With patience comes confidence, decisiveness, and a more thoughtful outlook on life. Patience can inspire wisdom and success. How does this happen? When we are patient, we slow down are able to hear all that is being communicated to us. Patience is one of the most difficult qualities to develop in this fast paced and impatient world. We want everything, we want it our way, and we want it now! We think that if we slow down we will fall behind. Occasional impatience is natural, but if it becomes a habit, it can be detrimental.
Impatience contributes to feelings of anxiety, anger, dissatisfaction, and failure. It can ruin relationships with friends, partners, co-workers, and children. Impatience can result in guilt for any out-of-control behavior it provoked. Being impatient can get you into real trouble. It can make you physically ill. When you’re impatient, you view life as a chore. The task in front of you is something to get done and over with. When you’re impatient you’re trying to rush into the future. And in your rushing, you miss out on the present. The sooner you learn the art of being patient, the easier and more peaceful your life will become. Read our ways of improving our patience as a person.
Stay Away from Negative People
Did you know that negative people can have a negative effect on your level of patience? The people you surround yourself with have a tremendous impact on your life. It’s really hard to overstate how many negative effects there are when you hang out with bitter, negative, and overly critical people. Their negative outlook on life can seep into how you view your life as well. When we are frustrated and irritated, it is very likely we will also be impatient. Furthermore, if you can see certain people having a negative impact on your mental state, and, therefore, your patience, try and stay away from them.
If you can’t completely cut out toxic people, such as family members, then limit your contact. You should keep a healthy distance from negative associations as much as possible. Don’t waste time gossiping or fighting. Try not to talk badly about these people behind their back, it usually gets back to them, and will create drama. All of this will affect your psychological health and leave you with much less patience for everything else in your life. This is the number one step for being more patient.
Slow Down
Do you have the tendency to rush around? Maybe you tend to try to hurry things up? Or you want things done immediately and can’t wait? This is most likely causing you stress and not contributing to a very great day. When you are in those moments, try to take several deep breaths before you act or make a move. For example, if you’re in a long lineup at the grocery store or in heavy traffic, make the decision to pause and not get worked up. Do some yoga, listen to the radio, or just enjoy the view. Getting impatient won’t make things move along any faster. No sense in getting worked up for nothing.
Moreover, we all have things in our lives that take time away from what is important. Things that trigger our impatience and frustration. These things cause us stress. One way of removing stress from our lives is to stop doing these things. Take a few minutes and evaluate your week. Look at your schedule from when you wake up to the time you go to sleep. Take out two or three things that negatively impact you and evaluate them. Can someone help you with these things? Can you hire someone to do it for you? Is there a more efficient way to do it? It’s time to learn reevaluate things that cause stress and make us impatient.
Find the Triggers
When you find yourself becoming frustrated and impatient, ask yourself, “why am I being so impatient?” Is it because you fear you might be late? Are you multitasking too much? Do you feel out of control? Is it a generalized anxiety? Figuring out what your triggers are will allow you to move through your days with the self-awareness needed to squash impatience before it begins. At the very least, recognize when you are being impatient and turn the situation around before it negatively affects you and those around you.
When you become more aware of losing your patience, pay close attention to the things that trigger you to lose that patience. Is it when your partner does something particularly irritating? When your spouse leaves dirty dishes in the sink? When your child doesn’t clean up her mess? Certain triggers will recur more frequently than others. These are the things you should focus on the most.
Put Yourself in Other’s Shoes
You should also consider how your impatience negatively affects others. You never know what someone else is going through. When we stop for a second and put ourselves in other people’s shoes, we are practicing the epitome of patience. Instead of getting upset with someone at the grocery store, take into consideration that person may have had a rough day and does not need another negative interaction. Extending grace, patience, and empathy is the very thing that you would want someone to extend to you when it is needed. For example, let’s say there is a person who is driving lower than the speed limit. You are getting very irritated. You should consider that there may be other reasons why they are driving so slowly. Maybe the driver has a baby in the back and wants to drive safe. It is always important to put yourself in other’s shoes before you get too worked up.
Get more Sleep
Many times, we become so busy in our lives that we forget to prioritize our sleep. This is very unhealthy for our psychological health. This can be one of the reasons that we do not have too much patience for things around us. The best thing you can to do have more patience is get more sleep. Most adults need 7-8 hours of sleep. However, the average person gets 6.8 hours. Many people even get fewer.
Sleep deprivation has been shown to increase stress and anxiety, leading to shorter tempers and irritability. A lack of sleep makes it harder for us to think clearly and deal with stressors. Therefore, it is very important for you to focus on achieving adequate sleep. Of course, that’s easier said than done with our busy lives. However, by practicing good sleep hygiene, you can achieve better quality and quantity of sleep.
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