Developing patience is crucial for living wisely, yet wanting it differs significantly from achieving it, especially in today’s ever-changing world.
Since the onset of the pandemic crisis, we’ve demonstrated remarkable resilience and adaptability, swiftly adjusting to a new normal. This required patience to reassess our lives and daily routines, a testament to our strength and ability to overcome.
Patience is not just a timeless virtue but a key to unlocking the most meaningful aspects of life. In every worthwhile endeavor, periods of action must harmonize with intervals of waiting and moments of accomplishment with phases of effort. This understanding can fuel our determination and motivate us to keep going.
This is not just a significant opportunity but a transformative one for someone who sees the glass half full. It’s a chance to engage in introspection, nurture our relationships, and persistently embrace life as it unfolds, one day at a time, leading to profound personal growth.
Here are my 5 learnings:
Start Practicing Patience Now, Reap the Benefits Later:
Regardless of your patience in general, you probably need more of it these days. It’s okay to lose patience once in a while and explode, but only to remind ourselves that you need to persevere.
“Patience is the key to contentment.” – The Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him)
I think having to practice it daily and get up from the low moments naturally increases our long-term supply of patience. Hopefully, we will come out calmer and more accepting of what we have to face in the near future.
Think of others more than ever:
Most of us have not stayed at home by ourselves, but for the good of our elderly and vulnerable people. Also, we do it to prevent the medical system from collapsing.
This is the time to think about how our small individual actions and decisions can impact someone’s health, and collectively in the economy.
What if we all say, “No, I can’t stay home”? Our parents and grandparents adhere to the rules and don’t understand why we have a problem with it. I think what we can all learn from this is to be more empathetic to others and to do things only because it is better for everyone, not just for us.
If we do, the world will be a better place in every respect.
Daily practice of gratitude:
It is no secret that some of us are in a much more privileged position than others in all of this. People get sick; they watch their elderly die; they work long hours in hospitals risking their own health.
People who lose their jobs need to announce bankruptcy, have to babysit and work at the same time, and can’t pay the rent. Or people who are trapped at home with abusive partners. If we don’t have to deal with any of this, we can consider ourselves truly lucky!
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.” — Oprah Winfrey
Yes, staying home is difficult after so long, but it is doable. Practicing gratitude now is also learning to appreciate the little things in life in the long run.
Your partner’s hug, have time to read a book, learn to cook something new, spend quality time with the children.
All of this is priceless, and we hope it will help us slow down when we return to normal.
Learn to be kind and take care of yourself:
We are not used to taking care of ourselves as well as we do of others. We say compliments and offer kind words to our loved ones. At the same time, we are ruthlessly critical of ourselves (I am).
“Remember, you have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” – Louise L. Hay
Why not learn to pamper ourselves?
If you’re having a bad day, take it easy, be understanding of yourself, and reward yourself with something you know makes you feel better. Breathe, meditate, listen to your favourite music, cook your favourite food, put on your best clothes (no matter if no one sees it), or do nothing at all, without guilt.
It is essential to be resilient in times of crisis.
I think that if we learn to cultivate our mental health during this time better, we will be less stressed overall when we return to our routine.
Be adaptable and build new habits along the way:
There is a quote that seems very true to me: «Difficult times create strong people. Strong people create good times. Good times create weak people. Weak people create difficult times.
“Nobody likes to change. There will always be resistance to change, and there always will be change. And the quicker you get to that, the easier it is. It’s not such a difficult thing. If you entrench yourself and go, ‘By God, I will not change, I will not have this.’ Then, you’re a dead man. We’re great at adaptability. It’s our strongest suit.” – Nick Nolte
The cycle persists. It seems our generation is caught in the phase of “Better Times Create Weak People” and perhaps even beyond that. It’s not entirely our fault; previous generations’ hard work allowed us the luxury of slacking off. However, this lack of effort has diminished our patience, adaptability, and perseverance.
Final Thought
My mother’s resourcefulness, a testament to her resilience, is unparalleled; she effortlessly crafts delicious, nutritious meals from very little. In a way, these times are prompting us to emulate her.
We must reassess old habits, adapt to the new normal, and establish adaptable routines rather than remain stagnant. This flexibility not only prepares us to navigate future challenges with ease but also holds the potential for personal growth and improvement.
I envision a future where we don’t hastily revert to our old ways once restaurants and airports reopen. Instead, I’d like to pause to contemplate the individuals we aspire to become and the world we envision emerging from this period of introspection. A world where we are more mindful, more compassionate, and more connected.
