ON LIFE AND FRUSTRATIONS

© Anna Leevia

Tolerance to frustration and setbacks is the most important psychical condition to achieve emotional maturity. Some fortunate people are born with a sweet disposition and are naturally more tolerant to pain and suffering; their path to emotional maturity is, consequently, much easier. But many are less tolerant, and lose control when things don’t go their way; they must be helped to learn how to face and handle the pain inherent to life.
Children must be encouraged to experiment and to understand that, occasionally, failure is a part of life and not a cause for shame. They have to be encouraged to put themselves in other people’s shoes, even those who are suffering, as they’ll develop empathy by feeling for others. Once they lose the fear of feeling the pain inherent to life, they can humbly accept the uncertainty of the human condition: the fact that we know nothing of our future.
People who have a higher tolerance to uncomfortable situations learn to live better with doubt, which is essential to keep the brain “spongelike” and open to the new; they are also able to make honest assessments of themselves, an important skill for their emotional and intellectual evolution throughout life.

Dr. Flavio Gikovate