{"id":103,"date":"2025-09-22T21:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-09-22T21:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/good-worldwide.go-vip.net\/upworthy\/2025\/09\/22\/how-to-be-patient\/"},"modified":"2025-09-22T21:43:00","modified_gmt":"2025-09-22T21:43:00","slug":"how-to-be-patient","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/2025\/09\/22\/how-to-be-patient\/","title":{"rendered":"Psychologist shares the ‘reimagining’ method to turn the pain of impatience into growth"},"content":{"rendered":"

We live in an instant-gratification<\/a> society where you can get your groceries<\/a> delivered in an hour, TV shows and music are on demand, and if you ever get bored<\/a>, you can just whip out your phone <\/a>and scroll. In fact, these days boredom seems like a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

That becomes a problem when the rare moment arises that we don\u2019t get what we want when we want it, and we’re not used to it. Or when we have to wait for something, whether it’s being stuck in traffic<\/a> or taking the small steps needed to achieve a big goal. Without patience, these scenarios can be maddening. It may even prevent us from fulfilling our true potential. <\/p>\n

Psychologists say the key to being able to endure impatience is reimagining the situation<\/h2>\n

\u201cPractice cognitive reappraisal, reimagining a situation,\u201d Sarah Schnitker, a psychology professor at Baylor University, tells Thrive Global<\/u><\/a>. \u201cSay you have a co-worker who is frustrating you: You\u2019re getting annoyed, because they\u2019re not turning things in on time. You can try to reframe this\u2014maybe they have something going on with their family. This helps you transition from being very frustrated to thinking \u2018OK, this is frustrating, but there are a lot of things going on in their life that I don\u2019t know about.’\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

\"bored,
A frustrated man looking at his watch. via Canva\/Photos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Another key reframing technique to use when we\u2019re waiting for something, whether it\u2019s a long line at the bank or you\u2019re stuck in traffic, is to reimagine the situation by asking yourself: What can I do with this time? If you\u2019re stuck in traffic, throw on a podcast about something that you\u2019ve always wanted to learn about. If you\u2019re in a long line at the bank, take a moment to reflect on a recent success or dissect a moment where things didn\u2019t go right for you, and try to learn from the experience. There are a million ways to kill time that can be beneficial.<\/p>\n

Change your perspective<\/h2>\n

Reimaging the situation is all about shifting your point of view. <\/p>\n

\u201cWhen that frame is shifted, the meaning of that situation changes, and thinking and behavior often change along with it,\u201d writes Amy Morin, LCSW, in a peer-reviewed article at VeryWell Mind.<\/u><\/a> <\/p>\n

Another way to shift your perspective is to ask yourself: \u201cWhat would I tell a friend in the same situation?\u201d When friends give advice, they tend to be positive and tell us to look on the bright side. That\u2019s the perspective change that could help when you\u2019re feeling impatient. <\/p>\n

\n

\"bored,
Some people waiting in an office. u200bvia Canva\/Photos<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

<\/p>\n

Being able to overcome the anxiety and anger that comes with feeling impatient won\u2019t just help you achieve your goals and make the best out of a difficult situation\u2014it\u2019s also good for your health. Research shows<\/u><\/a> that impatient people are at greater risk of blood clots and heart attacks.<\/p>\n

Cultivating patience may feel old-school in a world where everything is on demand. But becoming a more patient person can be life-changing for both your goals and health. By reimagining a situation where you have to wait for what you want, you\u2019ll be able to turn frustration into growth. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

These days, patience is harder and harder to come by.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":187604,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"alternative_headline":"","alternative_description":"","alternative_featured_image":0,"rkv_announcement":{"visible":true},"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"partner_boost":false,"hide_partner_badge":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[155,156],"tags":[1324,1325,1326,1327,1328,1329,1330,1331,1332,1333,1334,1335,1336,1337,1338],"sponsor":[],"rkv-people-shadow":[215],"class_list":["post-103","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health","category-mental-health","tag-anger","tag-anxiety","tag-bored","tag-frustrated-man","tag-fulfilling-potential","tag-groceries-delivered","tag-impatient","tag-instantgratification-society","tag-line","tag-neuroscience","tag-rare-moment","tag-traffic-frustration","tag-waiting","tag-watch","tag-women-in-line"],"edit_link":null,"apple_news_notices":[],"rkv_author":{"id":215,"name":"Tazreena Sajjad","display_name":"Tazreena Sajjad","first_name":"","last_name":"","nickname":"","url":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/author\/tazreena-sajjad\/","link":"https:\/\/goodinc.com\/qa-upworthy\/author\/tazreena-sajjad\/","description":"","slug":"tazreena-sajjad","avatar_urls":[],"email":false},"yoast_head":"\nPsychologist shares the 'reimagining' method to turn the pain of impatience into growth - 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