In this episode Dr. Kashey discusses the two main types of frustration aversion: outright avoidance/aversion (like George Costanza's unemployment scheme on Seinfeld) and delay/procrastination. He then breaks down outright aversion into two further categories: "out of sight, out of mind" and "out of mind, out of sight." Using examples like chronic dieting struggles, Dr. Kashey explains how these distorted belief systems falsely assume that ignoring or avoiding problems will resolve them. However, this only perpetuates the frustration when reality conflicts with unrealistic expectations. He emphasizes the need to rectify these irrational beliefs rather than rely on restriction or avoidance. He discusses how blame and permission for lack of responsibility emerge from the frustration paradox when people abdicate resolving their issues to external factors.

In this episode, Dr. Kashey explores frustration and how it impacts our actions offering a unique perspective on the interplay between stimuli, responses, and emotional outbursts.. With his signature wit, he looks at how people blame outside forces when frustration boils over, reflecting deeply rooted human habits. Through funny stories and smart observations, he emphasizes the importance of maintaining composure and rationality amidst frustrating circumstances, emphasizing the need to confront impulsive urges with mindfulness and self-awareness. This means facing strong impulses thoughtfully and self-awarely. Dr. Kashey weaves together the absurdity of human reactions with practical wisdom on managing frustration.

In this episode, Dr. Kashey explores how to apply the STFU approach not just to discrete frustrations but to address major chronic frustrations like overfatness. Minor frustrations will arise along the way, triggering urges to act impulsively and abandon constructive plans. However, Dr. Kashey explains why "going with your gut" feelings and urges perpetuate chronic frustration. Instead, persevering requires building frustration tolerance to act deliberately, even when it conflicts with impulses. He outlines how responses arise from thoughts and beliefs about frustrating stimuli. Adjusting these, rather than the stimuli themselves, allows more control. Drawing from personal and professional experiences, he highlights the pitfalls of acting impulsively and underscores the significance of frustration tolerance in overcoming chronic frustrations.

In this extensive and thought-provoking episode, Dr. Kashey dives deeper into chronic frustrations - ongoing obstacles that spill across major life domains.  He begins by reiterating the fundamental concepts of frustration, distinguishing between discrete and chronic frustrations, and highlighting their impact on the four domains of operational, emotional, achievement, and fairness. Using the common example of long term overfatness, he outlines how constant physical and emotional disruption propagates failures in achievement and perceived unfairness. Dr. Kashey explains how exacerbating factors like rigid "all-or-nothing" thinking and unrealistic expectations put people in a "cognitive grinder" of self-perpetuating failure. He colorfully depicts the mindset driving this unhealthy cycle, where distorted beliefs strengthen in the face of violating reality. For severe chronic frustration, quick fixes fall short; the very approach to life requires adjustment. With a compassionate understanding of these struggles, Dr. Kashey equips listeners to recognize and address the deeper roots of major life obstacles.

In this episode Dr. Kashey further classifies frustrations into "discrete" and "chronic" varieties. Drawing from his expertise and humor, he paints a vivid picture of how these frustrations manifest in our lives and affect our overall well-being. Discrete frustrations are temporary obstructions best handled by rationally assessing the situation and responding deliberately. He emphasizes the importance of rational and deliberate responses to such frustrations, urging listeners to adopt constructive approaches in resolving them. However, chronic frustrations encompass entire life domains, manifesting as a pervasive sense of being overwhelmed. Dr. Kashey explains how "double trouble" - obsessing over minor issues - distracts us from addressing chronic frustrations. Using colorful metaphors, he likens this to bypassing a blocked artery or ignoring "the elephant in the room." He argues that discrete frustrations call for examining what constructive actions to take, while chronic frustrations require re-evaluating how we live.

Dr. Kashey takes a detour from his usual series to address a pressing question posed by one of the TKN’s kickstart challengers, Carrie. He tackles the common dilemma of finding satisfying substitutes for foods we crave. He cautions against restricting yourself from what you truly enjoy, as that often backfires into bingeing later. Instead, Dr. Kashey advocates an exploratory mindset of trying higher quality options you may genuinely like more on their own merits, not just as stand-ins. With humor and color, he outlines why we dislike “diet” versions - not for their actual taste, but for failing to perfectly replicate what we think we must have. The key is enjoying substitutions for what they are, not resenting them for what they aren’t. 

In this episode Dr. Kashey continues his exploration of frustration, offering a more concrete definition and framework for understanding this complex phenomenon. He examines dictionary definitions, leveraging his scientific background to arrive at a more precise conceptualization - frustration as an event or "stimulus" when we are obstructed from getting what we want. Dr. Kashey outlines how our appraisal and beliefs surrounding the frustration influence our reactions, potentially eliciting destructive emotions and behaviors which only compound the problem. He introduces the idea of "frustration tolerance" one's capacity to respond rationally despite perceived obstacles. He argues that when distortions cause us to exaggerate the frustration, it exceeds our frustration tolerance, making constructive action unlikely.

In this episode, Dr. Kashey continues examining the powerful effect frustration has on our lives. Looking closely at the many ways people react to frustrating situations, he underscores how our beliefs shape our responses, which in turn determine what happens next. Urging self-reflection, Dr. Kashey argues we have more control over outcomes than we think, if we take responsibility for how we initially respond. He offers the acronym STFU to break down the response process - first, identify the frustrating Stimulus; then your Thoughts and Feelings about it, which inform your Urge to act. Monitoring this reaction process fosters rational, purposeful responses. Blending ideas from conversations with an investigative journalist, Dr. Kashey provides practical tips for managing frustration and responding constructively, not destructively.

In this episode, Dr. Kashey embarks on a comprehensive exploration of the foundational components of frustration, exploring the intricate interplay of stimuli and responses that shape our diverse outcomes. Driven by his mission to understand and mitigate the impact of frustration on our lives, Dr. Kashey revisits critical concepts such as "double trouble," where encountering frustration becomes permission for self-inflicted frustration, often leading to destructive outcomes. The significance of the space between stimulus and response takes center stage, focusing on the influential role of one's belief system (BSU) in shaping cognitive and behavioral responses. Dr. Kashey explains the four domains of frustration- operational, emotional, achievement, and fairness and introduces the frustration sensitivity index as a tool for categorizing and understanding different frustrations. The Variable Outcome Principle challenges conventional views, revealing that individual responses to the same stimulus vary due to differing frustration sensitivity indexes. Dr. Kashey urges viewers to question their belief systems about frustrating stimuli, emphasizing the impact on cognitive-behavioral responses and outcomes.