The Age of Technology

During this past month, as I have been focusing on my word "patience" the first thing I noticed was how impatient I get over small things and how technology is fighting against me.  My phone drives me crazy.  If it doesn't do what I want it to do in 2 seconds or less, I am cursing at it and threatening to throw it down the toilet.  But then I would have to fish it out and put it in rice and hope all was not lost.  My computer is equally annoying when it is slow, or I am trying to learn a new program.  Phones and computers are pretty quick these days.  So why do I expect them to be even quicker and get impatient when I have to wait say 20 seconds?  And why do I expect myself to understand something immediately when I'm dealing with a brand new concept.

Work is even worse for me.  In order to pass a medication, I have to deal with three different devices: The computer to look up when the patient had the medication last or if it is currently due; The Pixis where the medication is stored; And a little hand held device that scans the medication and then the patient.  With each device I have to enter a user name and pass word, or in the case of the Pixis, my finger print.  Each of these pieces of equipment can take their sweet time to boot up, get to right page, etc. etc.  The whole process tries my patience and if I am in a hurry, or need the medication very quickly before a patient decides to throw a chair at someone, then my impatience increases and the machines seem to sense this and get even slower.  In actuality, the more I try to hurry, the more I press the wrong buttons and the longer it takes.

And where does all this impatience get me?  It gets me stressed.

I've been trying to notice the bodily symptoms that accompany this impatience of mine.  The tightness in my neck and shoulders.  My clenched jaw.  All because of what?  Because a machine takes a few seconds longer than I think it should? 

It seems odd to me that the faster things are, the more impatient I become and I don't think I am alone.  I think computers are driving our impatience as a society.  We want everything yesterday.  Things that should be helping us and our productivity is adding to our stress level.  Being impatient increases stress.  I don't think we had the same kind of stress before the computer age. 

There are other things that cause me stress.  Worry about finances, worry about my kids, worry about work, but I think the biggest factor in my stress level is my impatience. And it is something I can actually do something about.   So my mantra is "patience in all things".  I have been saying that to my self over and over.  I am taking deep breaths when the devices are slow.  I think it is helping.  I think I am becoming more patient or a least aware of my stress caused by my impatience.  I am practicing patience.