Patience is an underrated value that people should adopt more. If you master patience, you'll notice how you become less stressed, better at decision-making, and how your relationships will improve. Overall, exercising patience can enhance your mental, emotional, physical, and social life. So, if you're ready to cultivate this valuable trait, take a look at these points that will aid you.
Set Realistic Expectations
One of the first steps to enhancing your patience is to set realistic expectations for yourself. When you deceive yourself into thinking that you are going to achieve impossible things and in the end, can't achieve them, you'll set yourself up for disappointment. Whether it's at work or in your relationship, if you instead, set realistic goals, you will get to appreciate the journey, making you a patient individual. Good things take time so when you allow yourself space to let them manifest without losing hope and becoming uninterested, you are going to see a good amount of progress when they manifest. Embracing this mindset can significantly reduce feelings of impatience, setting you up for a less stressful and overall better life.
Be Mindful
If you want to cultivate patience, you must become more aware of your thoughts and feelings in the moment. This awareness allows you to address feelings of impatience as they arise and instead of letting frustration take over, you can get the opportunity to stay grounded. Incorporating mindfulness into your daily routine could be as simple as spending a few minutes each day in meditation or even just being fully present in whatever you’re doing. Whether you’re sipping your morning coffee or waiting in line at the grocery store, try to focus on the sensations around you so that you don't end up pushing yourself but instead, take a step back to enjoy your present moments.
Use De-escalation Techniques
Sometimes, especially on occasions when life throws us a hardball, it is difficult to stay patient. This is normal and if we didn't get impatient sometimes, would we be human? However, the most important thing is to manage this situation before you get more out of control so that you regain your patience and stop the frustration from bubbling over. You should, therefore, practise several techniques to help you calm yourself down during overwhelmingly evening times. You can opt for breathing, asking yourself questions to reframe your thoughts or things such as music therapy. By mastering deescalation techniques you’ll not only enhance your patience but also improve your overall emotional intelligence.
Slow Down
Taking the time to slow down in this fast-paced life can significantly boost your patience. We tend to want to keep up with an unreasonable pace of things, making us focus less and burn out easily, leading to character traits such as impatience. However, if you take a step back and just breathe, you will accord yourself the opportunity to reflect and recharge. This practice can lead to greater mindfulness and a deeper appreciation for life’s little moments, enhancing your patience and making you a much more focused and composed individual.
Challenge Your Boundaries
Sometimes, we shelter ourselves too much, constraining ourselves and preparing ourselves for outbursts when we get exposed to the situations we would be sheltering ourselves against. You should, therefore, challenge yourself by doing some things that you avoid and, instead, challenge them. Whether it's waiting in a queue, reading a book till the end or watching a movie without fast-forwarding it, enjoy transforming this behaviour by challenging it. This will help you to gradually experience growth and to become a more patient individual.
Research Your Triggers
Understanding what triggers your impatience can be incredibly enlightening. It can be the stepping stone that you need to address these triggers and avoid any more outbursts that are caused by being impatient. By being aware of yourself, you know what to expect from situations that will trigger you. To protect yourself, you need to look for tailored solutions that work for you, based on this introspective approach. If you need to communicate more or have clearer goals to be more patient, then this awareness will save you a lot of frustration.
Be More Empathetic
It is easier to be frustrated over someone not doing the things that you want them to do or them not doing it quickly enough for you. When you take a moment to put yourself in someone else’s shoes, it becomes much easier to be patient with them as you now resonate with their journey. For instance, if someone is struggling to communicate their thoughts due to them stammering, instead of feeling frustrated, you will be more willing to give them time to try to express themselves without suggesting random words in a bid to rush them. When you approach situations with empathy, you’ll not only enhance your patience but you will also get the opportunity to build stronger, more meaningful relationships.
Stop Multitasking
When faced with several activities that are expected of them, people tend to want to multitask as a way of increasing their productivity. However, this is not too good for your patience as it causes frustration and feelings of being overwhelmed. Spreading yourself a bit too thin also divides your attention, reducing the quality of the work output. So instead of trying to rush everything by multi-tasking, consider tackling one activity at a time. This will reduce your anxiety, give you a sense of calm and make you more collected, all while enhancing your patience.