Simple Exercises that Make You More Patient

Lisa Franchi September 26, 2014

If you’re like most people, you hate waiting. You hate it when the customer service representative on the other line puts you on hold, when you have to sit for several minutes to almost an hour just to get a 10-minute consultation with your doctor, or when you have to huddle in a huge crowd while in the fast food chain.

While it can be the most stressful thing that can happen to us – waiting is inevitable. Many situations in life require waiting.

That is why practising the art of patience is necessary. Here are some research-backed ways that can help you cultivate more patience.

Be mindful.

To be patient is to be mindful. The more we fill our minds with our to-do list, the more we get farther away from the present moment. Mindfulness, or awareness of our thoughts, is a tool that becomes so helpful when our brain is racing in thoughts. So your mind doesn’t get caught up with worries, do write it down. Before starting your work day, make time to write everything down – your goals for today, as well as the tasks you need to get done. When you are mindful, you are better at managing your emotions, which is crucial in times of waiting.

Practise gratitude.

Being thankful of the things you have, big or small, is a great strategy to cultivate patience. Research shows that practising gratitude has multitude of health benefits, including greater happiness. And according to a 2014 study published in the journal Psychological Science, being thankful can also help us become more patient. "Showing that emotion can foster self-control and discovering a way to reduce impatience with a simple gratitude exercise opens up tremendous possibilities for reducing a wide range of societal ills from impulse buying and insufficient saving to obesity and smoking," said lead researcher Ye Li of the University of California, Riverside School of Business Administration. Every day, before going to sleep, write down three good things that happened to you in the day. It doesn’t have to be grand. Being able to notice even the small good things in life can mean deliver great benefits to your mental health and well-being.

Tolerate the discomfort.

Yes, nobody wants to feel discomfort. But it’s the only way to increase your resilience. To cultivate a little more patience, you need to learn how to adjust in situations beyond your comfort zone. This will make you realise that waiting isn’t that bad at all. Over time, you will find that what was ‘uncomfortable’ for you before is more ‘tolerable’ today.

Breathe it out.

When waiting seems to be getting through you and making you feel really uncomfortable, try this very simple yet highly effective technique. Practising deep breathing exercises has a very relaxing effect. When all else fails, this won’t.

Make yourself wait.

Getting things instantly may really sound better than patiently waiting. But according to a recent study, waiting for things actually makes us happier in the long run. Allow yourself to wait every now and then. The more you practise waiting, the more it gets more tolerable for you.

Think of something productive to do.

While waiting at your turn in the doctor’s office, you may want to take the opportunity to read your work emails, list the tasks you need to do in the next few days, or start brainstorming on your new project. When you are productively engaged in something, waiting doesn’t feel burdensome.

Patience is a virtue, so they say. At the same time, it is a powerful tool that can keep you emotionally and mentally strong, even during the most difficult moments.