Easy Ways To Start Your Journey With Finding Inner Peace
I have struggled with impatience my whole life, which is ironic because it took me 11 years to become a doctor and I was okay with that. Perhaps because it was a set path. In talking to other physicians, I find that we often struggle with making life decisions. We chose a pretty carved out path early on and follow that for over a decade. When we emerge as attendings, we aren’t sure how to structure our careers, make career changes, or move cities.
How do we gain perspective from the grind?
How can we make the most of our lives?
There is no perfect answer for these questions.
The answers lie within us. But we are so used to finding the answers in a textbook or to further our education. The concept of answers within can feel like a disconnect. No going to the library or a mentor to discuss. Just looking inward.
Women, especially, are on the go. We are making breakfast in the mornings, rushing through work to get home, and then picking up, cooking dinner, doing the dishes, cleaning up, trying to instagramify our homes before we go to bed. Where is the peace of mind, patience, and ease in all of this?
Difficult to sieve out.
Slowing down is not intuitive in a world with instant gratification, the internet in our pockets, and the constant stimulation of our smart phones. That’s for sure. To do so, we must make a concerted effort.
Patience is something we can all improve upon no matter what our natural tendency.
My default way of feeling is restless and impatient. I used to hate that about myself. Imagine HATE! That’s a strong word. I have found self-compassion and acceptance of all parts of me- good and bad-and know that they’re okay. I’m always learning and growing andt he idea of not being good enough is a distant destination in my rearview mirror.
My impatience serves me in some ways. Makes me a go getter and someone who gets shit done. I’m learning to appreciate that aspect.
It’s not all bad!
Fostering patience in other ways, for example at home or with kids-is useful, but hard to do. Taking care of ourselves, in whatever way we see fit, helps increase our patience with others. If we feel depleted, it’s difficult to force ourselves to give one inch more and that’s often when we feel like imploding.
A habit in the moment that can help ground us is tapping in to our mind-body connection. We can breathe and feel the body, the weight of gravity, and the stability of our feet or hands. These small steps daily have a greater longer pay off. We are doing our best. Although we may have missteps, practicing kindness with ourselves and accepting our imperfections allow us to be more patient and at peace. We can even be open about this process with our children so that they, too, can be gentle with themselves. And hopefully find peace within themselves in the future.