The Necessity Of Patience During Stressful Times
Over the last two years, it has become more important than ever to practice patience because of how traumatic and intense many events were in 2020 and 2021 for people individually and collectively. Loss in many ways (death, illness, isolation, financial, etc.) and fears related to these and other upsets have left so many people feeling distressed and physically and emotionally exhausted. Because 2020 and 2021 were such tumultuous years with so many things out of one’s control, it only adds more pressure and upset to push yourself to accomplish as much and at the same pace as you would under more normal circumstances. Basically, it is unrealistic to expect you would be functioning at your best during such challenging times. Thus, practicing patience now more than ever is very beneficial and necessary to help a person become or remain calm as well as less stressed out and upset.
The Benefits Of Practicing Patience
Practicing patience can also assist a person to stop and take the time to more realistically assess the situation to know what is actually possible. By being able to do this, it allows the person to set more realistic expectations of oneself, others, and/or the situation. This in turn can decrease bad feelings such as disappointment or frustration, while increasing one’s patience even more because he or she now has an accurate understanding of the situation. In addition, practicing patience is a healthy self-care behavior which can nurture and soothe a person physically and emotionally, things especially needed during times of upset and unpredictability.
Tips For Having More Patience With Yourself
A tip for how to have more patience with oneself is to remember you are human and that nothing is perfect nor do you have to be. Instead, being as kind and compassionate to yourself as you would be to others can assist you in having more patience with yourself. Being more empathetic with yourself can also make you better assess what realistically can be achieved during a certain time span. This can help you identify and strive for doable goals towards achieving a healthy balance in one’s life which are less likely to cause impatience and frustration.
Another tip on how to have more patience with yourself in your work/life balance is to make specific room in your calendar for all these parts of your life. It is imperative that people include down time to take care of themselves to “re-fuel” so they have energy and focus to put into the other areas of their life. In general, having specific times that are identified and upheld with consistent boundaries help create and reinforce the career/work/life balance. By doing this, a person can feel more patient because he or she knows there’s literally a time and a place for the different parts of one’s life and that each will be attended to.
Furthermore, another tip for how people can have more patience with themselves is to engage in deep breathing exercises to regain their composure and clarity. It is important to take time each day for at least ten minutes, especially when a person is feeling frustrated or impatient, to do some deep breathing. This behavior can calm a person down and help nip these feelings in the bud so that they don’t override one’s logic. Also, deep breathing has the benefit of providing a person with more focus and can improve one’s concentration.
Dr. Yvonne Thomas Ph.D. is a Los Angeles psychologist, who is providing various counseling services. Schedule a free consultation through the contact form on the website or by calling (310) 359-9450.