Patience is a Helpful Mindfulness Practice by Beth Gibbs, Certified Yoga Therapist

"One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin a whole life." — Chinese Proverb

Patience is the ability to endure difficult circumstances and exhibit perseverance in the face of delay, tolerance or provocation. Impatience is usually triggered when you want to accomplish something and realize that it’s going to require more energy, time and work than you thought. When you find yourself feeling impatient try practicing S. O. S. Stop and Observe how you are feeling in your body and mind before Selecting an action that fits your highest intention.

Patience is a self-awareness practice.
The first step in assessing how we can transform impatience into patience is to answer these questions:

• When does impatience arise?
• What triggers it?
• How do we act when we recognize it?

The second step is to understand the upside to impatience. Viewed in this way impatience may be prompting us to:

• Give birth to a lifelong dream, creative effort, or home project
• Pay attention to a life issue we’ve been ignoring
• Address a social issue that’s crying out for justice and change

Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to recognize and transform impatience into patience and then select skillful actions to address what you are facing, whether it’s the social issues of the day, or personal issues, like waiting in long lines, dealing with difficult family situations or tackling the last item on your to-do list.

How can you do that? Try sending yourself an S. O. S. — the universal distress signal.

Stop. Observe. Select.
When you find yourself faced with a problem, situation or issue that gives rise to impatience, Stop and Observe before Selecting an action that fits your highest intention. This will require self-awareness and a dose of delayed gratification.

Instructions
Stop! Tune into sensations in your body, breath/energy and ask yourself the following types of questions.

Physical Body
How is this situation, issue or problem manifesting in my body?
Do I feel tightness, tension or pain anywhere?
Are my fists or jaw clenched?
Am I frowning?
Does my back hurt?

Breath/Energy
Is my breathing full and deep?
Is my breath shallow or stuck in my chest or throat?
Am I feeling tired, or fatigued?
Am I feeling blocked, stuck or held back?

Observe: Witness the mind and emotions
Have I accurately and clearly assessed my situation?
Have I thought through the consequences?
How will the consequences affect me? Others?
What am I feeling? Anger? Fear? Aversion? Grief?
Am I anxious? Restless? Annoyed? Frustrated?
Am I feeling caught up in my drama?
Should I take action now or give it more reflection?

Select: Skillful Action
After you have stopped to observe what is happening within your being, you can consciously select an action that will be for your highest intention and do the most good. Being aware of when impatience arises; and knowing what triggers it will help you understand how to transform it and take skillful action. Need more information? Read this: (link - https://www.bethgibbs.com/fivelayersofselfawareness.html)