Everything moves too fast. In fact, our thoughts and our lives are a mess. We do too many things at once, and even though we’re exhausted and stressed, we’re still impatient. So, how can we be more patient in life to regain serenity? Here are 3 steps to follow.

1 – Stop completely

We’re impatient because we’ve learned to be. Indeed, we’ve been brought up with this belief that we must hurry: “Quick, quick!”

So it makes sense, because our time is limited, and if things are important to us, we shouldn’t put them off until later. But there’s no point in running around at top speed either.

The problem is that we haven’t learned to strike the right balance between action and inaction.

In fact, we’re either ultra-productive to the point of exhaustion and stress, or we give in to procrastination. And what’s in between? Patience.

Indeed, to move forward in our lives, without stress and without risking burn-out, we need to develop our patience.

The first step is to learn to stop completely. Something we never do. We’re always doing things. Stuff that isn’t necessarily productive or that gets us going, like watching TV, for example. (laughs)

Because stopping completely to be more patient in life means stopping with full awareness.

So, in concrete terms, I invite you to take 10-15 minutes to isolate yourself in a quiet place.

Take something to write with and stop. You could, for example, take 10 deep breaths. Calm your thoughts and concentrate on your breathing.

Then let’s move on to step two.

2 – Take stock of your life to gain clarity and patience

Now that you’ve come to a complete stop and calmed down, it’s time to take stock of your life and see things more clearly.

To do this, grab some writing paper and list everything that comes to mind when you ask yourself this question: “What’s making me impatient in my life right now?”

Take a look at all areas of your life: “What makes you impatient at work, at home, in your various relationships and in your relationship with myself?”

So take the time to list everything. Even if it seems a little absurd. List everything without judging yourself.

You’ll see that it will do you a lot of good. Because putting words to the things that go round and round in your head helps to lighten their weight.

3 – Sort out and keep only the essentials to be more patient

Once you’ve listed all the things you were feeling impatient about, answer these 2 questions: “Is this really essential for me right now? And, why?”

Ideally, you should keep only 2 or 3 really essential things. Because beyond that, you’re going to spread yourself too thin and end up wearing yourself out and stressing yourself out unnecessarily.

I invite you to really insist on the “right now”. Because it’s important to realize that it’s normal to have certain expectations, certain goals in life, but sometimes it’s just not the right time to achieve them. How do you feel about that?

So, in all honesty and even with a certain amount of curiosity, sort things out and keep only the essentials.

It’s because you’re chasing too many things that you’re so short of patience. You don’t know which way to turn, so frustration and stress wear your patience down every day.

So take a deep breath, sort things out and develop your patience.

Find out more:

I invite you to read these 2 complementary articles:

Discover Working on yourself: 10 tips to becoming the best version of yourself
Discover How to calm your stress? Live a more peaceful life

In addition, I recommend this inspiring book on the subject:

Radical Acceptance: Awakening the Love That Heals Fear and Shame by Tara Brach

In this book, Tara Brach gives a very well-rounded perspective on self-acceptance.
Unlike other works on the same subject, this book gives plenty of practical examples and guided meditations that readers can use to deepen their sense of radical self-acceptance. The topic is also examined from multiple angles.

Tara Brach has penned a truly incredible book here, one that all of us would do well to read. Her insights into human nature are so spot-on, they really touched my heart.
She unites mindfulness and self-compassion to help you cultivate patience and acceptance in your life.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Thank you very much for reading this article.

If you liked it, let me know in the comments.

Take care of yourself.