8 Tips to Improve Patience
“Patience is a Virtue.” There’s a reason why this passage has stood the test of time. Patience will always be one of the many things that will get you through life no matter what your situation is and how bad it is. It’s a tough skill to master, and, like most skills, it can be developed and improved with dedication and perseverance. Here are some tips we can share to improve patience.
Slow Down
Sometimes, we need to slow down and take a moment to see our surroundings. Not everything needs to be rushed. Some of us tend to always be in a hurry, want things to be done immediately, and can’t wait for things to take their natural course. This is not how you want to live your life. Pause and take deep breaths when you find yourself in these situations. Getting impatient won’t take you anywhere, it will just let you lose control, so why get worked up over nothing? Instead of losing patience, do something else that will take your mind off the things you’re impatient at, say listen to some music, read a book, or just enjoy the view.
Practice Deep Breathing
Deep breathing and meditation will help calm your nerves when you are in a frantic state of mind. Practicing this every day helps it become a habit. When faced in a stressful situation and you feel like your patience is running dry, taking a few deep breaths will greatly affect your mood and level of patience. Practicing meditation is also recommended as it takes us out of our thinking mind and lets us connect with our inner feelings and emotions.
Think Before you Speak
When we are in a situation where our patience is being tested, one thing we resolve to do is blurting out the first thing in our minds without thinking about how it will affect the people we are speaking to. By building the habit of thinking before you speak will help you practice and improve patience. We often have bursts of impatience when we are triggered and most often, we do not think of the consequences of our actions. Being patient will not only improve our mental wellness, but it will also help us avoid hurting and offending other people.
Review the Situation you are in
To assess the situation you are in, pause, and ask yourself questions. Is this in my control? Can I do something about it? Did I misunderstand something in the situation? Why am I irritated? Know the situation you are in before reacting.
Accepting Things as is
Accepting the situation doesn’t mean that you have to like or even agree with it. But accepting what it will help us get over our fighting nature. By learning how to accept things as it is, we will be able to breathe and relax. We can take in the situation without reacting immediately and this is what having patience is.
Let Go
Learning to let go of things and the need to know everything will help improve patience. Let go of the idea of perfection, let go of the desire to be entirely in control of everything in your life, let go of all the things you can’t understand. Learning to let things go bit by bit is a good skill to develop because by learning to let go, you will make space of the things that matter more and of the things that you can control.
Choose to Grow
Choosing to grow will make it easier to improve patience. When you see the bigger picture, it will help you keep yourself in check. Bad situation, frustrating moments, and irritating people can teach us valuable lessons if we choose to learn and see the bright side. By choosing to learn from these, we choose to grow.
Appreciate Life
Above all, we improve patience by learning to be appreciative of life. Look for the great things that are in front of you. Don’t take things and people for granted, no matter how small and insignificant they are. Don’t forget to see and appreciate the beauty of the world. Be grateful for the small moments that make life worthwhile.
