Starting something new, or tackling something unfamiliar – stepping outside your comfort zone – is a process that requires patience, which is a quiet virtue. It’s not as flashy as courage or compassion, and it rarely gets the spotlight. But patience is the steady, grounding ability to wait calmly in the face of frustration or uncertainty.

And, as subtle as it may seem, patience is foundational to a happy and healthy life. Research continues to highlight this, including work by Fuller Theological Seminary professor Sarah A. Schnitker and UC Davis psychology professor Robert Emmons, who found that patient people tend to experience fewer symptoms of depression and negative emotion.

One reason for this is that patience gives us emotional “space”—the ability to regulate our reactions rather than being swept away by them. Their research also showed that patient individuals tend to be more mindful and more attuned to gratitude. They often feel a stronger sense of connection—to community, to humanity, even to the broader rhythms of the universe. This combination creates a sense of abundance, even in the simplest moments.

Sounds like the version of ourselves we’d all like to be, right?

But what about the times you feel anything but patient—whether with a problematic situation, a challenging person, or your inability to figure out the latest piece of technology that everyone else seems to understand? How do you move yourself back toward that oh-so-healthy, oh-so-virtuous state of patience?

Here are a few suggestions for reclaiming patience when frustration creeps in:

Take a time-out and do the Morter March

1. This simple exercise, when paired with genuine thankfulness for what you already have, helps reset your brain and body. It promotes better neurological balance—supporting the parts of the brain associated with mindfulness, emotional regulation, and calm focus. In just a few minutes, you can shift from a reactive to a centered state. Free video instruction is available at mortermarchmonday.com to guide you through the process.

Consciously reframe the situation

• Impatience isn’t just an emotional reflex—our thoughts, interpretations, and beliefs shape it. If a colleague is late, you can stew about disrespect, or you can view those extra minutes as unexpected breathing room to read, reflect, or organize your day. Reframing doesn’t erase the circumstance; it simply gives you more power in how you experience it.

Practice gratitude

• Gratitude naturally slows the urgency that fuels impatience. When you appreciate what you have right now, you’re less desperate for what you don’t have yet. This makes it easier to allow life to unfold at its own pace. Gratitude shifts you into a mindset of sufficiency rather than scarcity—creating the conditions where patience thrives.

Patience may be quiet, but it is not passive. It’s an active practice, a subtle strength that shapes your well-being from the inside out. And like any virtue worth cultivating, it grows one conscious choice at a time.

Link to Morter March Monday Rebroadcast: