“I don’t wait well” was a statement that came from an acquaintance of mine. This person talked about how waiting served as a trigger as the down time allowed his mind to think about milestones in his life he was still waiting on such as having children. I thought this statement could apply to pretty much anyone.
There is no one who likes waiting for something already in process and/or for a specific event to occur. One example is waiting for a contractor to finish a project that has gone on for months or over a year. You see the progress, but the deadline has past amplifying frustration. What is worse is realizing you don’t really have the power to hurry up the process.
Is it possible to wait well? I think there is. My business has slowed to where on certain days like Friday I will plan something like this which is writing a blog, study marketing statistics or read continuing education in counseling. What really matters is there is a plan, or plan B in place when something falls through and there is a backup to occupy your thoughts.
In the case of this discussion waiting served as a trigger causing anger and frustration over some things out of their control like financial matters impacted by economic inflation making most everything more expensive. Also, he would have like to have more steady business which he did have some control over.
Something smaller in scale that triggers more intense emotions like anger usually indicate there are some unresolved issues still circulating that ignite. One example is the frustration of trying to start a family that has not come to fruition.
How can a person get a better handle on some potentially deep seeded issues? One way is to talk with someone you trust like a parent, friend or counselor who will listen to you without being quick to interject personal opinions. Odds are a person is not aware of a deep-down issue until it is triggered.
Once one of these deep seeds are found, really think through healthy ways to cope, and process the issue. Even bring in others to help you identify ways to healthily process an issue. The reality of dealing with triggers is the trigger itself will never fully go away but you can get much better at managing the trigger.
My friend mentioned that slow days at work can be a trigger as the empty time allowed his mind to wonder. One solution he put into place is watching continuing education videos while doing P90X workouts. This way he was getting secondary work done while working out causing the day to seemingly go by faster and is healthier.
Waiting is never pleasant, but in the waiting, there are times when an answer is figured out that could not have come about otherwise such as thinking though how to finish this blog.
Waiting in inevitable. Be prepared to use the time when it happens. If the waiting will have a trigger or be in a trigger like an airplane, think through how to use that time the best and minimize the claustrophobia by booking an isle seat or booking a seat with more legroom.
How do you feel about waiting?
If you are looking for a therapist near you then a Google search is a great way of finding one. I happen to be a therapist in Charlotte, NC but am licensed to counsel anyone in the state of North Carolina. In Google, try looking for “psychotherapist,” “find therapist,” “therapy near me,” or even “counseling charlotte, nc.” If you feel like you have hit a wall you are not able to get past, call me at (704) 458-6298 or email me at jeffhelms@clearerthoughtspllc.com.
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