Here’s something you should know about me: patience is not one of my strengths.
I have this problem where I need everything to be figured out right away, and I get anxious if things are in a state of flux.
We all know that we can come up with the worst-case scenarios in our heads. But when we worry, is the outcome ever anything close to what we imagined? No.
I think worry and impatience are tied together – when you’re worried about something, you don’t know what the outcome is going to be and you just want it to be over. When you’re impatient, you know what to expect but you just want it to happen already. Either way, you want things to be over (even though we all know you shouldn’t wait for things to be over).
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Instead of letting all of the ‘what-ifs’ get me down, I’m starting to accept the fact that I can’t be in control all the time.
When I’m being impatient, anxious, or worrisome, it’s because I feel like I don’t have control over the situation. Sure I can prepare ahead of time for certain things, but it’s no use trying to plan every little detail.
Here are 3 tips for being more patient:
If you’re in a similar position right now where you want to be in control of every little detail but you can’t, give these tips a go:
1. Make a list.
Write down everything that you’re currently worried about or feeling impatient about. A lot of the little things we worry about become bigger in our minds than they really are, and seeing them written down can help put them into perspective. Next to each ‘problem’, write down what you want the solution to be and write whether you have control over it at this moment. If so, do it. If not, try this next tip…
2. Distract yourself.
Take a break, slow down, and tell yourself that you are prepared enough to handle whatever comes your way. Distract yourself for a while and let go. Watch all of Casey Neistat’s videos if you must or binge-watch Orange is the New Black.
3. Appreciate what you can.
Take a deep breath and ask yourself, ‘What can I appreciate right now?’ You are always in control of that. You can always give yourself that. Take a look around and make a mental note about what you see and how it makes you feel. When you ask yourself what you can appreciate, it once again distracts you from what you’re feeling impatient about. It allows you to focus on something else for a change.
Have you been impatient about something lately? What happened and how did you deal with it?
Photo: Elina Sazonova
11 Responses
This post is really insightful Catherine, I especially loved your “appreciate what you can” tip it really does help a lot. Thank you so much for the tips!
xxxxx
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Thank you, Shoug! And thank you so much for all of your kind words this weekend :) :)
Congrats! Hahh this summer I’m going to be in both Seattle and LA :P I was born in LA and lived there for 10 years before my family and I moved to live abroad in Beijing, and after my brother graduates from high school, my family will probably move to Seattle because that’s where the HQ of the company my dad works at is at. I’ve already been back to the States for a year for college. Anyways, I think you might enjoy this post about enjoying the in-between by The Fresh Exchange! It might help with the patience thing hehe -Audrey | Brunch at Audrey’s
Ooh that’s so funny, my boyfriend grew up in Beijing! :P I hope you have a great time this summer, they’re both awesome places to be (very different vibes of course haha). And thanks for sharing that post, that is exactly how I’ve been feeling lately!
Aww these are lovely and helpful tips Catherine, just exactly what i need <3
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That makes me so happy, glad I could help Sarah!
Great post! We are so alike!
Aww, thanks Claire! I wish I would have known we were so alike at LMU, then we could have hung out more! :)
Agreed!!
We are two peas in a pod, lady friend! I am also an impatient soul. I love #3 especially. Taking a second to just ask yourself what there is to take in and hold dear is a serious zen moment!
So glad to know I’m not the only one! I think I get my impatience from my mother haha. I think I might put a post-it at my desk that says, ‘What can I appreciate right now?’ as a constant reminder!