There are many reasons why people run out of patience. Some factors that influence a person’s level of patience are their emotional intelligence, personality traits developed based on their personal history, afflictions, disability, relationship conflicts, and daily adversities in life.
Technological innovations that make our life much easier and faster don’t make us practice the art of patience anymore. If anything, they make us develop impatience, especially when things don’t go as fast as we expect they should!
If you are a patient person, you have the ability to stay calm without getting upset or anxious if you experience something out of the ordinary.
Why the Skill of Patience Is Important
Cultivating patience is not just an enviable virtue, it is a much-needed life skill. Your success depends on how you react to people and situations. If you have developed the skill of patience, you can be unstoppable.
Little can stand in your way as you will be able to remain calm and in control, regardless of what disruptions may befall you. As Benjamin Franklin said, “He that can have patience can have what he will.”
What Habits Can You Practice to Cultivate Patience?
People are often patient in one or some situations, but not in all. Some respond with just the right amount of patience, while others show a lack of patience and overreact. Others may have too much patience, and therefore appear detached from a situation, or appear as if they don’t care.
However, you can learn to be appropriately patient in any situation, with effort and determination by following these habits:
Take the Time to Slow Down
You need to slow down and de-stress after working or dealing with a tense situation to avoid being impatient. Most things are also better dealt with methodically and not hurried beyond what can be mindfully attended to.
When you find yourself feeling impatient, practice slow, deep breathing exercises to calm you. Take a time-out and rest for a while, or engage in muscle relaxation exercises for a few minutes. If you do, you will be less impatient, more productive, and better with important decision-making.
Practice Mindfulness
Be mindful of everything you do. Take the time to observe what makes you more productive, observe what you do and what you say. Be conscious of your decisions, and make positive interactions with the people around you.
Always Expect Disruptions To Your Plans
Disruptions can upset any well-formed plan. Anticipate them as an unavoidable part of your life. If you do, you can learn acceptance, develop your patience skills, and more easily adjust to more realistic expectations.
Accept That You Cannot Control Everything
Impatience often surfaces when you are angry or upset, especially in situations you cannot control. Sometimes you just cannot change what is happening or don’t have the power to dismiss it. Accept this as life to help you develop patience, be more resilient, and reduce your stress.
Control Your Thoughts to Help Control Your Emotions
One requisite to developing patience is to manage your thinking habits. You have to control your emotions or how you react to events. Focus on the overall view of a problem or situation to see the positive side and discover solutions. Most issues in life have both positives and negatives and rarely are they all right or all wrong. There are different ways to solve a problem and you need to control your thoughts, think carefully, and be mindful of how you react to them emotionally.
Always Think Before You Speak
Being patient means you don’t speak harshly and make hasty responses without thinking. It has consequences, so think first before you speak. Will this be constructive or is offensive to others? In situations where you’re inclined to get angry, choose to be more accepting and exercise patience.
Appreciate Other People’s Efforts
Learn to accept and value other people. Remember they are not perfect, and neither are you. You can develop patience by valuing them and accepting their imperfections, starting right now.
Being patient is a skill you want to grow. It doesn’t mean you simply have the ability to wait for something, it means so much more than that. Patience is a key component to bringing happiness and success into your life.
Although it may appear as though some people are gifted with loads of patience, most are not. If you haven’t mastered the art of being patient, now you can, as it is a skill that can be learned!
