Why do we get frustrated when learning something?

Jait Ramadandi Jeke - Sep 16 '23 - - Dev Community

When learning a new skill, we often reach a frustrating point, especially if you are a beginner, feeling that it's beyond our capabilities. We unconsciously give up before we actually quit. Boredom, panic, frustration, and insecurity are normal emotions in the process.

If you don’t feel frustrated while learning something, maybe you’re not learning. So, when you’re practicing some skills and you feel frustrated, that’s your weakness. So congratulations! You just know what your weakness is. In that moment, you started working on what you weren’t good at.

Learning is a painful process.

Pain is good for you. I know your tendency is to try to make it easy for yourself. Because at the end of the day, we are just human beings. We don’t like pain. So at some point, when you learn something and you feel it’s really easy to do and so much fun, you’re probably not learning. You’re trying to avoid your weaknesses.

The frustration is a sign of progress.

Frustration is a signal that your mind is processing complexity and requires more practice. Trusting this will all happen, you will allow the natural learning process to move forward, and everything else will fall into place.

So when you’re frustrated while learning, you don’t really know what you need to do. And that’s a signal on the way to a breakthrough. That moment you’re about to give up is where the magic happens. On the next day, all of the perfect solutions came to you. So, you only need to rest and chill a bit. Not quit.

Adopt the right mindset.

If you go that far, you will know that pain and frustration are good things. Once you know that, you are able to wait for the breakthrough that will come because you don’t give up.

You cannot change the topics that you’re learning to make them easier for you. But you can change your point of view. "Hmm, okay. This is my weakness; I need to work on it!". Adopting the right mindset is so important.

So remember, when you have that frustration, you are on the right path. Don’t give up!

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