5 Ways to Increase Patience

When you're constantly being pulled to do, do, do, it's SUPER difficult to practice patience. And if you weren't born with the gene, it will be a practice. Try these 5 tips for increasing your patience.

1. Deep breathing. If life starts moving in warp speed, spend 30 seconds on inhaling & exhaling. If you feel frustration elevating through your esophagus, close your eyes and let your diaphragm move up & down.

2. Delay gratification. As a society, impatience stems from instant gratification of pretty much everything in our lives. Train your brain to wait. For example, next time you sit down to a meal, look at it for at least 15 seconds before you start eating.

3. Practice mindfulness. And speaking of meals, try eating without any other stimulation - shut off the TV, put away your phone. Take note of how the food tastes. Try to immerse yourself totally in eating rather than distractions.

4. Set boundaries. If you are constantly bombarded with text messages & emails that require your input, don't immediately respond. If you keep expectations in check, then hopefully the senders will also take note.

5. Give yourself grace. No matter what you're attempting to do in life, it's hard to be patient with our own progress. We need to understand our own limits & do what's best at the time. Treat yourself like you want to be treated.