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Poll

Do you support the proposed Master Plan for Pensacola Beach

Yes, I'm all for it

Yes, but it needs some tweaking

No, it's too expensive

No, leave the beach alone.

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How do you deal with frustration?

Watching the delayed match of the U.S. Open, frustration was often evident in many of the players. I suspect the very fact of having to delay play caused some frustration.

Obviously, when a ball was hit and it landed in the tall grass, or was embedded in the sand trip, of veered into the crowds of people, frustration was visible as the player stomped off the tee area, or let the shoulders slump, or, in rare instances, hit the ground with the club.

In a game of golf, it is not sportsmanlike to try and blame the spectators, or the condition of the ground, or any of a dozen other things - the player knows the problems lies within him/herself.

There are many things that bring about a sense of frustration. One person may feel utterly discouraged by frustration, while another will deal with it in a very calculating and organized manner. The difference may be in the ways we were taught as children to handle difficulties. As Winston Churchill said, "A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."

An important thing is to recognize what is in our power to overcome, and what is beyond our power. Several suggestions have been offered to help us overcome the frustration:

One suggestion was to back off, go on to something else, and then came back to it later when the intensity is not so great. Living in this beautiful part of our world, we could take a walk on the beach; watch a beautiful sunset; sit out on a dock and watch the ebb and flow of the tide.

Some may rid themselves of frustration by working out at the gym, working on the lawn, doing housework, getting absorbed in music.

Its been suggested that one of the worst things we can do is to deny that we are feeling frustrated. If we recognize it, and own it, we can generally find a way to overcome it, or at the least, to get around it.

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. said, "Laughter and tears are both responses to frustration ... I myself prefer to laugh, such there is less cleaning up to do afterward."

And none other than Phyllis Diller said, "My recipe for dealing with anger and frustration: set the kitchen timer for 20 minutes, cry, rant, and rave, and at the sound of the bell, sim- mer down and go about business as usual."

I don't know what psychiatrists would say about these methods, but I do know that, if we are serious, we will discover ways to overcome that "sense or state of insecurity and dissatisfaction arising from unresolved problems or unfulfilled needs" - frustration - that will allow us to live meaningful and productive lives.