Our lives move in such a fast pace that sometimes the minutes can't keep up with us. When it comes to slowing down in given life scenarios- why is the time slowing down? When a woman is waiting for their spouse stuck in traffic? When we are waiting for the doctor? When waiting in line to buy a simple box of cereal behind the man buying one hundred things? In New York, I had a friend who couldn't even wait for her mail. It didn't come fast enough so she found out the time of the truck arrival and would go pick it up directly. Why are asked to wait in the first place?
Depending on the person and their patience it could be simply waiting for two minutes or someone it might take twenty minutes. We base this off social norms for waiting times. These instances occur testing our patience, but they are also serving as repetition of a circumstance to educate us on potential of receiving a new outcome. The waiting is a human behavior that will always be there, but the response to the behavior can be different. "I waited for her last week for fifteen minutes, maybe I should do some reading?" "I waited for that repairman for twenty minutes last time-I'm going to do some yoga before he comes." These are great examples of learning from a person's behavior or directly from the experience.
To clarify, we don't know what to expect with waiting therefore building up positive coping to waiting will increase our self-awareness into our behavior and feelings of being anxious, annoyed, stressed, impatient, angry, etc Human beings are not going to choose to wait, but if they are forced to than it can open up their mind and build their patience. When it comes to excitement, anticipation, and happy waiting that is another post. It is the waiting we do not choose, the waiting that we undesirably take upon ourselves, the waiting that makes us annoyed and disrespected-this waiting perceived as negative, but it's what is necessary for personal growth.
The multi-taskers and Type A's and a majority of the working world Americans do not see it that way as every second, minute, and hour counts in a busy schedule. Having a family, a full-time job, PTA commitments, friendships, quality time with your spouse-the mind and body are working together to get everything accomplished. The man working seventy hours a week with his schedule overbooked with Siri. People can be advised to slow down, but that does not mean they actually do. Waiting is psychology waiving the red flag and it has a deeper meaning because it is not controlled by the self rather it most likely will be out of their control.
For myself, I am guilty of similar behaviors, but when psychoanalyzing life- truth unveils itself. Self-reflection can be quite a hike for many people. The focus is on the waiting and "how long." The "Why" responding to impatience is distracted by the necessity for time to move faster in the moment. The mind focuses on a minute, minutes, and an hour. When the mind is focused on anything i.e. The mind is focused on the pink elephant. Time has the same effect as the more focus we give it, the slower it will move. The less focus and increased patience and contentment- the less time will be needed to wait and self reflection is more likely to occur each time.
Instead of focusing on a million different ways to make time move faster rather think about how to "wait" more effectively and think about the minutes, seconds, or hours that are taken, but mentally and emotionally gained. "Wait" can be redefined rather than having a negative connotation. "I don't want to wait for the ride." "We have to wait to get out of the parking garage."
Utilize that time with silence, relaxation, or fun- it will lead to easier moments of waiting. Lower expectations, less complaining, and a real understanding of time. Minutes, seconds, and hours are valued within this marathon we run. It's part of American culture to start a stopwatch at the beginning of the day. Let work control you and cause stress with time and waiting. Let yourself wait as priorities are always going to be there and this waiting time was made especially for YOU
Don't count your minutes, breathe you minutes. PCR