#EMBA27 Exercising patience

Patience is a virtue – so they say. Well without being facetious I would actually say that it is. It took me a long time to learn this and an even longer amount of time to implement it into my life. You know, everybody thinks they are patient but that’s how the human mind works. We tend to remember that one time when we practiced being patient but forget all the other times when we lost our temper with our spouses, siblings, people we work with, and so on. This is because psychologically we don’t like to see ourselves for who we truly are. Our brain, or more specifically our ego, does this to protect us from that bad feeling that we are supposed to feel when we do something wrong. I however don’t think that is a good thing. In my opinion, you can only really grow when you are able to face your dark side. The part o yourself that you usually don’t want to deal with on a day-to-day basis. The part of your soul that keeps your deepest secrets locked away.

If one was to fully experience all the times they were rude or impatient with other people, it would truly be overwhelming. One would be even surprised by events that they either didn’t think they caused any harm to others or don’t remember at all. These are the lengths our brains go through to hide certain information from ourselves.

In the end, it is always best to practice patience – but there is a limit. I think that there is a fair balance between being patient and being a normal human being that is able to express emotions when they are upset. Expressing your emotions is healthy. You can tell it is after you go on a long rant expressing how you feel about an issue you have held onto for a long time. There is a slight feeling of relief. However, I wouldn’t recommend using your friends and family as a soundboard to let your emotions out. Some people use stress balls, others shout into a pillow, whilst another group of people practices meditation. Even though I am not a shout-into-the-pillow kind of person, I can see myself using stress balls at some point in the future. I have also tried meditation which has worked wonders for me in the past. The difficulty with meditation is sticking to it. It’s ironic because meditation itself is about not doing anything. Meditation has helped me in the past with stress and creativity. One of the best songs I wrote on the guitar was in a post-meditative state.

For those that are reading this and have never tried meditating, I would recommend sitting upright in a comfortable position to start. The next step is to close your eyes and relax your shoulders and the rest of your body from head to toe. Next is, you breathe in and breathe out slowly. When your mind drifts off, slowly bring it back to your breath. Try this meditative practice and let me know it helps with your patience.