Being Impatient… You Really Can’t Wait

Being impatient is one of the hallmarks of our time. We also get mixed messages on the subject. Hundreds of articles and documents promote the idea that we should adopt a calmer attitude towards life. But at the same time, as a society, we value anything that helps us do things faster. We’ve even gotten to the point where we get frustrated when it takes more than five seconds for the internet to connect. And we swear if someone takes too long to press the accelerator when the traffic light turns green.

It is important to remember that impatience is a learned behavior. There are organisms at the physiological level that respond to circumstances with more energy. But that doesn’t lead to a lack of patience. The culture and education instill in us the inability to wait or tolerate something that happens slowly.

Experts associate being impatient with the inability to tolerate frustration. In the first place, there is no reason why fear should arise if you do not get the desired result quickly. Yet we feel that we are under pressure to meet the social demands of doing everything quickly. On the other hand, education decouples effort and results. Our culture encourages the idea that someone should get what they want. And the sooner this happens, the better.

Impatience and the here and now

The emotional perception of time has recently undergone significant changes. We place too much value on the present and on the here and now. That’s why we feel miserable if we don’t get results right away. So we are overwhelmed by the present. Plus, it’s raging faster than we can handle. As a result, this fills us with anxiety.

The concepts of medium and long term have become vague for many people. We no longer value the process. Instead, we just see the results. The idea that life is short and that we shouldn’t waste time is very popular. So everyone is in a hurry. Time is now a measure of competitiveness.

Until not so long ago, procrastination had no negative connotation. People accepted it as a natural part of life, especially in work situations where creativity played a role. Everyone assumed that some things took longer than others. They allowed this to happen without haste. Today this is almost impossible. That is why many people are looking for a method or shortcut to quickly reach their destination.

The irritability and impulsivity of impatient people

Impatience is a taut rope that becomes more and more tense with every moment. At one end is the effort you put in. At the other end is the expected result. And between the two is a period of time that many people want to limit as much as possible.

That is why people who are impatient are often constantly irritable. They suffer, as it were, from a kind of greed for time. Because they want everything to happen quickly. Nothing is fast enough for them. If something takes two minutes, they want it to take only one minute. And so it goes on and on. Since things cannot possibly happen immediately, they become angry and tense.

It is also common for impatient people to be impulsive. They are obsessed with time. This leads to a need to always act in a hurry. It also happens regularly that they don’t stop to think about what they are doing or saying. Even if they have to take back what they do or say later, their first instinct is to react immediately. That makes their irritation even greater.

Overcome being impatient

Being impatient is not in your genes. Nor is it part of your being as a human. We’ve said it before, impatience is a behavior pattern that you learn. If we look at it from this point of view, it is possible to control your emotions and behave in a more constructive way. There are several ways to accomplish this. But one of the most effective is by exercising patience.

You can do this by following a slower pace in the first place. Try not to get frustrated. Breathing exercises are a good place to start. Breathe in and out deeply and slowly for five minutes a day. Because this simple exercise will change your heart rate and brain activity. This will help you get rid of that feeling of wasting time when you need to slow down or wait.

It is worth developing patience. Because the calmer you are, the greater the chance that you will achieve good results. You can also plan your time better. Your emotional responses will also be more appropriate. You will increase the valuable sense of self-control and avoid doing or saying things that you later regret. Try to look for situations where you have to wait a while. If your impatient problem is not pathological, then that will be enough to re-educate yourself.