Impatience: Why Are We Impatient And What Triggers It

The way we work and live in personal and professional life has led us into a situation where we cannot bear waiting. We accept that we'll need to adapt to an endless flow of information and we'll need to wait for it to come to us like a wave. But why is the human mind so dramatically inclined to anxiety and impatience?

Many people experience impatience in one way or another. Most of the time, it goes unquestioned and unexamined at the conscious level. But when it manifests in a destructive way, such as when we become reckless, it can be very serious.

The main trigger is the feeling of frustration, that arises when we anticipate that we will not get something we want immediately. This frustration can easily expand into anger, and this is a common way in which our minds trigger more destructive behavior, such as violence and other damaging emotions.

The Issue With Being Impatient

The issue with being impatient is that it is a crutch. It can allow us to avoid situations, that we are uncomfortable in, or it can cause us to make poor decisions, because we believe we can get a better outcome by acting now.

In our society today, we place a great deal of importance on being productive and making a profit. It is important to be productive and make a profit, because we need to survive and make a living. But it is also important to take a break from time to time, to enjoy life and not worry about our toils. A small amount of enjoyment can increase productivity more, than you might think.

Loss of productivity and focus is a major problem today. This is not only a problem within the workforce, but a serious issue in many aspects of life. Being impatient can cause us to miss out on amazing opportunities, because we are too concerned about our future. Or it can lead us to make poor choices now, that we end up hating later on.

Many people are concerned about the world around them, but nobody is really trying to solve the problem. People are content on complaining about the problems that they see, but few actually dedicate themselves to finding a solution. This is a waste of talent and intelligence.

What is the purpose of our lives? To live well and enjoy ourselves now. If that means changing the world to a better place, then that is what we must do. But until that time, why waste your life in a meaningless way?

Don't Let Impatience Ruin Your Everyday Life

In our constant push to be more and more productive, we sometimes forget the reason why we are doing so. The purpose of all our effort is to ensure a better future for ourselves and those we love. Of course, we want to improve our lives and do more, but we must remember that we will not always be young and strong.

We must always remember to enjoy the here and now, to put aside our ambitions for a later date, because if we do not, we may find ourselves living our lives over again, but this time without any of the happiness or fulfillment, that comes with it.

We often forget this, for we are impatient for the day when we can finally achieve what we want, but this is a foolish way of thinking. If we knew the future, we would not live as we do, we would not take the risks we do. Life is uncertain and we must make the best of what we have now, for tomorrow we may not.

It is important to always remember, that we cannot change the past, and that we must not let the future corrupt the present. The future is unknown and uncertain, but that does not mean we should not make the best of the lives we are given now.

How To Deal With Impatience

The easy way out is to not become impatient in the first place. This is usually far too late though, once one starts to get impatient, it is very difficult to stop. That is why it is important to be aware of this problem and how it can effect your life.

There are some things that you can do to help with your patience. The most important thing is not to take things so seriously. Life is not always a life or death situation, and even the ones that are serious should be taken in that manner at most.

Do not try to fix everything in one go. Fix the things that are most important to you, because once you start fixing them, the rest of the problems will probably solve themselves.

Try to maintain a proper work-life balance. If you are not careful, work can take over your life, and then you will also have no life. Last but not least, have fun. If you are having fun, then you are probably not being impatient.

Prevention

So how do we prevent being impatient? The first step is to become aware of the feeling as soon as it arises. Look at the situation as it is, do not let your mind's imagination or past experiences alter that. If you are in a state of impatience due to frustration, then the best way to handle this is to wait. This does not mean sitting there and stewing, but rather taking a step back from the problem. In cases of anger, find a way to channel your energy into something else, such as exercise or a good intellectual pursuit.

In most cases, this will be a temporary sensation that will pass. In others, you will realize that something needs to change in your life to prevent these rushes of frustration from arising as often as they have been lately. In those cases, you will have to make changes to your life. Meditate, pray, go for a walk, talk to someone you trust, or otherwise manage your life in a proper way to make sure, that these sensations do not occur as often.

Practicing Patience

If you are serious about changing the way you think, then you are going to have to practice. This may be difficult at first, but if you truly want to change, then you will make an effort in doing so.

You should make a list of all the times you were impatient. For each one, try to think back on the situation and how it has changed. Did the outcome make things better or worse? Was it something, that you could have done something about?

Once you have completed this activity, read through the list and for each one think about how you can improve the next time. Decide what you can do to help yourself and how you can deal with the situation in a better way next time.

As you begin to fix these little flaws in your personality and others begin to notice a difference in you, you will find that it becomes easier and easier to be patient. Once you master this, you will find that life will become less tedious and you will truly be glad, that you took the time to change yourself.

Thank you for reading.

Images created with Canva.