Patience patience. Patience is a virtue often overlooked in our fast-paced society. It is a skill that enables us to endure challenging situations with calmness, grace, and a steadfast determination. Patience allows us to navigate through obstacles and setbacks without giving in to frustration or impatience. It teaches us the value of waiting for the right moment and understanding that some things take time to come to fruition.

Sounds nice right? How do we practice patience when we are anxious? When we are anxious, we can throw anxiety right out the window. We want answers, solutions, remedies, etc. to ease our anxiety, now. This doesn’t mean that an anxious person is impatient. It is that the anxious person is suffering. This suffering is uncomfortable and intolerable. So much so that the body is physically responding to the stress by going into fight or flight mode. Our head is spinning, heart is pounding, and our mind is racing amongst only a few symptoms that anxiety brings.

To be patient when you have anxiety, there are three key points to remember:

1. Turn to God in prayer. Who better to help us through our problems and worries than God?! God can take us through any and every challenge. Psalm 27:14 reads:

   “Wait for the Lord;
       be strong, and let your heart take courage;
       wait for the Lord!”

2. You are safe. Use healthy self-talk. Logically, you know that a lion, tiger, or bear is not after you. Your self-talk is key to calming your mind and keeping your body from increasing its fight or flight response.

3. Do not research the internet for answers. I do not recommend wasting your energy with researching answers online. I get it. The internet is a viable resource and has a plethora of information. Point is, for the anxious person, researching for the purpose to relieve anxiety only makes anxiety WORSE! The research can be a compulsion or compulsive behavior that reinforces the anxiety.

Overall, have your behavior match the feeling you want to feel. Following those top 3 tips can help you lower your anxiety and help you in being patient. With patience, we cultivate a deeper appreciation for the process, recognizing that the journey often holds as much significance as the destination. In a world that constantly demands instant gratification, patience reminds us to slow down, breathe, and trust in the timing of life (also known as, God’s timing). Patience is an essential quality that cultivates resilience, perseverance, and ultimately, a stronger dependence on God.