The Scenario
Jack had been looking forward to the family trip for months. He'd heard all about it from his parents, and he was so excited to finally be able to go. But when his parents told him that he wasn't allowed to bring his favorite toy on the vacation, Jack was devastated. He felt like the whole world had betrayed him.
With tears streaming down his face, Jack screamed at his parents, blaming them for ruining the trip and not understanding him. His mom and dad tried their best to stay calm and explain why they couldn't let Jack bring the toy on their vacation, but it made no difference - Jack wouldn't listen.
His anger only increased as he stomped away from them, muttering under his breath about how unfair life was. Jack soon found himself sitting alone in a corner of the room, feeling sorry for himself and convinced that everyone around him was out to get him.
The Problem Defined
Perhaps this little snippet hits a little too close to home, in your world...
It could be said that Jack is displaying "low frustration tolerance". While we somewhat expect a toddler to display low frustration tolerance, as they struggle to come to grips with a world that is beyond their control, we hope that they begin to learn how to accept, persevere, and even thrive, as they mature. However, if Jack were a young adult, it might give us cause toward some level of intervention. The effects of low frustration tolerance in adults are quite a bit more costly, in terms of connection and relational dynamics.
Frustration tolerance is a psychological concept that refers to the ability to cope with and manage feelings of impatience, irritability, and anger. It describes the capacity to remain resilient in the face of challenging circumstances or difficult tasks. It is also referred to as frustration endurance, stress tolerance, or coping ability. People who are high in frustration tolerance are able to stay calm when faced with intense situations. They have an increased ability to stay focused on their goals despite obstacles or setbacks. (There is a great overview here.)
Low frustration tolerance refers to the difficulty in managing feelings of impatience and anger when faced with challenging situations. It can manifest itself in feeling overwhelmed, getting angry quickly, and reacting rashly. However, it is a skill that can be improved through various strategies such as: deep breathing exercises, problem solving skills, playing challenging games, goal setting and learning different types of coping methods. Empathy is also beneficial because it allows people to understand why some situations may be more difficult for others than themselves. With the right tools and guidance, individuals with low frustration tolerance can learn to manage their emotions better and ultimately navigate rough patches without crumbling under pressure.
For Your Consideration
In our last blog, we deconstructed this quote:
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”
― G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain
We all yearn to see our children grow and become successful adults in the face of challenging times. This often requires being able to manage stress, setbacks, and disappointments, because life certainly has no shortage of these roadblocks. Frustration tolerance is a critical psychological concept that encompasses how we respond when faced with difficult tasks or circumstances. It speaks to our capacity for remaining resilient and staying focused on our goals despite obstacles.
It is important for parents to equip their children with life skills that will help them handle frustration and adversity throughout their lives. Frustration tolerance is a skill that can be developed over time, beginning in childhood. Through teaching patience, regulation of emotions, deep breathing exercises, problem solving strategies, goal setting skills, modeling healthy response styles, and playing games parents can foster frustration tolerance within their children from a young age.
As intentional parents, it is important to equip our children with life skills that will help them handle frustration and adversity throughout their lives. One of the most effective ways to help your children build their frustration tolerance is by playing challenging table games with them. Table games are a great tool for teaching important life skills such as problem-solving, decision making, strategic thinking and resilience in the face of adversity.
Our Suggestion
At OOPArt Games Inc, we understand the need to provide our children with ample opportunities to practice handling difficult situations, and have (in-part) designed our products with this purpose in mind. "Revengineers! The Original Reverse Engineering Party Dice Game" creates an engaging way for kids to hone their skills in a fun and playful environment. By playing this game with your children from a young age you can start equipping them with the necessary coping mechanisms they need to deal with any situation they may encounter later in life.
Revengineers is more than just a game – it’s an educational tool meant to encourage learning through play (See "Cognitive Destructuring: A Phenomenon Discovered"). So join us today at OOPArt Games and get ready to play some challenging games! Let's start helping our kids build their frustration tolerance so that they can face any obstacle that comes their way!
In addition to offering practical guidance for responding to frustrating situations it is also important for parents to develop a sense of empathy within their children - rather than shaming failure or dismissing hardships as unimportant - so they can better understand why some situations may be more difficult for others than themselves. The development of empathy helps us learn how our own attitudes matter in how we cope with frustrations; as well as providing insight into how others cope differently due to external factors or internal limitations they may have experienced in life thus far.
Ultimately the goal should be helping your child develop an understanding of their frustration tolerance reserve - enabling them try different techniques so they can find what works best for them without getting overwhelmed by feelings of impatience or anger. By having this skill set in place you will give your child the necessary knowledge and confidence they need in navigating rough patches without crumbling under pressure; ultimately arming them with the ability to make hard times easier – just like competent and capable people do!
Thank you for taking the time to read about Frustration Tolerance and how it can be developed and strengthened in your child through table game play. Please leave us a comment below if you have any questions or ideas on how we can continue the conversation!
We hope this article has been beneficial in aiding parents to gain a deeper understanding of frustration tolerance and some of the methods for cultivating it.