Whether you’re stuck in a traffic jam or frustrated with a difficult project, impatience is a natural reaction to have when things aren’t going your way. Learning to control and neutralize your impatience will help you become calmer, happier, and more understanding, no matter what frustrating situation you find yourself in!

If you’re in a stressful situation, be alert to thoughts that hint that you might be getting impatient, such as “This is taking forever,” or “This person is being so annoying.” When you pick up on these impatient thoughts, stop and check in with your body to see what you’re feeling, physically. You’ll probably be able to recognize signs of impatience right away, and identifying them can help you start to counteract your frustration

Once you’ve recognized that you’re feeling impatient, it’s time to hunt down the cause. Think past your immediate frustration and ask yourself, “Why am I actually feeling this way?” Some common causes of impatience are:

· Your environment not conforming to your expectations. For example, you might hit unexpected traffic, or a restaurant might be more crowded than you’d thought, making you feel irritated and frustrated.

· Other people not behaving the way you want them to. For instance, you might get impatient that someone in front of you at the grocery store is blocking the whole aisle or chatting with the clerk for too long.

· When you can’t master a new skill fast enough. You might get impatient, for example, if you can’t figure out a new math or computer concept. You may have an unrealistic expectation that you will quickly grasp all new concepts.

· When you can’t control your thoughts. You might get impatient with yourself for not being able to dictate what emotions and thoughts pop up in your mind, even if you recognize there’s not much you can do to stop it.