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When You Feel Discouraged, Keep Going
How to channel frustration into positivity
I’m good at taking tests or writing papers. Not so much at cold calling companies to set up internships. I tried for weeks to get an internship I needed for a class, and I had no luck. Some people said yes over the phone, then ghosted when I tried to follow up. One person told me, “Your school should be setting this up. Not you.” Click.
I was frustrated and asked my teacher for help; she told me to keep trying. Okay. But how?
I first learned about sublimation in a high school psychology class. Our book described it a healthy coping mechanism. It works like this: you feel a negative emotion, so you take your energy and use it for something positive.
A classic example: feeling angry about something? Go for a run.
Sometimes people take discouragement and lash out in ways that are unhealthy. They yell at the next person they see, or become really irritable and bitter. In my case, I could quit the class. But that’s not the best way to respond when you’re feeling disappointed.
One thing I recommend to a lot of people is writing. Writing down your thoughts can be a valuable form of sublimation. When I journal, I take a lot of emotions and daily frustrations, and then try to use the…
