Many times when I tell people about my job (that I do play therapy with children with autism) they respond...."Oh, you must have a lot of patience." As if its something we are born with. As if when God was handing out patience he gave some people a little and some a lot. These people make it sound like my job is a hard one that they could never do because they weren't blessed with the "gift of patience". Hmmm, every time I hear this I stop myself from rolling my eyes and saying something snarky such as "Yes, and I'm exercising my patience right now by listening to you say this same silly thing"
To me, patience is a choice. It is choosing to be in the moment, choosing to accept whatever is happening and make the best of it. Believe me I don't have it all the time. Just last night I really wanted to watch a movie and my 2 year old kept interrupting me so I could try her pretend food that she was "cooking" me. Then she decided to forgo her potty training and pee on the kitchen floor. I was frustrated and really wanted to step out the door and scream. Then I caught myself, and thought about it, why was I frustrated? Because I wanted to do something different, I wanted my life to be different in that moment. I was prioritizing my wants over my daughters. Now, while I think that is okay to choose sometimes too, it didn't give me an easy pleasant feeling in that moment. And I realized patience is a choice.
Instead I decided I could watch the movie later, and I went to help my daughter. Just like that my frustration was gone, and my "patience" had returned. We can apply this in all aspects of our life, when we are feeling impatient, ask ourselves why? And see if there is an easy way to mentally adjust our priorities to help ourselves feel calm. If you find yourself frustrated in the playroom, could it be because you are trying to push your agenda versus going with your child? If you find yourself stressing while trying to get your child dressed in the morning, take a second to appreciate your child's perspective of the situation. Take a moment to realize that you haven't used up all the patience God gave you yet. Its always there for you to have when you need it.
I hope this helps you as it helped me last night!
Love and Best wishes,
Katrina
To me, patience is a choice. It is choosing to be in the moment, choosing to accept whatever is happening and make the best of it. Believe me I don't have it all the time. Just last night I really wanted to watch a movie and my 2 year old kept interrupting me so I could try her pretend food that she was "cooking" me. Then she decided to forgo her potty training and pee on the kitchen floor. I was frustrated and really wanted to step out the door and scream. Then I caught myself, and thought about it, why was I frustrated? Because I wanted to do something different, I wanted my life to be different in that moment. I was prioritizing my wants over my daughters. Now, while I think that is okay to choose sometimes too, it didn't give me an easy pleasant feeling in that moment. And I realized patience is a choice.
Instead I decided I could watch the movie later, and I went to help my daughter. Just like that my frustration was gone, and my "patience" had returned. We can apply this in all aspects of our life, when we are feeling impatient, ask ourselves why? And see if there is an easy way to mentally adjust our priorities to help ourselves feel calm. If you find yourself frustrated in the playroom, could it be because you are trying to push your agenda versus going with your child? If you find yourself stressing while trying to get your child dressed in the morning, take a second to appreciate your child's perspective of the situation. Take a moment to realize that you haven't used up all the patience God gave you yet. Its always there for you to have when you need it.
I hope this helps you as it helped me last night!
Love and Best wishes,
Katrina
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