The Power Of Waiting

When was the last time you waited for something patiently? Have you experienced your patience being tested? Or felt stressed while waiting? Maybe restless? 

We tend to associate waiting with lack of control, waste of time or not being able to have things our way. This could happen with some of the simplest things like waiting in line at the grocery store, waiting for a bus, train, or maybe at a traffic signal. The wait seems to be frustrating and time-consuming and worst, not really worth it. 

So we pull out mobiles, sift through messages, play games, surf or simply start getting irritated and abusive. This behavior is a result of creating a belief that the brain needs to be cued in and we need to be in control. Such spaces like waiting should be filled in. How could someone get stuck in something as useless as traffic or standing in a queue? 

In fact, studies have shown that lacking a sense of control is associated with stress, anxiety, and depression.

On the contrary, the secret to a sense of personal control, general satisfaction with life, and even success lie in learning how to make peace with waiting.  

We have all heard the famous adage, “Patience is a virtue” or “Good things come to those who wait.” But we rarely prefer to wait. 

Unfortunately, though, technology has taken away the advantage of being able to / or learning to wait. Right from booking a cab, to movie tickets, to grocery shopping, everything happens on the tip of a finger, and in defined timeframes. With no queues, we rarely have to wait nor is our patience tested. As a result, we are losing our ability to be patient or understand the joy of waiting. 

So, instead of grabbing something to fill the space, what if we recognize it as an opportunity to be okay with just waiting. And instead of ending up being stressed, restless and frustrated, we end up being more happy and content. Because, when there is less tension trying to fillup time with other activities, we feel more relaxed and confident in life. 

Being able to wait helps us to remain calm, puts us in control (rather than the situation controlling us), helps us regroup/refocus our thoughts. 

There are so many opportunities to practice.

You can do this while waiting for the bread to toast,

waiting for someone to get out of the shower,

waiting for a certain report at work,

waiting for the screen to load,

waiting for a bus/cab, 

waiting at a clinic for your appointment.

The one question that needs an answer is, are you willing to wait?

#powerofwaiting #waiting #whywait #paitence #beingincontrol