How to be more Patient in Life?

1,134 Views Updated: 24 Sep 2017
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Has it ever happened to you that you went to the supermarket in the evening to buy groceries and left the things after seeing a long queue at the cash counter? Well, there is a story of a lady who went to the supermarket in the evening. She grabbed a few things that she needed, and she stood in the queue for the cash counter. The line was longer than usual, and it was time to watch her favorite show which only airs on that day. So, if she misses the episode, then she would have to wait for the whole week to watch the next. She left all the stuff in the store and went back home to watch the episode of her favorite show when only two people were ahead of her now. She did not just have the patience to wait for her turn, and she left. She did not have the patience to wait for her turn at the supermarket or to delay watching the episode. Let us tell us another fact! Did you know that the fifth third bank commissioned a national survey studying the impatience of people which revealed that 71 percent of the people knowingly exceed the speed limit to reach their destination faster? Now, we all know how disastrous the results of speeding can be. It could also lead to the death of a person or more. When you speed your vehicle, you are not only risking your life but also the lives of other people on the road.

Why are you being told these stories? What is common between the two? Well, the answer to that is patience. In both the cases, what is common is lack of patience. Does this happen to you? Do you lose patience at a lot of times? Do you find yourself impatient every time you have to wait for something? If this is the case, then you need to learn to be patient. When you become impatient, you lose out on a lot of important things like my friend left some important stuff she went to pick up from the store. Had she waited for a little longer she would have had the grocery and she would have also seen her favorite show. But she allowed her impatience to rule over her mind.

Here's how you can develop patience and self-control and how to deal with impatience through this article. What is patience?

Patience is the capacity of a person to tolerate any kind of delay, problems or suffering without getting annoyed. But before we learn how to be patient we must also know why we should learn patience. Why do we need to be patient? What are the benefits of being patient?

#1. Mental Health

A person who is not patient mostly causes harm to self. When you are impatient to wait for something you want, you lose that thing because you leave before you get the opportunity to own it. So, when you do not have what you wanted, then it leads to frustration. If you stay frustrated most of the times, then you become mentally weak. According to a lot of psychological researchers, people who are patient tend to experience less depression. Patient people are more positive as compared to people who are not. Impatient people become pessimistic, and they lose hope early. The moment the gratification is delayed their faith shakes, and they hinder the gratification themselves. Good things come to those who wait.

( Image Courtesy: MQ: Transforming Mental Health )

#2. Opportunities

People who stay patient get more opportunities in life. It is not that the opportunities knock at the doors of patient people only, but it is a fact that impatient people will not even realize when an opportunity knocks at their door. Patient people will wait for the right time and the right opportunity to achieve success. At work, the patient people complete their work in time, and they lose not lose their mind when given with extra work. When you work harder at your workplace, your employers are impressed with you as result of which they get appreciation and rewards whereas a person who is impatient does not work properly, so s/he does not get any rewards. Patient people believe in their work and luck.

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#3. Friendship

The people who are patient prove to be better friends. They will stay with their friends no matter what happens. These people also give emotional support and extend their sympathies to their friends. When a person gets tormented due to some difficult situations in life, they require emotional support and patience to go through the suffering. If your friend is a patient person, then they will help you stay patient throughout. Patient people show selflessness which makes them better friends, relative, partner, and a neighbor.

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#4. Long-Term Goals

An impatient person may achieve a short-term goal, but a patient person will be able to achieve long-term goals. Short term goals are usually easier to achieve, and they do not take much time. Therefore, an impatient person can achieve them, but a long-term goal is usually a bigger goal that needs more time and effort. The success for long-term goals requires extra efforts which impatient people cannot put because when they do not see results, they give up.

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#5. Leadership

"A man who is a master of patience is a master of everything else" – George Savile.

A patient person proves to be a better leader. Out of some qualities of a good leader, patience is one of them. All the great leaders in the world have shown the quality of patience through time and history. Great leaders like Dalai Lama and Mahatma Gandhi practices and preached patience wherever they went. Mahatma Gandhi achieved independence for his country by giving the message of peace and tolerance. A person who is patient can lead other people well because he will not give up easily. The person knows how to bind the people together and get the work done. A leader always encourages his team to work until the goal is achieved. When the team witnesses such patience in their leader then the followers practice patience too. So if you are a patient person you are helping other people become patient as well.

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Tips to become patient are as follows :

#1. Triggers

Be mindful of what triggers your impatience. Know what makes you lose your temper and write those triggers down in a diary. Start writing a journal to note down your aggressive feelings. This way you will be relaxed, and you will know what makes you lose patience. Our minds remain flooded with thoughts all the time. So, check your to-do list and avoid doing multiple tasks at once. When you multitask you stay distracted which leads to frustration, and then you lose your control. Therefore be aware of the things that trigger your anger and try not to let them annoy you next time.

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#2. Delayed Gratification

The most common reason for losing your patience is instant gratification. We have developed the habit of satisfying us instantly. Technology has got us closer to our desires. So we need to learn to delay our pleasure to learn patience. Stop yourself before getting any food you like or delay watching your favorite movie for the next day. Practicing delay will help you learn to wait and be more patient. This way you will have control over your desires and your body which benefit you in multiple ways.

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#3. Be Thankful

Start practicing gratitude to become a patient person. Research shows that when a person is thankful then that person tends to be happier and less stressed. A person who is thankful becomes optimistic. When you start thanking things and people that took a long time to reach you, then you learn to become patient. Expressing gratitude towards a delayed gratification will help you practice delayed gratification. Being thankful for things around you in your life will also make you aware of the things you have and things you need. You will realize the importance of the things and people you have in your life.

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#4. Keep Calm

You need to lighten up to practice patience. Whenever you feel like you are running out of patience, you must take deep breaths. Deep breathing relaxes the tensed up muscles in our body and mind, and therefore we become patient. Deep breathing will help you gather patience in the short run but if you want patience for the long run, then start meditating. Meditation, yoga or any kind of exercise you find that eases your mind start practicing that every day. They have the power to calm your mind and you will have a healthy body in the long run.

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#5. Adaptability

We all have our comfort zones at our home and our workplace. We never lose calm when we are in our comfort zones. But the moment we enter into an unfamiliar place or situation we lose our peace. We turn irritable, and it becomes hard for us to adapt to the new surroundings. You need to have the quality of adaptability. Being able to familiarize yourself with the new change is the way you can become a patient person because if any sort of change does not invoke your anger than it means you have learned to be patient.