The second attitude of mindfulness that Jon Kabat-Zinn mentions is patience. According to the Webster dictionary, patience is:
*being able to bear pains or trials calmly or without complaint,
*being steadfast despite opposition, difficulty, or adversity,
*not being hasty or impetuous
And how to do this? First, notice when you are impatient, when you rush through something or insist that something be different than it is. Once you feel this, then use your deep abdominal breathing to center and calm you. Be kind to yourself as you experience what is happening. Remind yourself that often events are out of our control. We do, however, have control over our response. And that is what we need to focus on.
You might even want to ask yourself, “how do I choose to respond in this situation?” Recognize that you do have options, and that a patient response might benefit you more. You may then find that the result of what happens is not as bad as you feared. And that you connected with a wiser part of yourself that could handle difficulty with grace.
Give this a try this next week. Carry the intention of being patient and see if you respond with more equanimity in your life.
Let me know how it goes!
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