Patience in recovery

You can build your patience in recovery, life, work, anything.

No matter how impatient, short-tempered or quickly triggered you might be in general or in certain environments you can retrain your brain to slow down the impulse to act out. Building patience for specific situations leads to an overall increase in patience.

People with greater patience are better at managing stress and finding positive coping mechanisms. They also exhibit greater empathy for others.

Start by identifying environments or situations where you are impatient. This could be driving in traffic, waiting in line at the grocery store, or working on a group project.

Next, try to create a mantra that can be used the next time you are in the situation. “My life will not change by waiting 5 more minutes.”

Focus on the big picture and consider the worst-case scenario. Overall this situation does not make or break your day or your life. The situation may be an inconvenience but it is not life-threatening, therefore your brain does not need to respond in that way.

Planning is everything. If traffic is an issue then plan your best to leave 5 mins sooner. If lines are irritating, then shop during low-traffic times. Control what you can in order to help yourself.

Building patience in recovery requires practice. The more often you use these techniques, the more patient you will become.