Everybody agrees that patience is a virtue. How about impatience? Should we consider it as a vice that people need to get rid of? Given the fact that impatience deteriorates mental health and decreases productivity, it is important for people to let go of their impatience in order to lead healthier and happier lives.
The demanding and hectic schedule of a modern day urban life does not make it easy for an individual to give up being impatient. It is something that you cannot achieve overnight. Cultivating the virtue of patience takes time. With the right intention and effort, you will get there eventually.
If you need a bit of assistance, then here is a list of six techniques that can help you overcome impatience and be more satisfied in life:
1) Engage in Daily Meditation
There is a growing amount of evidence to suggest that daily meditation can reap a number of rewards for the human mind and the body. If you practice meditation every single day of your life, then you can make it easier for yourself to achieve a sense of inner calmness. If you gain such composure, your peace of mind will not be easily disrupted by the trivial mishaps in life. You will learn to see the bigger picture and become a more tolerant individual. The best thing about meditation is that you can start doing it today. There is no need to buy expensive equipments, although it does help to seek the services of a professional instructor.
2) Pay Attention To What You Can Control
Impatience often stems from a lack of control. For example, when you are stuck in traffic and are being late for work, there is no point in losing your temper and cursing the city authorities for the poorly planned infrastructure. There is nothing that you can do to improve the traffic situation in the city at that moment. It is beyond your control. Instead of going red and barking out vulgar words, you can focus on giving yourself a head start that will streamline your work in the office. Take out your phone and open the to-do-list application. Start jotting down a schedule for the day. If you head into the office with a perfect work plan, you will be able to improve your productivity drastically and make up for the lost time. Always consider the possibilities that you can pursue in order to effectively solve a problem or overcome a challenge.
3) Eat At a Slower Pace
A research conducted by the economist, Charles Courtemanche, revealed that eating slowly can have positive effects on a person’s level of patience and tolerance. When you eat slowly, you reduce your body’s impulse behaviour. Basically, you are telling your body to remain composed and not give in to the hunger immediately. Doing this repeatedly overtime makes you more accustomed to exercising self control and abstinence. As a result, you will gradually become a more patient individual.
4) Get Enough Hours of Sleep
One of the biggest reasons why people suffer from impatience is because of sleep deprivation. When you are suffering from a lack of sleep, you tend to lose your cool more often. The smallest of mishaps and inconveniences can get on your nerves and compel you to resort to anger. In order to reinforce your patience and increase your level of tolerance, you need to give yourself sufficient hours of sleep every single night. If your mind and body is well rested, it will be much harder for someone or something to agitate you.
5) Break Down Big Tasks into Small Goals
We suffer from impatience when we are faced with a mighty task that weighs heavily upon our shoulders. In such situations, you find it extremely difficult to possess any control in your life. You feel as though everything is going against you and that time is not on your side. Instead of being overwhelmed with anxiety, try to devise a way in which you can accomplish the task within a reasonable amount of time. It helps to break a big task down to small jobs that have a time limit on them. Essentially, you are setting small goals for yourself. As you achieve each goal, you will receive a confidence boost that will motivate you to get the next job done till you complete the entire task.
6) Distract Yourself Temporarily
If you feel that you are incapable of responding to a particular situation with patience, then simply distract your mind. Get yourself engaged in an activity that gives you pleasure and satisfaction. You can take out your cell phone and start playing a silly little game. You could also start writing, drawing a picture or playing a musical instrument to unleash your creativity. Once you have calmed down your mind, you can go back to the thing that was compelling you to become impatient. The temporary distraction helps you to respond more appropriately and resist the urge to react aggressively.