Be calm. Slow down. Think things through. We have all heard these words or said them to ourselves during difficult situations. It is the process of being patient. Being patient can be a very difficult thing to accomplish in a society that rushes from one thing to the next. Here are four ways to help increase your patience.
Experience different cultures
There are many cultures that are completely different from America. Visiting another country completely different than ours may help put things in perspective. As previously mentioned, our culture is in a big rush. There are many cultures where they do not have access to fast food restaurants, microwave ovens, and instant everything. A taste of these cultures may help you slow down and enjoy life. If you cannot travel abroad, you can visit neighborhoods, like Chinatown, that has a culture totally different from America.
Find a distraction
When you feel impatience creeping in, find a distraction. If you are standing in line and you are getting frustrated because the line is not moving, engage in conversation with someone, pick up a magazine to read, or focus on something else.
Chew slowly
This may sound a little odd but chewing slowly works on the need for instant gratification. If you chew your food slowly, you feel fuller quick and will not eat as much. This may help you develop patience when it comes to overindulging. It helps you to ignore those cravings that are usually not good for you and often make you regret your decision.
Laugh
You have heard the saying, “Laughter is the best medicine.” A good laugh can cure almost anything. Laughing at a situation instead of getting frustrated or upset helps alleviate stress and tension. Laughing when someone pushes your button is a better response than getting angry.
One of the main problems with impatience is feeling a lack of control over a situation. Impatience creeps in when we feel a loss of control, which is a problem in itself. Why do we feel like we need to be in control? There are so many things that are out of our control that we are really fooling ourselves if we think we can control anything. Trying these four things from experiencing different cultures to laughing at a situation may help us let go of the things we have no control over.