As the expression goes, “patience is a virtue.” It is also a Fruit of the Spirit.

This fruit is crucial when you are the caregiver of a child, an older adult, or an individual with a disability. Having patience shows kindness and brings peace, especially in stressful situations.

What do we do when patience is hard to find? Here are some ideas!

Pray
Turn to God. Specifically, pray for this fruit of the spirit. Do not be surprised when He provides you with opportunities to practice the fruit you just requested. Reflect on Romans 12:12 “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.”

Count to 10 (or 20)
In those moments that you feel stressed, stop what you are doing! Take a deep breath and count to 10, 20, or whatever number you need to restore your peace. Focus on your breathing as you count slowly.

Occupy Your Time
Patience can be hard to maintain while waiting on something long-term. During these times, find something to do. Play a game, read a book, exercise. Before you know it, you will be more relaxed.

Take a Break
Situations come up that can feel overwhelming. It may be best to walk away for a bit. Check-in with yourself. How are you feeling? Breathe as you think about what you are going to do or say when you return. In this way, you can respond rationally, acting on reason versus emotion.

Practice Mindfulness
There are many mindfulness exercises you can do. When practicing mindfulness, you stay in the present. When in the present, you are not worrying about things that happened in the past or may happen in the future – both things can cause you anxiety, leading to a loss of patience. You can find some exercises to try .

Do Not Give Up
When practicing patience, you may not always succeed. Do not give up! Learn from it – what was going on, how were you feeling, what did you try to do, what went wrong? In doing this, you can better understand what events lead you to lose patience and strategies that work best for you.