Patience Under Pressure Gets Noticed

Patience can be challenging, especially under pressure. When people are observed showing this skill and habit of exhibiting poise and making sound decisions behaviorally, it gets noticed and communicates about them.

The question becomes, what specifically does it communicate? You might be surprised what some sources for this article say it reveals.

Kelsey Latimer

“People who truly are patient and calm have likely practiced skills of not just controlling their emotions but also understanding their emotions and feeling them in healthy ways,” says Kelsey Latimer, PhD, a licensed psychologist and the founder and owner of KML Psychological Services.

Leslie Dobson

“These are people that are able to identify stress, compartmentalize the emotions in the moment and remain analytical, rather than allowing the emotions to overwhelm their cognitive state, thoughts and analytical processing,” says Leslie Dobson, PsyD, a clinical and forensic psychologist and founder at Dobson Psychological Services.

“When we observe people who are patient under pressure, I believe they have a higher emotional and intellectual IQ, giftedness, experience or a more introverted personality and thoughtfulness.”

Marlon Parker

“Patience under pressure can communicate expertise,” Marlon Parker says.

The head of Mind Fuss who helps participants develop mental prowess and navigate life’s complexities, goes deeper and adds that, “When faced with difficult situations or challenging circumstances, an expert in their field will maintain composure and address issues in a calm, collected manner.”

They react, think and respond differently: more intelligently and skillfully.

“Rather than allowing stress or anxiety to dictate actions or responses, a patient professional will systematically work through problems with care and diligence,” Parker says. “Their prudent approach demonstrates not only technical proficiency, but also strong emotional intelligence and leadership skills.”

He addresses what emotionally reactive people are more known for doing.

“By contrast, becoming rattled or letting frustrations overwhelm reason, risks exacerbating already tense conditions and casts doubt on one’s qualities for handling pressure aptly,” Parker says.

“For example, during a public health crisis, people tend to have more confidence in officials who impart recommendations thoughtfully and remain level-headed, versus those who appear panicked or make hasty decisions without taking all factors into account.

“Composure under duress is often a hallmark of a seasoned, competent expert,” Parker says.

Marla J. Albertie

“Observing individuals who remain patient under pressure teaches us a lot about their emotional intelligence, stress management, adaptability, problem-solving skills, effective communication, leadership qualities and long-term perspective,” says Marla J. Albertie, M.Ed., a certified professional career, executive and life coach at Truth Speaks Coaching.

Ilan Glazer

“I think the short answer is that people who are patient under pressure, assuming that their patience isn’t just a way of avoiding the situation entirely (i.e. if I ignore it long enough, the problem will take care of itself), have faced situations of pressure before and have learned (many things),” says Ilan Glazer, the founding rabbi and director at Our Jewish Recovery.

He elaborates on what those lessons learned may have been.

“Just because it might feel like the world is going to end, it probably isn’t as bad as we think it is; taking the time to think clearly is helpful; there are often no perfect decisions, just the best possible outcome.

“Sometimes it’s just gut instinct — learning how to trust our intuition can be especially helpful in navigating uncertain times; we’ve faced other difficult times before and survived 100% of our worst days. Odds are good we/ll survive this one too,” Glazer explains.

He says such people also know that, “there will be time later to freak out, process and debrief but in the moment, ‘our’ job is to to steer the ship, deescalate the situation, navigate rough seas and get people to safety and that can not happen if we’ve lost our calm.”

Glazer has benefited from remembering a saying one of his teachers likes to communicate: “When emotions go up, intelligence goes down.”