Life has a way of forcing us to be more patient. Sometimes it’s through minor things like long lines in a store or heavy traffic. Sometimes it’s through major events like waiting for the right job to open up or health to improve. Waiting for major life events is when my impatience beast goes on a rampage. Rarely does everything come when we want it.
Sometimes life lessons aren’t enough and we are still impatient. Eknath Easwaran said, “Patience can’t be acquired overnight. It is just like building up a muscle. Every day you need to work on it.” Here are seven ways to help build patience.
- Identify Triggers. Question why you are feeling impatient about a situation or a person and what triggered those feelings.
- Slow Down. When you find yourself unable to wait for things to take their natural course, take a few deep breaths before you act or make a move.
- Practice Delayed Gratification. When eating or shopping, stop and think about whether you really need that dessert or another pair of shoes.
- Make Patience your Goal for the Day. Concentrate on living in the moment and taking your time for an entire day. Evaluate whether your choices benefitted from the extra time and thought invested.
- Think Before you Speak. Pause and think about what you want to say instead of blurting out the first thing that pops into your head.
- Loosen Up. When you find yourself in a situation that tries your patience, perform a quick body check to see if there are areas that are tight and tense. Try to relax or message out the tension.
- Be Patient with Yourself. Don’t expect immediate results. Understand that developing patience is a process and you are taking steps in the right direction.