To hell with impatience
5 tips for a more patient you
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Everything from now on, just don’t have to wait and woe betide something goes wrong. Annoyed by her impatient self, our author of patience has given her attention.
by Kirsten Mannshardt
I have a problem. It’s called impatience and sometimes it takes my last nerve. The older I get, the worse it seems to be. Simple everyday situations, such as the queue at the supermarket checkout, become a real challenge. “Man, it can’t be faster up there,” it echoes loudly in my head.
What also speeds up my pulse: Slow, disoriented people in the morning rush hour. They totally piss me off. Being sick is another topic. It makes me tingle while the life outside is pulsing and I can’t be part of it. It used to be different, then I was much more relaxed and could just let five be. Have I forgotten how to wait?
There used to be more patience
This question really bothered me. I wanted to know why I can hardly bear idle times in everyday life and why I usually have to compensate for them with a hectic click, tap or swipe on the smartphone. On closer inspection, I realized pretty quickly that the answer was obvious. Patience has become a foreign word in our ever faster world. We no longer have to wait for our favorite series, but watch it in a marathon over a weekend.
We no longer plan long-term vacations at the beginning of the year, but book spontaneously with a click. If the bus doesn’t come, we just jump into the next car sharing car. As simple as that! Patience is not something that we inevitably have to expose ourselves to.
In the past, we were required to be patient because the circumstances did not allow it to be otherwise. Today we are spoiled by a world in which everything is always available immediately, which is why we quickly become impatient in everyday situations in which we are condemned to wait. In fact, I would go as far as to say that I feel stress when I have to wait. Sensations like helplessness and powerlessness are there at such moments.
Patience can be learned: 5 tips for more serenity
I could now stay in the situation and continue to live with my impatience. But since I am a person who likes to tackle things when they disturb, I have made up my mind to be patient. There are several reasons for this. In my opinion, patient people have a clear advantage. You stay on the ball and don’t lose sight of your goal – even if it is so far away. In addition, they are in better physical and mental health because they do not constantly stress themselves and are therefore less irritated in everyday life. After all, they just stay relaxed when it takes longer. Five tips helped me to exercise patience.
1. Goodbye time pressure
I have observed that I always got particularly jittery when I was pressed for time. I try to avoid such situations more and more. If it does happen, I breathe deeply and consciously. That works pretty well – at least for me.
2. Consider the consequences
Impatience can have consequences. I have often experienced this firsthand, because mistakes are often preprogrammed without patience and conflicts with other people can also arise much more easily. Therefore, it makes sense to think about what impatient behavior can lead to when in doubt.
3. Just rethink
“Oh god, the world is going to end while I have to wait!” Not at all. What should happen in the meantime? Exactly, probably nothing earth-shaking. Instead of imagining wild scenarios, grab a book and read a few pages. Bet that time will fly by ?!
4. Keep an eye on goals
The “Bikini Figure 2019” project cannot be realized overnight. It can take three months until the cookies on the hips are no longer visible. It means being patient and, above all, continuously hardworking. If you throw the gun in the grain too early, you will miss the result for which it is worthwhile to be patient.
5. It’s out of my hands
There are certain things that are not in my own hands. I can only do and give my best for it. I have little or no influence on the boundaries that are imposed on me from outside. I could turn myself upside down and still nothing would change. I now accept that with a clear conscience, which I can have because I have done everything possible for the respective cause.