First published 18 December 2025

I came across a brilliant TED talk last week by Joshua Schachter – the guy who created a bunch of oddly mesmerising (and deeply irritating) videos of robots drawing perfect patterns before spectacularly messing them up at the last second.  So clearly I now need to go follow him and watch ALL of his past videos!

Here’s the fun bit: Schachter after his videos didn’t get much traction, he stumbled onto viral fame when he deliberately started programming robots to fail at otherwise satisfying tasks.

The videos sparked millions of views and some savagely creative responses.

People wished him “a warm pillow on both sides” and hoped his “glass of water is never quite the right temperature.”

These playful curses became a kind of art form themselves – viewers transforming their own frustration into creative expression.
It got me thinking about how we handle the things that wind us up.

The Body Knows What is Frustrating
From a kinesiology perspective, frustration shows up in our bodies long before we consciously acknowledge it,  and it isn’t just an emotion – it’s energy seeking an outlet.

Suppressed frustration affects the Liver meridian, which governs the smooth flow of Qi throughout your body.  When this energy becomes stuck, you might feel it as tension in your jaw, tightness across your shoulders, or that restless feeling where you can’t quite settle.

Some frustrations are tiny – the lid that won’t budge, the technology that freezes at exactly the wrong moment.

Others feel more substantial – the projects that stall, the conversations that go nowhere, the goals that seem perpetually out of reach.

What to Do When Frustration Strikes

What if, instead of pushing through or bottling it up, we could redirect that energy?

I have a few options for you to play with when you need to release frustration without throwing things or hitting your head off a wall:

The Body Release: When you notice frustration building, take 30 seconds to shake it out – literally.  Vigorous movement helps discharge the stuck Liver Qi and prevents it from lodging deeper in your system (and yes it might feel odd or uncomfortable at first but it does help).  If the shake is too much for you, go for a brisk walk.

The Creative Channel: Like those comment-writers wishing mild inconveniences upon Schachter, can you express your frustration in a playful way?  Write a ridiculous poem to explain the frustration, draw it as a cartoon, or describe it in the most over-the-top language possible. Humour is a great way to transform energy.

The Redirect: Your solar plexus chakra – the power centre – thrives on purposeful action.  Channel frustration into something productive: that drawer you’ve been meaning to organise – organise it, the call you’ve been putting off – make it, the project that actually matters to you – work on it.

The Thymus Tap. Frustration is stagnant qi. if you don’t like the idea of the shake or don’t have time for a walk, tap your thymus (centre of your chest), it can shift stuck energy remarkably quickly. (you may remember this tip if you have been given rest as homework from me before – the first video on my self help page shows you what to do)

Get curious.  (I couldn’t think of a ‘the’ statement for this one!)  Ask yourself: “What’s this frustration trying to tell me?”   Looking towards your solar plexus chakra again – it often uses frustration as a signal that something needs changing. Listen to it. You can journal it out or record a voice note for your ears only, whatever way works for you to dig below the surface.

The Transformation.  Like Joshua programming deliberate mistakes into beautiful art, what if your frustration could fuel something new?  That annoying process at work? Design a better one.  That persistent health niggle?  Let it guide you towards meaningful change.  How else can you transform the frustration into something benign? 

Your Turn
This week, I invite you to notice what frustrates you.  Not to judge it or fix it immediately, but simply to catch it in the moment.

Then try one of the above strategies and notice what happens.

Does the energy shift?

Does something creative emerge?

Does the frustration itself become useful?

Drop me a line and tell me how you got on.  I’d love to hear what you discover.
Because sometimes the thing that winds us up is exactly the fuel we need.

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May all your pillows be the perfect temperature tonight.  (and if they are not – book in to come see me 😉)

If you want to watch the TED talk – you can find it here: https://www.ted.com/talks/joshua_schachter_how_i_turned_frustration_into_creative_success (if you are good with cookies, just click below.