Mahatma Gandhi once said, “To lose patience is to lose the battle.”
What this great political and spiritual leader meant by this short phrase is that impatience often stops us from achieving our goals. It leads to a quick failure rather than a glorious win.
We live in a face-paced world that makes waiting often feel unbearable. It’s easy to get frustrated, angry, or stressed when things don’t go as planned or when we have to wait for something or someone.
But impatience harms our relationships, mental health, well-being, and wallet. Learning how to practice patience is essential for living a happier, healthier life.
Below, we explore how to do just that.
Table of Contents
1. Slow Down
When we rush through tasks, we increase our stress levels. This means we’re more likely to make mistakes and get impatient.
Slowing down helps us be more mindful (remember point two above?). It gets us “in the moment.” And this reduces our stress levels, improving our overall well-being.
But what does being “in the moment” actually mean? It means avoiding distractions, like email notifications and social media updates, and dedicating your attention to the task.
Another way to slow down is to break tasks into smaller, more manageable pieces. This reduces our impatience because it gives you the impression that you’re checking things off your to-do list faster.
2. Recognize Triggers
Recognizing your triggers is one of the best ways to practice patience day-to-day. If you can identify the situations or people that make you feel impatient, you can be more prepared to manage that impatience.
For example, let’s say you know that waiting in line at the grocery store makes you impatient. Instead of standing there getting more frustrated, you could bring a book to read or listen to music. This will help you pass the time effectively and calmly.
Here’s another example. Perhaps you know a particular co-worker triggers your impatience. Again, instead of fuming at their ineptness, you could center your thoughts with a deep breathing or mindfulness exercise.
Finally, if you know a specific situation or person triggers you beyond your ability to control your impatience, you can—in some circumstances—choose to avoid them altogether.
3. Practice Mindfulness
Can’t wait to be patient? Practicing mindfulness is also an exercise in practicing patience.
As we mentioned above, mindfulness is an activity that helps you stay in the present moment. You can avoid feeling anxious or impatient about the future by staying in the present. So it’s a powerful tool for cultivating patience.
Mindfulness encourages you to pay attention to the present moment without judgment. When you practice mindfulness, you become more aware of your thoughts, emotions, and sensations. You learn to accept them without reacting to them.
And this helps you first recognize and then ignore anxious or impatient feelings.
Mindful people are less likely to react impulsively or get carried away by their emotions. Instead, they can take a step back, look at a situation objectively, and respond constructively.
4. Take Deep Breaths
Deep breathing is one of the easiest ways to practice patience. This simple yet highly beneficial technique helps calm your mind and nervous system. Once you master this skill, all you need to do when you feel yourself becoming impatient is take a few deep breaths!
When you’re feeling impatient, your breathing becomes shallow and rapid. This increases feelings of stress and anxiety. On the flip side, when you breathe deeply, even just for a few seconds, your heart rate slows, your blood pressure lowers, and you feel more relaxed.
One effective deep breathing technique is the 4-7-8 breath. Here’s how you do it:
- Exhale entirely out of your mouth with a “whoosh” sound
- Close your mouth
- Inhale quietly through your nose to a mental count of four
- Hold your breath for a count of seven
- Exhale completely through your mouth (with a “whoosh” sound) to a count of eight
- Repeat this cycle four times
You should feel a lot less impatient by the end of this cycle. But, of course, you can repeat it as many times as needed. And best of all, deep breathing can be done anytime, anywhere!
5. Be Realistic
Are you still asking, “How can I practice patience?” If the other techniques haven’t worked, you might want to try this simple mindset change.
Setting realistic expectations is crucial for cultivating patience. When you set unrealistic expectations for yourself or others, you set yourself up for disappointment and frustration. Instead, why not try approaching situations more realistically?
Of course, that’s easy to say, but doing is another matter entirely.
What “being realistic” entails is recognizing that delays and setbacks are expected; they’re a part of life. Everything doesn’t always go according to plan.
By accepting this reality, you reduce your expectations. And this makes you a more patient and understanding person. It also helps you communicate your expectations clearly to others so they know what to expect from you.
6. Reframe Your Thinking
Sometimes, we get so caught up in impatience that it’s hard to see the situation in any other light. When we feel impatient, we often have unrealistic expectations or assumptions (see the point above for more on being realistic).
So, how can you practice patience in this circumstance? Why, by reframing your thinking! Instead of seeing waiting as something negative, you can reframe your thinking to see it as an opportunity.
Reframing our thinking involves challenging our assumptions and looking at a situation differently. For example, maybe you’re thinking, “This traffic is so slow. I’m never going to get there on time!” Instead, reframe it to: “Now I have some extra time to listen to my favorite music or catch up on my favorite podcast!”
This simple shift in mindset helps us feel more positive and patient, even in situations out of our control.
7. Practice Gratitude
Focusing on what you’re grateful for can help shift your focus away from impatience and frustration. This can help us feel more patient and content, even in challenging situations.
One way to practice gratitude is to keep a gratitude journal. Each day, write down three things you’re grateful for. They could be small, seemingly insignificant things, like a warm coffee or a beautiful sunset. Or, they could be prominent and influential, like your supportive best friend or quick recovery from a recent surgery.
Another way to practice gratitude is to express gratitude to others. Take time to personally thank the people in your life who have supported or positively impacted you.
8. Find a Healthy Outlet
It’s essential to have activities that help you release tension and frustration healthfully.
One great example is physical exercise. It can help you reduce stress and improve your mood, which goes a long way to lowering impatience.
Go for a walk. Practice yoga. Hit the gym.
Any of these activities will release pent-up energy, helping you feel more relaxed and patient.
Another healthy outlet is creative expression. Whether it’s writing, drawing, painting, or playing music, creativity helps us express our emotions and release tension privately and productively.
Finally, try spending time in nature. You could take any of the activities listed above into the great outdoors, or you could simply read a book on your patio!
9. Learn to Say No
It’s an ego boost when we have a lot of events scheduled into our calendars. Some people even see busyness as a status symbol.
But saying yes to too many commitments often makes you feel overwhelmed and impatient. You need to learn to say no sometimes.
You take control of your time and energy by learning to say no. You avoid overcommitting yourself. Saying no also helps set healthy boundaries and prioritize your needs and goals.
So, how do you do this? Here are a few tips:
- Politely decline
- Be clear and direct in your communication
- Offer an alternative solution
- Set boundaries
- Explain your limitations
- Offer a reason
- Use humor
Learning to say no frees up your time, reducing the pressures on your daily life that test your patience.
How to Practice Patience: It’s a Talent Worth Cultivating
Learning how to practice patience is a valuable skill with numerous benefits for your daily life.
Take the time to teach yourself to recognize your triggers, practice mindfulness, reframe your thinking, and find healthy outlets. Doing so will improve your ability to stay calm and patient, even in the most challenging of situations.
As the adage goes, “Great things take time.” So take a deep breath, slow down, and trust the process. By practicing patience, you can overcome any obstacle!
Check out the other articles on our website for more practical mental health advice.
