Transforming an Impatient Mind in Your Healing Journey

It’s easy to feel defeated or impatient in our healing journey, be hard on ourselves, and compare to others’ highlight reels on social media. Most of us live in fast-paced, endless to-do lists. We find ways to cut corners, seek efficiency, and skip to the end of novels. Waiting in line for more than two minutes can seem like an eternity.

Impatience may not be intrinsically bad but can quickly become a block in our healing and self-growth journeys if we refuse to recognize its lessons.

What is the cost of being impatient?

Good things take time. How often have you heard that saying when expressing frustration because something you want isn’t happening on the timetable you’d prefer? Everyone loves when change happens quickly. Why wouldn’t we? Streamlined paths from start to finish seem like the best option from the outside. Unfortunately, obsession over speed and fast living usually equal a loss in intentionality and contemplation in the process.

But humans aren’t machines. Beautiful bodies and souls can transform given the time. We can’t fake real progress or speed up how long it takes to learn a lesson. We certainly can’t take a shortcut for inner work and healing. Various studies have even found there to be serious costs to human capital, mental health, and the effects of stress on the body, let alone the impact of impatience on spiritual growth.

How can we learn to embrace patience?

Learning to slow down and cultivate a more patient existence can be challenging. Transforming our inner dialogues takes grace and self-love. Here are just a few ways you can deal with an impatient mind.

1. Focus on mindfulness and meditation. There are many ways to practice mindfulness and meditation, from listening to podcasts to seeking a guide for conscious breathwork. The more aware you are of the present moment, the less reactive you become to the inevitable moments of unexpected change you’ll face day-to-day.
2. Celebrate the small wins (no matter how small). You have to start somewhere! Even if you begin just by practicing positive self-talk in the mirror or acknowledging one thing you’re grateful for in a day, pat yourself on the back. These types of positive recognitions can go a long way to remind yourself that what you’re feeling is temporary. The emotions that can stem from impatience – anxiety, stress, anger, etc. – will come and go.
3. Reframe the story you’re telling yourself. Say someone just aggressively cut in front of you driving down the road. Audibly sighing, you’re irritated and annoyed that someone could be so rude and reckless. Pause. How could this situation be different? How can you give grace to this stranger? They may be having a horrible day. They might be on their way to the hospital to see a loved one. By focusing on why and how patience is important to you and ties into your values, the easier it’ll be to build up the skills to combat being impatient.

Last thoughts:

Looking back a decade, five years, even one year ago, I’m truly amazed at how far I’ve come in my spiritual journey. Staying patient and giving ourselves appreciation and encouragement for how far we’ve come is vital to success.

I’m in admiration of the person that I have transformed into as I continue to evolve into my soul’s purpose. The more we show ourselves this form of kindness, the more supported we feel through the process of inner growth and healing.

Learn More

Whether you are local to Grand Rapids and can join me at my East Town office The Healing Space or you are somewhere else in the world. Allow me to guide you in this experience of transformative healing.

All of my Breathwork sessions are combined with Reiki Energy Therapy, Crystals, a Holistic Health Consultation & recommendations in-between sessions with healing tools so you can continue empowering your own journey. Learn more about my in-person + virtual offerings HERE.