How to practise and maintain patience in daily life
We have to practice patience to lead peaceful lives. The problem is that we're bombarded with requests to do things in our lives, whether we're self-employed or working for a corporate company. If that wasn't enough, we get distracted by social media or TV, & we're worried about what's going on in the world. Before you know it, we go from waking up with a blank mind to having thousands of thoughts running through our minds.
At times, that chatter and constant internal self-talk can make it hard to figure out what we should be doing. It's an enormous task to filter through the noise and reach some clarity and stability where you can figure out what needs to be done, what needs to be prioritised and how you move forward in life.
So how can you practise and maintain patience in a day to day life?
Below are various techniques that help us become more patient:
Use meditation to detach. We need to separate ourselves from all the things we're flooded with and emotionally invested in. Practising meditation every day, even for five minutes, helps clear the mind and allows you to see things a bit more clearly.
Schedule breaks throughout the day. You can take a walk or make a cup of tea or coffee and redirect your thoughts to something other than the issues bothering you. By doing so, you allow your brain to reset and to detach itself from daily stresses and pressures.
Practice deep breathing exercises. Close your eyes, hold your breath for 10 seconds and then exhale it fully. Repeat this 5 to 10 times to replenish your body.
Here is a quick breathing exercise that we can do together right now:
- First, we need to breathe in fully. Take a prolonged air intake and fill the diaphragm slowly, taking around 4-6 seconds to fill the lungs. Use the lower part of the lungs.
- Hold your breath for around 12 to 18 seconds, allowing the fresh air to fill your bloodstream.
- Finally, breathe out for around 6-10 seconds. You are releasing the deoxygenated air from your body fully until your lungs are empty. You can repeat this simple breathing exercise several times.
Repeat a positive affirmation or mantra, such as "I am patient, I am in control of my life, I am relaxed in the work that I do, or I can have a great work-life balance." Repeating some of these mantras with your eyes closed for 5 minutes works wonders.
Use a piece of paper to write down your concerns, worries, struggles or the things you feel impatient with. Writing them down on a piece of paper allows you to see the bigger picture and helps you realise that some of your worries are not as big as you thought they were emotionally. You might find that of the 10 things you've written down, 7 of them are a waste of thought space and energy.
