Four Ways to Practice Your Patience
The world today moves at a mile a minute. We expect things now – not next month, not next week, not tomorrow – now.
A lot of times, it can be hard to stay patient when things don’t go our way immediately.
We get frustrated, we get angry, and we stay impatient. If you want to practice your patience in the face of frustration, check out these tips:
- Be mindful of what makes you impatient
When you find yourself getting fidgety, uncomfortable, or anxious because of impatience, ask yourself why. Why are you feeling like this?You should consciously acknowledge that you are being patient. It will become easy to narrow in on the root cause. Once you do that, the rest is easy.
What is that cause? Are you upset that you aren’t at the finish line yet? Are you unhappy with where you are currently? Do you just really not like waiting?
There are solutions to all of those problems. Understand that good things take time, happiness is a choice, and you can distract yourself from waiting in the meantime.
2. Distract yourself
This is the easiest way to be more patient. Stop thinking about what’s making you impatient by focusing your attention in another direction.
Picture yourself at an amusement park waiting in line. Think of how the park set up all kinds of different things to look at, read, and interact with. They know how easily impatient people are.
The next time you find yourself in a situation when you feel impatient, find a productive way to distract yourself.
Maybe you journal about your experience. Maybe you work on something else you need to get done. Whatever it is, try not to focus on the future. Make the most of the present.
3. Don’t resist
Impatience happens to all of us, all the time. It is a natural feeling that comes when we don’t receive instant gratitude.
Try not to feel like you’re going through the worst experience ever. Patience is being able to stay calm when there’s frustration in front of you.
How you respond to that frustration is up to you. You can make your situation worse by focusing on the negative, or you can understand that sometimes you just have to wait.
4. Take a deliberate pause
A lot of times, all you need is to take a step back and take a deep breath. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you feel better.
When you notice your frustration starting to bubble over, stop what you’re doing. Give yourself a moment to acknowledge why you’re feeling the way you are.
Next, close your eyes and take a deep breath. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat this step until you feel your heart rate go down. Then, attack frustration with a smile.
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