thank you so much!

It took until the third shift to my place of peace and happiness for me to feel a significant change in the anxiety, but it definitely happened. Another great addition to my doctoral success toolkit. I've not had any luck at all finding a practice to assist with math/statistics anxiety, so this was about te closest I could find for my needs. I have a learning difference in math and had a very traumatic experience in my first stats class as an undergraduate some 26 years ago. I barely made it through the only other stats class I took 14 years ago when I went back for my Master's degree. As a doctoral student, I am now taking part two of that stats class from 14 years ago, and have another stats class to come. While I have found a few one resources and a professor on YouTube who presents the information in a way my mind actually understands, the emotional response - academic PTSD, I sometimes think of it - remains. My bear-daily discussion with my professor has been helpful, and she said the YouTube professor's textbook is going to be adopted in a couple quarters from now to replace the text we struggle with so much now. I know I can learn this and have it make sense. I know I have the resources. I know I have done it in the past and will do it again now and in the future. I know I find research design easy, and I know where the anxiety is triggered. My study environment is less than optimal, but I am taking steps to correct that. I just need to continue to reduce my reactiveness to the triggers, release the anxiety, focus on my knowledge that I can indeed do this work, understand it, and RETAIN it, and be confident in my output.

If you should happen to read this and decide to do a stats-oriented anxiety or confidence boosting practice for those of us with similar concerns, I would definitely be grateful. (There's a reason I'm primarily qualitative oriented rather than quantitative, but of course I need to be capable of doing both with some degree of fluency.) Stats is a language, and I can learn languages - once I relax and bypass the stress and anxiety.

Your entire series here has been and continues to be so incredibly helpful, I have no words to express it. A simple thank you does not begin to cover it, but that is all I can offer at this moment in time.

Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.

I will listen to and engage with this practice and others from you and a handful of similar-style teachers as I work to complete the assignments due today. The study music with binaural beats are lifesavers as well.

I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻❤🤲🏻

Very helpful and calming, thank you!! 🙏🏻💫😊

Love this.. would love to have the practice as a standalone... Without the preframing at the start.

Lovely meditation! It was very helpful! Thank you!

Loved your voice and message. Thank you.

Thank you so much for helping me ease my anxiety! I felt so much better! I will do this practice often. Thank you again❤️♥️