If you’d told me years ago I could watch a full series of my favourite TV shows back-to-back, or that a box office release would be available at home within weeks, I wouldn’t have believed you.
The thought occurred mid-binge on Netflix. Within a couple of evenings, I’d almost finished a new series. And while I enjoyed the convenience of munching through four episodes at a time, it wasn’t nearly as satisfying as when I had to wait for weekly instalments of my favourite shows.
I’d think about them in between. Talk about it with friends. Did they see it? I’d use my imagination to wonder what might happen next.
The anticipation was part of the experience.
Now, waiting for anything feels like a hassle. It’s not just TV. It’s other places too.
There’s never been more ways to get what we want, on demand. A few taps on a screen and information, entertainment, updates, replies. It’s all there. Immediate, accessible, constant.
I’ve just had a package delivered that I ordered less than 10 hours ago. I ordered something else at the same time and that’s arriving tomorrow. I hate to admit it, but I caught myself thinking, why is that taking so long?
Which is bonkers. Less than a day isn’t long at all.
It made me realise that patience, or at least my relationship with it, has shifted. And I’m not sure I like it.
Somewhere between the sweet spot of speed and convenience, something feels like it’s changed. The way I watch things, the way I communicate with others, the pace life moves around me.
Messages that feel like they need an immediate reply. Moments of quiet where I instinctively reach for my phone.
To be clear, it’s not all bad. Being able to access information quickly, stay connected, and move efficiently through the day has real value.
But not everything in life is meant to move at lightning speed, me included.
Some things take time, whether we like it or not. Relationships, personal growth and understanding how we really feel about something.
A meaningful conversation doesn’t always get to the point straight away. Trust isn’t built in a single interaction. Clarity doesn’t arrive on demand. And forgiveness can’t be rushed just because someone is ready to say sorry.
When we try to speed these things up, it creates tension. That feeling of wanting everything squared away, resolved, decided, or understood now, even when it isn’t.
I’ve noticed it myself. The urge to move things along, to get to an answer quickly, to avoid sitting in that in-between thinking space for too long.
But more often than not, that’s where the real work is happening. Not visibly, not instantly, but steadily, internally.
And I wonder if that’s the part we’re at risk of losing touch with.
Because if everything around us is designed to be fast, it becomes easy to expect the same from ourselves, and from the parts of life that simply aren’t built that way.
I was reminded of this recently while standing in a long queue. One of those moments where you can feel the impatience building. The huffing, the checking of watches, the quiet frustration of eye rolls.
But instead of getting caught up in it, I ended up chatting with the woman next to me. Nothing groundbreaking, just a simple, friendly conversation. And before I knew it, we were at the front.
It made me realise it’s not always the waiting that’s the problem. It’s how we do it.
Huffing and puffing doesn’t make it go any faster. If anything, it makes the whole experience tiresome.
So how can I learn more patience?
Maybe it’s about noticing when I’m rushing for no real reason, and choosing not to.
Perhaps it’s letting things unfold naturally in their own time. Giving conversations space to breathe instead of anticipating what’s next. Accepting that some things will take time, whether I like it or not. Because waiting isn’t always the problem. It’s how we meet it.
And when we stop pushing against the weight of the wait, things begin to feel a little lighter. Not because anything major has changed, but because we have.
Shannon Humphrey is a Youth and Adult Mental Health & Wellbeing Instructor for more information check out www.pathwaysforpositivity.com
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