“Adopt the pace of nature. Her secret is patience.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson.
This week, I came across an article by Courtney Carver*, one of my inspiring mentors, about being patient. And it really resonated with me.
This month is all about peace, warmth, Christmas wishes, family gatherings, joy … and yet…what do I notice?
Stress all around:
people rushing,
people losing their temper when it’s crowded in the shops,
people showing their frustration in traffic,
people lashing out for nothing….
So, I think something urgently needs to change, as this can’t possibly be what we have in mind, when we wish each other a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year, isn’t it?
I believe we have to learn to live harmoniously again.
We need to take time to breathe, to look around us, and see actual people again, instead of just annoying creatures, only out to get us.
The more we can become calm, patient, loving, ourselves, the more we will see calm, patience, and love around us.
In her article* Courtney pointed out 3 major things we can do to become more patient, more loving, and I couldn’t agree more.
1) Start by taking really good care of yourself.
Here is already a huge roadblock we need to get rid of.
Before we can even think of becoming more patient and less frustrated, we need to be in a good place ourselves. So:
How does your life look like?
Busy, busy, busy?
Eating junk?
Not sleeping enough?
Not working out enough?
Staying inside?
Endless scrolling on your phone?
…
Sounds familiar?
If you want to feel better, if you want to feel less frustrated, if you want to be a kinder person, that’s the first thing you need to address.
Starting to take really good care of yourself.
Start by having a calm morning**, yes that is possible, AND necessary, for everyone.
Eat healthy food.
Drink water.
Move your body.
Go outside, even if it’s only for 5 minutes, and connect with nature.
Pause, several times a day, even just one minute already makes a difference.
Go to bed early*** and make sure you have a good night sleep every day of the week.
Simplify**** your life:
less stuff in your house,
make sure you have a schedule with room for relaxing, for doing nothing, and
less overwhelm by saying ‘no’ to too much.
2) If you want to be more patient, adopt the pace of nature.
Nature never rushes, everything has its own timing, its own rhythm.
And that is how things work best.
You can’ make plants grow faster by pulling at their stems, you can’t make leaves stop from falling in the fall, the sun does not rise faster or earlier even if you would want it to, mosquitos do not stop entering your house when the night falls, even though you do not like sleeping with them in your room, …:-)
Nature lives by its own rules, and that is how it’s supposed to be.
Once you adopt that pace of nature, once you move into that rhythm of nature, all falls into place because WE ARE PART OF NATURE.
All the pushing and pulling, we as humans try to impose on ourselves, and on others, only adds to our stress, only makes us feel more frustrated, because you can’t make people/nature function in any other rhythm than their/its own.
3) Humanize your interactions, is her* third pointer.
It’s so easy to yell at a fellow car in traffic. It’s horrifying what comes out of our mouths, or passes through our minds, when we get annoyed by someone. Even thinking it, is already lowering ourselves to the lowest vibrational***** frequency. And as I’ve written many times before, you attract what you send out.
The Universe****** is always responding to your energy.
So, stop sending out those negative vibes!
It’s high time to stop acting out, and to start thinking about the others, as people, as persons, with their own stories.
The more you see others as people with their own sorrows, their own losses, their own stresses, the easier it becomes to be patient. It’s not because we do not know all the details, that it’s not there.
My invitation to you all is:
Stop!
Just stop for a minute.
Breathe.
Look at what you’re doing, at how you’re living.
Make some changes right now.
Begin with pausing for 1 minute.
Take a deep breath.
Think about what you have on your schedule today, and look at it from a different point of view. Believe in, see, possibilities.
See people, instead of adversaries, keep in mind that they too, are struggling.
Take care of your body and mind, so that you can enjoy the upcoming festivities, and live a harmonious, loving life.
Thank you all for reading me, and for supporting me on Medium! If you want unlimited access to all of my articles and many other authors, you can become a Medium Member and you’ll be supporting me and all the other authors. Many, many thanks to you all!!!
Katrien
*’Be More with Less’ by Courtney Carver.
**’Happy Mornings, Happy Days. Happy Days, Happy Life.’ Medium article by Katrien Degraeve.
***’Night Time, Sweet Dreams, or Waking Hours?’ Medium article by Katrien Degraeve.
****’Less is Yes!’ by Katrien Degraeve.
*****’Ask and It is Given.’ By Esther and Jerry Hicks.
******’The Universe Has Your Back.’ By Gabby Bernstein.