The Importance of Patience in a Journey of Recovery
Patience is a virtue; it is a key skill for success. Patience isn’t about how long it takes us to reach the finish line but about our ability to keep a good attitude until we reach the end.
Working at a school you would be thinking that this has taught me a lot of patience. Explaining to the children every day the Maths task, how to form letters or put their shoes on requires so much patience. I’ve been doing this patiently for some years now. For so long that it comes totally naturally to me. Given this, it was a shock to find out how little patience I have with myself.
Sure, after a short fit of anger and frustration with myself I’d usually pick myself up and deal with the situation (as expected from an adult). I’d hope that by suppressing my frustration it will go away. I learnt to manage my behaviour. Although it was hard to deal with it I was thinking that I’ve it all under control…up to a certain point. It’s hard to suppress it when you hit rock bottom. Unfortunately, our world often has to be shaken upside down and we have to undergo some traumatic event in order for us to stop, take a deep breath and reflect. Often first then we realise what really is important in our lives. But also witness how little patience we have with ourselves.
Laying in the hospital bed and not being able to reach for things I wanted did drive me crazy. Those little everyday things that you can’t do anymore and losing your independence as you need to rely on help from others does definitely test your patience. This can be hard for us to accept, it makes us frustrated, angry… Until this point it was us who would be helping others and now we have to rely on others?
People would say to me “take it day by day” or “be kind to yourself”. You hear those words and even think “surely, that’s what I do” but do you really? For a worrier like me instead of giving myself chance to accept the pain and the reality after my accident I would worry about work and give myself a timeframe by when I wanted to be able to do certain things… Yes surely, it’s all good and big motivator but you need to listen to your body, to your pain. You have to remember that nothing happens without God’s will. He is the only one who can change us. We cannot get there by ourselves on our own strength. He will get us there. You will make it. He has promised you will and he will keep his promise.
Photo by Sarah K
By being patient and slowing down you can actually gain strength and confidence back. Funnily enough, the achievements will come faster too. Focus on your goals, put trust in God, and with this positive mindset you can face even the impossible things in our life. Patience is one of the greatest supports we have in the healing process. So give yourself a hug, be kind to yourself and take things day by day. Be patient and grateful for everything you have already achieved, everything else will come at the right time…
This has certainly been a challenge for me, especially when it feel likes all my peers are moving on to great things and I feel stuck. I have decided to just take things one day at a time and let things happen how they should and more importantly trust God. This was a great read. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you:) It definitely is a challenge and the only way is to learn to be patient with ourselves. Well done to you and thank you for sharing.
Patience is a virtue indeed and I struggle with that even with my kids.thank you for sharing this positive and helpful post.
And you are not alone…it takes a time to gain patience but by slowing down, taking one step a time, believing in ourselves and trusting God, we will get there slowly but surely:) Best wishes and thank you for your comment.
Ahhh, yeah! It’s hard for me to be compassionate to myself sometimes! I struggle especially with this when I feel like I have “a lot on my plate.” My go-to is a deep breath! It’s really helped to start considering how to treat myself differently!
Thank you and I'm glad it was helpful. With all the pressure, deadlines…it's not easy but you can follow me and read my next blog where I discuss the best everyday techniques that can help us to get through our busy days:)
It is so important to be patient with ourselves, and yet so difficult to do. Thank you for this perspective.
Thank you for your comment. It often is during the tough times when we learn so much about ourselves.