Does your blood pressure soar once you finally finish filling your cart with groceries, only to find just one checkout lane open and a line of annoyed shoppers in front of you? Or when you arrive five minutes early for a doctor’s appointment, simply to need to wait 45 minutes to be seen? Many people just appear to project an inherent sense of patience, whatever the circumstances. Wouldn’t you love to know their secret, especially when it comes to finding extra patience when caring for an older adult?
Thankfully, you can build your level of patience in much the same way that you build your endurance in exercising – through practice. Golden Harmony’s experts in home care in Raleigh and the nearby area, recommend the following tips to strengthen your caregiving patience muscles:
How Do I Become More Patient?
- Make a conscious effort to truly listen when others are talking. It’s easy to begin formulating your response before the person has finished, but strive to place all your focus instead on everything they are saying.
- Take a moment to simply pay attention to your breathing and to be in the moment. When your thoughts start to wander, acknowledge the distraction, but gently guide your thinking back to your breathing.
- Intentionally put yourself in scenarios that need patience. Let someone go ahead of you the next time you’re standing in line. Make yourself wait a couple of minutes (or more!) before checking your phone. Initiate a conversation with an individual who tests your patience.
- Resist the urge to instantly fix or problem-solve. Allow something that is broken to remain broken for some time rather than pressuring yourself to take care of it instantly.
- Accept your present situation. Perhaps the person you’re providing care for is taking considerably longer to get dressed than you’d like. Remind yourself that your job is to provide care but also to allow the loved one to remain as independent as possible, and often that may necessitate allowing some extra time and a good measure of patience.
- Attempt to channel your inner child. Let yourself be silly, laugh more, and remind yourself not to allow the small things that aggravate you become big things. A little lightening up and letting go can go a considerable way towards reducing stress.
When time is of the essence, however, it becomes all the harder to stay patient. Let a caregiver from Golden Harmony help. We are able to provide a full range of in-home care services that will help you free up the time you need. Reach out to us at 919-426-7522 for more information and to request a complimentary in-home consultation to learn more about our home care in Raleigh EC5] and the surrounding areas.