The middle of patience

Amanda J Zavodnick1

  • 1Chestnut Hill Family Practice Residency.

We often think that either we are being patient or we have completely lost it. Whether we are at the kitchen table, in the office, or stuck in traffic, it's hard to appreciate that there is often a sweet spot directly in between, a fleeting moment in which we can choose a direction, as long as we are present to notice the signs. This essay shares my personal experience with rediscovering patience and living in the moment as a mother to a young boy with severe attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and sensory challenges. It mixes my clinical experience as a therapist with my parenting world and all the "stuff" in between. I hope it offers some tips to readers and clinicians on how to pause and take it all in-in order to capture and live in the moment. It helps us find humor in the frustration and love in all the distractions that are thrown our way. Maybe this is exactly the place where we can find the middle ground of patience. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

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