Developing patience when dealing with anxiety becomes easier when we see our troubles in the proper perspective. When we suffer, our own self is the primary focus. This might not necessarily be a good thing. With anxiety, we get engrossed with trying to lessen the distress. And since anxiety is immediate and feels urgent, we start to think only about ourselves.
If we can try and remember that everyone has their share of pain and distress, our emphasis shifts somewhat, and our troubles seem less urgent. Thinking of others helps to generate patience and gratitude. If we look around, we find that everyone suffers. And sometimes, their suffering is much greater than ours. Seeing this clearly aids immensely in creating a mental state where our anxiety doesn’t have that much impact.
In developing patience when dealing with anxiety, we have to try and cultivate the ability to look past our own affairs. Doing so dilutes the intensity of the anxiety or distress we might be feeling. This is because, in thinking of others, we begin to feel less isolated and less trapped within our circumstances and environment.
Patience is the ability to weather pain and suffering. It is natural to feel that our anxiety is great and that we will never be free of it. This makes the distress even more acute. With patience developing, we start to also look at what we have that is strengthening and enabling. Even though we might have a lot of anxiety, we could choose to focus on what we can be grateful for. When we look at the suffering that others have, we realize that there is a lot that we might be grateful for.
All of this is made possible by something as simple as a slight shift in perspective and a reduction in the intensity and degree of our anxiety comes within reach.
If you would like to learn how shifting perspective is possible when you have mental health troubles, meet our psychiatrist.
