Challenge Day 98: How to Be Patient During a Pandemic
Sweet things come to those who are patient, but what exactly is patience? Many people have the right concept but the wrong idea. Some may say patience is standing in line at the grocery store, but for many others, it can often be much deeper and complex. CambridgeDictionary.com defines Patience as, "The ability to continue doing something or to suffer without complaint". In other words, it is accepting forbearance over a period of time. Speaking of time, are we STILL going through a pandemic crisis? Don't get me wrong, I am enjoying the extra space from strangers and overly sanitized service now, but when will everything go back to "normal"? How can we practice patience during this time? In this blog, I will share with you effective ways to be patient and how it can change your life (even during a pandemic).
Tolerance of people
The first thing you must realize is that patience resides within everyone, yet everybody holds different levels of tolerance, the capacity to endure pain or hardship (merriam-webster.com), due to many circumstances; age, gender, disorders, history, etc. For example, a child naturally has less tolerance than the average adult. A synonym for patience is tolerance. Think about the most annoying person you know. Is your tolerance for them always low? Do you have days that you are more tolerant of them? Or does it depend on their behavior? Truth is, it's not that they're intentionally trying to be annoying (in most cases), but rather you perceiving something you find irritating about them that gets under your skin. This can be very common among households with children. As we have seen in the pandemic, parents are feeling more stressed and annoyed by the chaos of spending more time with their children than usual. This is due to having to suddenly adjust to a new work-life balance. This is just one example of tolerance towards people during the pandemic but there are many other cases. Whoever may be the subject to your irritation, remember that it takes tolerance to be patient. By consciously practicing tolerance you become more patient because patience is tolerance over a period of time.
Tolerance of your circumstance
As mentioned above, there is no doubt that COVID-19 is a circumstance we are all facing together, so how can we patiently survive it? First, acknowledge that everyone is affected in their own unique way. Colleges students, single-parent households, businesses, families and so many other groups of individuals are affected by the pandemic. With our economy reaching high levels of unemployment, covid-19 has created a massive increase in the number of people suffering from anxiety, depression, and fear. People are losing faith in the future of our country and are not sure how to patiently navigate through it. To you and the millions of others experiencing negative effects of covid-19, please be patient. Look at things from an optimistic perspective. You could be anywhere doing anything or absolutely nothing but you're here, right where you should be. Look for gratitude in your life every day and fill your free time with hobbies. If you have even more time, try something new. Quitting on yourself because of your circumstances is not an option for success. Keep pushing forward and continue looking for ways to improve and manifest despite the pandemic. It will be frustrating at times but that's completely normal. Success is not about getting everything but rather getting anything.
For more on patience, read our blog about patience here.
Citations and Acknowledgments
I do not own the photo used above nor it's credit
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