Dear One,
My continued intention is to share ideas to help illuminate, alleviate, and elevate you on your Lyme healing journey – with the hope that it’s potentially as helpful for you as it’s been for me.
‘Patience,’ the topic here, is a more snoozy than sexy virtue.
It’s defined as “the capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset” per Oxford Languages.
Maybe you’ve been honing this during your Lyme journey.
Or, maybe, you’re more like me…?
You’ve been trudging Lyme mountain taking meds and treatments-galore however the experience has you willing to wonder if there’s a better way – and perhaps about self-change.
Maybe even that healing takes mind/body/spirit work that no pill could completely do.
I hear you as that was me; inner fears, wounds, and thinking/beliefs that no longer served me required facing.
Impatient perfectionism was a shame, judgment, and blame-y belief system per Brene Brown was part of healing. Perfectionizing and pressing for results based on not feeling good enough doesn’t align with healing.
Leaning into Patience, even reluctantly for me, included accepting suffering – and eventually not having it cause inner meltdowns.
Here are ideas that helped me lean towards Patience (well, more of the time):
• Acceptance – a starting place for Patience. Of whatever the moment contains. Even hard to take Lyme moments. Immmmperfectly, dear human you. How to do this? Maybe … say it and pray it. ‘I accept __________.’ Or, ‘I intend [or would like] to accept _________.’ Daily prayer helps me with acceptance still; here’s what I use alas say what feels yummy to you. ‘Thank you for helping me to choose acceptance.’ I pray this every day still,
• Out loud it – when feeling irritated and about to be impatient? Saying ‘I’m practicing my Patience now even if I don’t really feel like it.’ Try it before you knock it maaaaybe,
• Keep at it – cultivating Patience is easier if you begin on itty bitty unimportant things. When your child’s talking for 3 sentences about his/her day – aim for not interrupting, or when awaiting the pot to boil – attempt not lid lifting. Once you have success and notice more calm in mini situations, it can make it more likely to apply Patience in harder situations. The more you do this, the easier the ‘harder’ situation gets. Because you have increased your Patience muscles,
• Reframing – thinking from an altered perspective is a conscious Patience upper per Berkeley’s Greater Good Magazine’s Kira M. Newman plus the next 2 ideas which I agree with,
• Practice gratitude – which improves your ability to Patiently delay gratification. Being grateful for any itty bitty aspect of your present circumstances reduces desperation or grasping for an immediately better situation. Consider a gratitude journal each eve. Even for wee things – like organic blueberries at breakfast, and/or
• Mindfulness or Divine time reduces impulsivity and amplifies willingness to await rewards. Pausing, deep breathing into your heart 3 times even, praying (even 4 words like – God direct my path, Come Holy Spirit Come), and noticing how you feel before your next step can create a more pleasant, self-compassionate response.
“Patience ultimately helps you be more present and aware,” per Megan McCrery, allowing insights and clarity to slowly arrive.
“The two most powerful warriors are Patience and time. …So remember, great achievements take time; there is no overnight success.” We know that last part eh? – alas indeed, Leo Tolstoy; this applies to traversing through Lyme too.
May dear you discover more inner calm via cultivating Patience,
Judy