What is chronic dissatisfaction and how to overcome it

The absence of happiness is one of the most common clinical conditions in the world population. It is common that there are often unpleasant sensations that prevent enjoyment in social, family and work situations, the product of an underlying problem. Some people live with high levels of frustration and discomfort with various activities that they carry out throughout their daily lives. Although it is impossible to achieve complete happiness because life is not perfect, it is important to try to perceive the positive side of the circumstances. In this sense, some people live with permanent sorrow at all times.

In this Psychology-Online article we will explain what is chronic dissatisfaction and how to overcome it.

Index

1. What the chronic dissatisfaction
2. Causes of chronic dissatisfaction
3. Symptoms of chronic dissatisfaction
4. Treatment of chronic dissatisfaction

Chronic dissatisfaction consists of a mental state characterized by the presence of a

In this sense, it is important to mention that the perception of people with chronic dissatisfaction is altered because the final evaluation is negative. This is independent of any event that has arisen in the course of daily life, since it also applies to pleasant moments.

To understand this mental disorder in greater detail, it is essential to take into consideration the origins that give rise to the symptoms of the condition. Next, we will see the causes of chronic dissatisfaction:

• Environmental factors: unpleasant experiences lived in the past play a fundamental role in processing the situations that occur. Here may be included love disappointments, family losses, labor difficulties, unfinished projects, among others. The common feature that these circumstances have is the impossibility of enjoying moments of daily life. In turn, family mandates are directly linked to the understanding of reality. For this reason, if a member of the family environment is chronically dissatisfied, there is a high probability that the person will suffer the same fate.
• Genetic factors: the transmission of genes by parents should not be neglected. Furthermore, there may be a predisposition to process external stimuli from reality in unfavorable ways due to an absence of neurotransmitters such as serotonin and/or endorphins, hormones responsible for the sensation of happiness. This can be detected by a DNA study.
• Other mental disorders: the presence of clinical pictures such as anxiety and depression gives rise to chronic dissatisfaction, since the perception of reality is negatively affected. In this article you will find other Types of Mental Disorders and their characteristics.

To detect this problem, it is necessary to meet a series of thoughts and criteria, both behavioral and emotional. Next we will describe the main symptoms of chronic dissatisfaction:

• High self-demand.
• Dissatisfaction.
• Mood changes.
• Constant frustration.
• Low self-esteem.
• Lack of enthusiasm.
• Catastrophic thoughts.
• Discomfort in social places.
• Fatigue.
• Headaches.
• Gastrointestinal difficulties.

It should be noted that the isolated presence of any of these symptoms does not have to represent chronic dissatisfaction. Therefore, it is necessary that the diagnosis be made by a mental health professional who evaluates the clinical characteristics of each patient according to aspects such as age, sex, genetic background, pre-existing diseases, evolutionary history, among others.

Despite the fact that this pathology entails various obstacles that may arise in the development common activities, there are some solutions that can improve the quality of life of the person. In this section we will explain some treatments for chronic dissatisfaction:

• psychological therapy: The therapeutic approach is the first tool that should be used to deal with this problem. The therapy tries to locate the origin of the conflicts to obtain a global understanding of the situation of each person. In this way, it is possible to establish resources that allow coping with situations of fear or anxiety in a more pleasant way.
• social support groups: going to crowded places where interests can be exchanged usually has a relieving effect for the person. In the same way, listening to life stories allows us to reflect on the virtues of each human being and improve self esteem.
• avoid perfection: behind chronic dissatisfaction, there is an implicit search for ideal scenarios that do not have shortcomings. However, this represents a trap, since no one can have a life without problems. In this way, accepting that things can have flaws is a relevant fact. For example, a person may choose to enjoy having a home even without a mansion.
• Focus on positive aspects: This can be achieved through techniques that emphasize the present and gratitude. One of the most paradigmatic examples is mindfulness.
• Remove consistency to the opinion of others: Many times, people try to achieve extremely complex and exhausting goals to obtain the approval of others. Taking distance from this point is enlightening to reflect on what you want in life. An example of this could be the fact of preventing the opinion of a family member from influencing the decision to form a couple.

This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is chronic dissatisfaction and how to overcome it, we recommend that you enter our category of Clinical psychology.

• Sánchez Elena, M.J., García Montes, J.M., Valverde Romera, M., Pérez Álvarez, M. (2014). Chronic disease: life satisfaction and adaptive lifestyles. Clinical and Health Magazine, 25 (2), 85-93.