883 thoughts on “Why are patients called patients?”

1. The word patience for me has always hinted at an underlying agitation, a feeling of unrest that is being covered up by the act of being patient. If there was no underlying agitation then there would be no need for patience.

2. Anne I loved your preparation knowing you would be waiting, so supported yourself with food and drink, something to consider the next time I head to the surgery for a visit.

   I’m not the biggest fan in being kept waiting at the doctor’s surgery, and on many occasions, I have been kept waiting for two hours before I could see them. Usually because I have walked into the surgery reluctantly for not wanting to see them on the first place, and with an impatient attitude. That doesn’t help either. I’ve observed when I go prepared, I am attended to earlier!..

   I know I need to change my awareness and appreciation of this, and like you said, ‘the doctor is not in her room filing her fingernails’… I need to learn to be a patient, patient, after all the doctors are doing their best to provide a service and my attitude doesn’t help either.

   Thank you for bringing this to my awareness.

3. Feeling how part of waiting patiently is being prepared to take responsibility for being there in the first place and not feeling a victim of circumstances. This completely changes the experience and we can approach any consultation in equality so that both parties are both working to resolve whatever the issue is.

4. Maybe the question should be not to do with our patience but rather our impatience and why are we this way when as you share we can so easily change it just though a simple choice.

   1. Vicky, it is true that we can easily change by a simple choice we make and I have felt the difference when this has occurred. The doctor is different with you and you are different with yourself too, by simply choosing to surrender to what is occurring for all and in that moment, things flow differently.

5. Being patient, for me, definitely has the association of surrender and for a long time I considered that to be ‘giving-up’. However, although it can be that I have come to relate to surrender as being connecting to, a ‘giving-in’, to my inner-knowing and thereby deepening my relationship to God and that is spacious joyous and loving.

   1. Interesting how ‘surrender’ is another word that has negative connotations for so many but is actually beautiful to experience as I have recently when going through a period of ill health and feeling the support that I have been surrounded by since becoming willing to surrender to all that the experience is offering me.

      1. When we surrender with the positive understanding it opens the door to far more than we can ever imagine and then we experience the magic of God.

      2. in recent years I have been practicing surrendering to illness, injury and pain and although I can still feel pockets and periods of resistance, I am so much better than I used to be. In fact there’s no comparison, I used to have to be totally wiped out by something to not buck and fight and push through. Now I actually find something quite beautiful in letting myself be physically unwell, weak or under the weather, I don’t see it in the negative way that I used to, I see it as a necessary process that my body needs to go through.

6. Being patient is an invitation to surrender in the ‘much more’ that there is always within and around us

7. It’s interesting that when I went to see my doctor some years ago and I was offered options for treatment and I wanted more tests he reminded me that I was the client. It was the first time I had heard a doctor refer to a patient as a client and I must admit it felt very equalising at the time.

8. True patience comes with great understanding, not only of immediate situations but also the always more that contributes to every moment.

9. I love that patience comes from being more understanding, rather than discipline or dissociation, which sometimes felt like I had to employ.

10. There is so much grace and wisdom in this article. The difference between affording myself the space to wait – be patient – or get caught up in time and my created pressures, is absolutely enormous and very much felt in my body.

11. Our lack of patience in being a patient is very telling of our relationship with time, and potentially why we are sick in the first place – could it not be an inconvenience but a moment of grace and part of the overall “stop” of getting sick.

    1. We could have posters up in waiting rooms saying that these moments of waiting are part of our healing! Letting go and being in the grace of the space offered 😊

       1. For most people waiting is a contracted state, we wait but not in a surrendered body, we wait in a body that’s pinched in at best and agitated or anxious at worst and that isn’t healthy or harmonious. Often our contracted state is due to our adherence to time and the pressure that we feel associated with it. Even if we don’t have to be anywhere else we often feel the pressure of time simply because ‘we have so much to do, we can’t spend all day waiting!’. What I’ve found hugely beneficial is practicing keeping my body as relaxed as possible when I feel it going into any kind of stress or associated behaviours to do with time. In the mornings when I’m getting ready I turn the bathroom clock round so that I can’t keep flicking my eyes to it. What I have found is that time has stated to morph and I feel like I have so much more of it. Of course I don’t but the significant thing is my experience of time has changed so radically that I feel that I do.

12. I’ve spent a fair bit of time in waiting rooms with my now deceased mother, and although she didn’t enjoy the waiting around and would get tired, she would generally put up with it in a quiet manner with the odd sign and huff and puff. I saw it as an opportunity to spend more time with her outside of the house and a way to get to meet other people, but unfortunately, not everyone had that approach and would complain so loudly that the staff could not but hear. It can’t be easy to be on the receiving end of disgruntled patients.

13. I enjoy waiting patiently be it at a doctor’s or dentist’s surgery or a train station as it is an opportunity to observe those around you and very often an opportunity to connect and talk to someone you have not met previously.

    1. I agree – if we consider things an opportunity instead of an inconvenience – it opens up our day to be a great experience regardless of the circumstances.

    2. Yes. Being open to the space in a waiting moment often offers up absolute gold in opportunities to connect with other people.

14. Isn’t it interesting how medical practitioners also require a lot of patience when dealing with patients who have been patiently waiting for a long time to be seen. It’s like the whole system is asking everyone to stop, and wait. Which I reckon gives space for all of us to consider the quality that we are interacting with each other in.

15. It’s a great foundation to have in life to appreciate those around us and all life offers to us.

16. Being patient is a beautiful thing because it means we are just waiting, with no expectation to be seen on time, and it also allows other patients and doctors to have space for those that most need it.

17. It was really interesting to read that the definition of a client means to hear and obey as in many cases in allied health i have experienced clients being more engaged and proactive in their health care. In some cases the term patient seems to communicate a passivity of receiving care where your own engagement is not required. In the end perhaps it comes down to quality that we engage in when seeking healthcare.

18. I can see how allowing ourselves to see the greater picture and consider our communities as a whole instead of focusing in on just us when we are waiting for medical care can go a long way towards dropping any emotional reactions and taking it personally when we are waiting for a long time to see a doctor.

19. It’s interesting the definition of client to mean to hear and obey. Where I live, it is the exact opposite. A client instructs and the person offering service is the one obeying. In truth, what is obeyed is the money (the paying party), how distorted and exposing.

20. Being patient is a great practice to be with space and allow space to work it’s magic through us, it never feels like we’re waiting.

21. Every moment is there constellated for us, may that be that it flows and we don´t have to wait or that we have to wait longer than expected. Us becoming frustrated about it will not allow to embrace what is there to learn for us. Knowing that we are located any time, without having a picture how we want things to be.

22. The relationship between doctor, clinician or practitioner and patient should be absolutely equal, brought together by a mutual purpose that offers a lot of opportunity for learning and development.

    1. The more we live in brotherhood with each other, we will be open to understand why things are happening how they are happening and having a grander understanding of why things might take longer at a doctor e.g. than normal. What would “normal” actually be in a society where people look after each other and care for another?!

23. My last visit to the hospital was a real joy. I had taken a book with me but I hardly had a chance to look at it. I soon was talking to the lady next to me who was a teacher at a primary school and it was great to learn about how things work at her school and the changes she is noticing with the children and parents. There were also two very small children waiting with their mum who were very keen to show me their toys and engage me in their play. I also had a great conversation with the mum whose children had recently developed allergies.

    1. Isn´t it amazing when we connect with people that are around us, whilst we are waiting, instead of withdrawing into distractions like phone, books, emotions…Actually waiting gets a whole different meaning then, as what if the waiting time, was exactly the healing we needed at that time. So there is no switching off to get to a point x – every moment is a point of healing or evolution in our day.

24. I was at a doctor’s just a few days ago and I had expected to and did wait for a long time, and what was interesting was while I was waiting I could feel all kinds of thoughts floating around, with provocation to be bored, impatient, annoyed, anxious… and it was really palpable how it would be so easy for us to be taken over by any one of them and morph ourselves to fit into a type of posture and behaviour to enact that if we leave ourselves disconnected and empty.

    1. I would suggest that we have to be disconnected and empty in the first place for thoughts of boredom, impatience, annoyance and anxiousness to come up in the first place, because when we’re connected there’s no room for them to enter.

25. Perhaps patients are called ‘patients’ because there is no quick fix or magic pill we can take to heal the separation of our spirit from Soul, but more so a whole hearted commitment to a life lived with steady consistency, with every detail continually adjusted to support this unfolding back to our true self. If we skip bits, we simply do not move.

26. Whenever I feel impatience creep in I know I have moved away from my connection to my essence, as whenever with this connection to Soul we already are precisely where we need to be.

27. I also accept myself much more. Rather than critiquing where I should be, I focus on where I am now and it feels much more empowering to have my body with me in life.

28. In life there is a lot of delay. To allow myself to feel how delay makes me feel and to express it, without needing to change anything, has deepened my acceptance of reality and no longer do I choose to be affected by it.

29. It seems to me that over the last few years I have had to be a lot more patient when waiting to see the doctor, so now I too go prepared. I used to find myself getting quite frustrated, especially if I hadn’t allowed enough time, so by the time I saw the doctor I was feeling worse than when I sat down in the waiting room. These days I understand that doctors are always dealing with the unexpected and the last thing they would want to do is to push their patient out the door just to keep on time. So I sit and wait, patiently, simply enjoying the stop moment in time I am being offered.

    1. Some of the GP’s I have known brought such detail in their care that they always ran late. All the patients knew in the waiting room that the person ahead of us is getting great medical care, and we never minded waiting because of the quality of care being offered not just to ourselves but to all the patients.

30. We remember a missed bus much more readily than a bus that arrived on time. Could it be the same here – you remember those times where you were on time only when the patient was late? Were there no other times and could those other times have been more or less common than the doctor being on time and the patient late?

31. It’s interesting how we are called anything in this situation other than ‘people’.

32. Waiting for another to offer us healing does indeed offer us the opportunity to reflect and take responsibility for what may have brought us to this point.

33. I have started to truly appreciate being patient either at the doctors or the specialists, because it means I have made a commitment to myself to support whatever is there to further expose my choices.

34. I’d like to bring this across to traveling from a-b, When traveling I am always prepared that there will be delays and to relax and go with the flow be patient as I’m not going to get there any faster by becoming anxious or frustrated.

35. “Perhaps the doctor’s waiting room would have a different feeling, if we realised why it was called that, and prepared for and enjoyed waiting there!” I am involved in a project at my doctors surgery that hangs the patients art on the walls – it has really transformed the surgery and has given the patients something to look and reflect on.

36. There is much to learn from being a patient. Understanding that medical assessments, diagnostics and consultations all take time. Then there is all the things that happen ‘behind the scenes’; how tests and appointments and follow ups are organised. I work in a nursing consulting role and even a phone call can result in half a days work. Patience therefore is something for all of us to learn across the board. I often have to wait for medical professionals to return my calls and messages. Things take time. At the foundation of my own understanding is that everyone working in health care is there because they want to help people and make a difference to their lives. Knowing this helps me not take personally delays that can and do happen in healthcare, often because someone else healthcare needs are taking priority. In fact I am pleased to know that the sicker someone is the higher their care is prioritised.

37. Developing patience and understanding has changed my whole relationship with waiting… often it is now an amazing opportunity to be quiet and still with me, or to meet and connect with others.

38. I have often found my level of patience being challenged as I have waited for longer times in a Doctor’s surgery, but perhaps it would be wise of me to use the time to consider why I am there and the caring nature of Doctors sometimes means we need to wait a little longer than usual, for one day that may just be me that needs more time and support. Thank you Anne for patiently reminding me of this.

39. If we get locked into thinking about what just seems inconvenient to us then understanding goes out the window, but if we open up to appreciating all the reasons why our doctor may be running late and the workload they are under we can be much more reasonable about waiting!

40. How different the doctors waiting room would be if everyone were to understand and live this. To take responsibility for oneself by being prepared makes so much sense, and helps us to avoid the frustration we would otherwise feel. There is an acceptance required of the way things are, and an understanding needed that we can’t change it. We are then free to be still and calm in what is potentially a challenging situation.

41. Being ‘patient’ isn’t just an important skill but a practice in obedience; can we allow things to unfold as they have been divinely designed to, as and when the true moment occurs?

    1. That is a great point. Sometimes the best thing we can do is to give something time to develop.

42. When we surrender to the way life is, we are supported to deal with whatever comes our way. Perhaps all this waiting you mention Anne is to teach us just that. If we’re open we can have a healing before the consultation even begins.

43. Love this playful look at our relationship with waiting. I reckon a lot of the issue people have with waiting is that they believe it is a waste of time. If we change our perspective on it and see it as a lovely opportunity to take a stop and a break in our otherwise non-stop busy days, then it is far from wasted time but in fact might be the best time spent in the whole day!

44. This is very interesting. Obviously I didn’t know where the words patient and client came from and what they originally meant, but I much preferred to be called a client than a patient. The ‘patient’ for me felt like I was suffering and had to be cured and I was at the mercy of a doctor, while the ‘client’ sounded as though I was making a choice to come to see a practitioner and I held just as much power, if not more, because I was paying.

45. Having stop moments like waiting to be seen by a doctor, can be a good reflection point as to how are we feeling within this stop moment. Are we agitated and thinking about what we could be doing or are we taking the opportunity to feel into our bodies and enjoy the time. If we choose to do the latter, how we are when we see the Doctor is more supportive for all.

46. I didn’t know the root meaning of ‘patient’ is suffering. That is quite a surprise – I don’t consider waiting to be suffering.

47. I love the word ‘patience’ for it denotes a sense of space through which great healing can occur if one simply surrenders to what is on offer and does not rush in and try to control the situation at hand. After all, is this not the key to our healing?

    1. And perhaps one could define ‘suffering’ as the opposite: Resisting the space that is given to heal.

48. Being a patient is an exercise in acceptance and non-attachment. Given that healthcare is full of imperfect but amazing people, there are many things to learn as both patient and health practitioner. There is certainly never a dull day.

49. I love how you have unpacked the definition of the true meaning of the word patient here, and how relevant the word is in this context. I have always been a fairly ‘patient’ person, which has been commented on by others many times, as I feel there is so much opportunity for self reflection or interaction with others in any situation where we have to ‘be patient’. Simply being with ourselves and learning to enjoy that is a great one for starters.

    1. Yes, then there is no suffering.

50. This is a very light-hearted and insightful reflection on the patient-doctor relationship from both sides of the fence. I used to be a terrible ‘waiter’, tense and twitchy as I watched the time; I now really enjoy waiting, often embracing the opportunity to hang out quietly with me or spot the opportunities in the space to talk to someone also waiting, read, prepare for what next, be still in the whirring world…

51. The activity of patience is an opportunity for surrender… Surrender enables one to be open, honest, humble, accept and to receive care…. It is quite a useful attitude to have when going in for a medical consultation and facilitates a positive relationship between both practitioner and patient. .

52. When we wait patiently, it is always the opportunity for a moment of stillness, a pause of reflection, a time when we can feel, and be.

53. Anne, this is a really important blog to write, I can feel with myself and others how there can be much annoyance and critiscm in doctors waiting rooms and little understanding, what you are sharing is very beautiful, if we are prepared and had understanding then there need not be frustration, we can actually enjoy the waiting.

54. Waiting patiently to be seen by a consultant or a GP, definitely takes patience on most occasions, with the NHS bursting at the seams to accommodate and cope with the ever increasing need of medical assistance to the growing number of ailments that are being presented.

55. Waiting to see your doctor can be a great time to check in with yourself, or even strike up a conversation with someone you don’t know.

56. As patients we have a responsibility to be patient, in order to assist the doctors, who then give us the best care they are able to give us, the more impatient we are the more stress the doctors feel under, and that’s often when mistakes are made.

57. It is interesting to reflect on why we get impatient. What is it that we cannot wait for, particularly if we are waiting to see a doctor/medic who is going to potentially assist us to improve whatever health problem we have gone to see them with. If we have to wait, are we impatient to get back home so that we can just chill out in front of the TV or something similar? It may be worth considering that it just might be the way we have been living is what has taken us to see the doctor in the first place, and so ‘the wait’ could be a great opportunity to reflect on that, and what changes we could make to prevent that particular health condition from happening again.

58. I enjoy this perspective immensely and for most of my life I have waited patiently for doctors understanding their schedule and their care for many people. But recently I questioned why doctors cannot communicate to patients if they too are running late and where patients can crowd up a hospital waiting room with no chairs to sit and without notice how long on end they have to wait, and why can doctors rush patients when they see them after their patient wait for them. There is no right or wrong but the communication needs to be opened for more understanding between doctor and patient.

59. While we are waiting patiently to be seen by the doctor it offers us an opportunity to reflect on how the choices we have been making may be part of the underlying cause for why we are there.

    1. Yes Mary this is true, and this way we can bring so much more to our interaction with the doctor as we take responsibility for our part in our illness or dis-ease.

60. It is interesting when we accept and allow the space that is needed for our care that a much more loving presence and healing is offered well as much less frustration!

61. We can fight it or we can surrender to it. And the ‘it’ can be anything in our lives. I find when we surrender to what ever is going on, and accept what is going on, the next steps are so much clearer.

    1. Yes! I found if there was no expectation on a long or short wait at the doctors, things can actually flow really well and there was actually no wait at the end 🙂

    2. Yes… there is a very amazing relationship between taking care of and responsibility for ourselves and then letting go of attachment to outcomes and how things are going to unfold… simply being present and ready to respond to whatever is needed.

62. I would love to see this article framed in every doctors surgery, what a great reminder to feel the bigger picture and not get lost in our own issue.

63. When I go to see a doctor I accept that I may have to wait, but in that I am also aware that the doctor is seeing other patients who are also ill and in need of medical treatment – all of whom are just as important as me.

64. Its great to have a true understanding of the difference between a ‘patient’ and a ‘client’. From this description I definitely opt to be a ‘patient’ too!

65. This is brilliant – the truth is, we are all ‘patients’. We can stamp our feet to this, get irritated and frustrated, but in the day of most there will be at least a few moments where we are asked to wait and be patient – the doctor’s waiting room, the traffic lights, the traffic jam, the train arriving a few minutes (or more) after scheduled time. Funny how all these opportunities are presented for us to be patient, and to have time with ourselves.

66. A great reminder that our understanding and perception of needing to wait for medical assistance can make all the difference in our ability to not react to what is sometimes unavoidable. Our reactions only serve to distress ourselves unnecessarily and others we choose to impose our frustrations on, however to prepare ourselves lovingly like you do is a beautiful way to address needing to wait and enjoying the time and space as an opportunity to be with ourselves.

67. So much can happen in those moments when we are being patient and waiting for something to occur or come about, just by simply choosing to be present with ourselves and being prepared is a huge support so that we don’t go into frustration or angst unnecessarily.

68. I agree Anne, I have five children and needless to say I have spent a lot of time in the doctor’s waiting room. I remember one school holidays I took them all in and we were there for three hours. The people around were amazed that none of them were on a phone or device and that none of them complained. I had food and blankets and toys, we set up camp and they drew and played, it was really quite beautiful. When we finished the ladies at the desk who were tired and had a busy day themselves, took the time to remark at how incredible these children were and the fact that all of them had turns of going in and out seamlessly. I was not in the waiting room the whole time and they were still very settled and I left feeling I had something to be celebrated, I did not feel frustrated or upset, it was a wonderful experience.

69. Understanding and accepting that we will have to wait and preparing for such makes the whole situation of the reasons why we have to see the doctor much less stressful.
    On another note it made me wonder if aspects such as social media/the internet etc play a part in this instant gratification mentality of not waiting but wanting everything now without the work put in. And what else contributes to this impatience.

70. I am learning that patience involves observing life and not reacting and is an ever unfolding process.

71. In understanding that in every given moment we are offered the opportunity to evolve, to bring more of who we are to the life we are living, we would simply surrender to being open to receiving what there is to explore, reflect on, and connect to in that moment. As such being patient would reflect the degree in which we understand the purpose or quality of energy behind every situation, determining how we then choose to respond.

72. A true patient knows that they are given more than enough space in which to contemplate the reason they are in the clinic in the first place. By this I mean that no time is wasted if we put it to use and reflect upon what has led us to the situation we find ourselves in and thus be adequately prepared for the next leg of our journey. It is this great learning on offer, gifted via our own awareness, that many of us turn away from when we make the choice to blame to doctor, dentist etc. for ‘running late’. We simply do not want the expansion that is on offer through the space (extra time) we find ourselves in.

73. “The doctor is caring for a whole community of people, of which we are a part, and when our turn comes, she will devote the same level of care and attention to us.” This brings a beautiful understanding to the fact that we have to wait and why. It is often when we don’t take the time and space to understand that we get inpatient and frustrated.

74. When we walk into the surgery’s waiting room all we think about is not having to wait long and getting seen to. Do we ever sit down knowing that the doctor will see us in due course, when it is our turn once (s)he has finished with the other patients, because let’s face it we are no more important than those who have gone in before us? Being more aware of the community as a whole certainly is supporting me to let go of my selfish ways.

75. Part of the reason we are so impatient is because we live life in perpetual motion and are so caught up in the ‘do-do-doing’ that when presented with the opportunity to pause and draw breath, we short circuit because we are left to feel the tension we are in by keeping our vehicle (our body) constantly running! This explains a lot of road rage incidents and the level of frustration many of us feel when ‘stuck behind’ a slow driver – we do not like our giddying momentum brought to our attention. Anne, I love how you have turned this around and used the space on offer in this situation to be filled with something far more valuable than just bucket loads of more tension and more frustration.

76. Having worked in healthcare I can attest to the fact that patients have to be very patient. They are often told “we will be there in a minute’, which unfortunately can turn into many more minutes. You have to wait for the shower, wait to be called for surgery, wait for visitors to arrive etc. The attitude of expecting to wait, having understanding that there are a lot of factors at play and being prepared for that feels like a great way to deal with it. I would also add however that being patient doesn’t mean giving your power away or passively waiting for everything to come to you.

77. The medical profession bring a great deal of support to us, and occasionally someone needs extra time to be seen in order to support them, and one day that maybe us who needs that extra time and support, so having to wait a little longer is in fact also supporting those who need it.

78. Great reminder that as patients, we have a great opportunity to be patient; I am sure that this equanimity assists the body to better deal with what is ahead and offers an opportunity to relax and connect to ourselves.

79. Ha Ha Anne, I love how your first definition of a patient is because they have to be patient as they wait in the waiting room! And great to feel the difference between a patient and a client…

80. This is such a god point Anne. Developing an understanding of why we need to wait is part of taking responsibility and not reacting to life. We can take care of ourselves while we are waiting for the doctors care.

81. My patience with being a patient has certainly vastly improved and what has just come to me is that in the past it was often my fear and anxiety about how any consultation would play out that led to my impatience. I just wanted to get it over with but would then often feel very dissatisfied and that I had not been heard. Nowadays I focus on sitting quietly and being with myself so that I feel prepared when I enter the consultation room to contribute what is needed to come to a satisfactory outcome.

82. When we develop patience we learn to be fully in the moment and allow them to complete.

83. My visits to my GP would mean that there would be a wait of 45 minutes on some days and it became a running joke between him and myself, but it was easy to see that the system we have set up does not fit in with us all having different illnesses and some of us need more time to get everything across, mostly to alleviate our fears, and what I could observe whilst waiting was that he was aware of the ten minute rule but would often go over to serve the patient fully and listen to what they had to say.

84. it is the anticipation as you say Anne that can be so destructive… When we approach things in a redefined way our experience can be totally different… And all it takes to just surrender just a little bit and let go of a little bit of control.

85. I’ve been an impatient patient before but more often I enjoy those few minutes to check back in with me. Rather than a waiting room, maybe it’s a patience room.

86. Love this perspective and I’d never considered that expression before. I could certainly benefit from being a patient more!

87. Thank you Anne for inspiring us to be better prepared for being a Patient in the future!

88. Having read this blog before it has really inspired me to allow much more time and space for things and prepare for events supportively and this has made so much difference to life in a very beneficial spacious and loving way and really has helped my anxiousness and brought joy in simply being, stopping and appreciating life and everyone I meet.

89. What a great blog to write with the current levels of waiting hours in medical centres around the world. It is not uncommon to wait up to 3 hours for an appointment in the winter months with the escalating rates of cold and flu’s. I have noticed that taking the time to connect with others in the waiting room and listening to others offers us a pause moment and a reflection of just appreciating being ourselves.

90. ha ha really enjoyed reading this and so true. I don’t mind waiting but do mind being assaulted by the televisions, radio and so called entertainment that we generally find in most waiting rooms and airports these days. It is the same on the telephone with the awful on hold endless sales messages – if they were not blaring out I could keep working whilst on hold. It would be great if we would have more quiet and supportive waiting rooms for those who do not require this form of constant stimulation aka torture!

    1. Ha! Unfortunately this is so true – the majority of our waiting rooms are not quiet areas set up for rest and repose but more so torture chambers that bludgeon our senses and keep us comfortably numb so we do not have to feel all that is otherwise there to feel, when simply being with ourselves.

    2. True Nicola, there is so much to distract and disturb us from taking those moments to rest and reconnect.

       1. I went to the dentist on Friday and there was a TV in the waiting room and a radio on in the dental surgery. I couldn’t actually hear what the dentist was saying to me so had to ask him to turn it off. I found the radio much more disturbing than the drill!!!

       2. You just have to walk down a high street to see the ridiculous enticing advertisement that is pushed and peddled. Most of it is not even real, faces, bodies, meals – all created/modified on a computer…

91. Since I first read your delightful blog I have attended medical appointments with such a different attitude, and how different I feel while I am waiting; in fact I actually enjoy the waiting simply because I have prepared for any eventuality. So thank you for the inspiration to become a patient, patient; it has been a most practical and stress reducing inspiration.

92. Medical treatment can be a completely different experience from one person to another. If we enter with a knowing that we are undergoing healing – then it will be supportive, but if we don’t wish to understand what our choices have been then it could be a complex and painful experience.

93. “Perhaps the doctor’s waiting room would have a different feeling, if we realised why it was called that, and prepared for and enjoyed waiting there!” Great to re-read this blog – having been in a waiting room yesterday. I had the opportunity to re-imprint the relationship between myself and a doctor I saw two years ago, when I addressed the lack of meeting of me as a patient. Yesterday was very different experience – we have both changed.

94. The work of the medical profession is awesome, a true dedication to humanity, but that doesn’t mean it comes without its flaws.

95. Love it Anne. By choosing to be bound by the perpetual drum of constant motion, we as humans have lost the art of simply being patient and enjoying the pause on offer. There is much grace in this pause and if we then learn to move with this stillness, all that we do gets imbued with this quality.

96. When we know we are likely to have to wait we can take things to support us in this time, and allow space behind the appointment, ‘I prepared myself for the day, bringing food and drink and something to do and, as I was expecting to wait, I had made no other plans for the rest of the day and had nowhere else I needed to be.’

97. Now that I can choose to be myself and knowing just how lovely this feels, those moments of being patient as a patient, patiently waiting are now wonderful opportunities to enjoy me being me.

98. It felt to me reading this blog that being patient in itself was healing. Knowing that being with myself, something no one else can make me wait for, is greater than any appointment this world can offer me.

99. I loved the play on words Anne but more than that I loved the introduction of every moment being an opportunity to truly appreciate the space to love, nurture and be present with ourselves. ‘Choice’ is a gift we have available to us in every moment – do we make the most of it?

100. I too would rather be a patient than a client. The message I take from your blog Anne is to be prepared to be a patient and to use the time to spend time with me, lovingly and tenderly. How gorgeous, rather than the anxiousness, irritability and impatience.

101. I love how you prepared and were so ready to be patient while awaiting your husband’s surgery recently. It sounds so delicious that you enjoyed the time, instead of railing against it.
     I am so inspired that you didn’t fight it, you allowed it to nurture you deeply. Now I can’t wait, to have a chance to wait like you did, thanks for the inspiration.

102. It’s not as though I prepare myself for something to go wrong but when I do allow myself plenty of time and am prepared to go to the doctors, dentist, opticians etc I feel at ease in my body. I cannot underestimate the importance of preparing ahead and how this has an impact on my body and others throughout the day.

     1. I absolutely agree Caroline, as a working mum with 3 children it must be said that preparing ahead feeds us back – surrounds us with a confirmation of our true value and worth.

     2. Yes I agree. There is a respect in taking care to prepare that is very confirming and sweet. I enjoy what this says to me in my relationship with myself and my responsiveness to being out in the world open to and alongside others.

103. It’s always the way. Once I was late for a doctor’s appointment and they were on time, go figure. Every move we make has massive effects in the micro cosmic sense and the macrocosmic sense, when we are going for a trip to the doctors, I feel there is so much more at play than simply “getting there on time” for everyone involved in the whole process, even if they aren’t physically near, are involved in the coordination.

     1. Quite simply because we are designed to move as One and in this Oneness no move can be made that does not affect every part that makes us One.

104. Having a willingness to bring understanding to any situation allows us to surrender to what is and not try to control life. Being patient allows us to connect to something greater that we otherwise would dismiss or not have time for.

105. “sometimes even just sit and wait, enjoying doing nothing, just being.” Do we ever just do nothing? When we are just being we are breathing, this may be the Gentle Breath where we connect to our inner-most and feel the loveliness of who we are and the physiology of our body continues to function and by just being we offer our physical body the opportunity to rebalance and re-establish a gentle harmony. Doing nothing is when we ask our mind to be still and allow our body to feel.

106. This is such a very important understanding for a doctor to have or anyone in particular in medical service. By understanding, I mean a lived understanding of what it means to be patient and thus live what we require others to understand and live as well. Such great wisdom comes from the essence connection of one person to another, beyond roles and status assigned by society.

107. How cool that we can re-configure something that has probably annoyed us ALL!! The WRS ( waiting room syndrome ) how simple but how significant.

108. I love this! I too would much rather be patient, knowing that my turn will come and the gorgeous doctor I will see will spend as much dedicated attention to me as they have to everyone else. I always take something to read and leave enough space. I can’t, or perhaps I can, imagine what it must be like to have a really long day and then a grumpy not so patient come in and complain, then ask for help!!

109. I agree when I allow time and prepare myself for waiting I’m fine but I am also a lot more accepting when circumstances arise which I have not expected and I have to be ‘patient’ as it is not worth going into anxiousness and putting stress on my body. I am learning to trust.

110. I do a similar thing to you Anne in that I always allow plenty of time either side of a doctor’s appointment so that I can focus on why I’m there, communicate clearly and also so that I’m not anxious which is not good either for myself or the doctor.

111. Great to appreciate that the doctor is not ‘filing her nails’ but engaged in giving her all to the care of another patient. Perhaps one way of appreciating waiting time is to recognise that if doctors stuck rigidly to appointment times, the quality of care we receive would not be what it is.

112. ‘I had made no other plans for the rest of the day and had nowhere else I needed to be.’ I feel there is so much in this awareness. Part of our irritation or agitation in having to wait is that we have ‘plans or ideas’ that we need to be somewhere else. How different if feels to just surrender to being where we are and to be there fully. A recipe for a much more harmonious way of living.

113. The more I am able to just be present with myself in any situation, the less frustration and angst I tend to feel. I love what you share here Anne about being prepared for waiting. It sounds a bit like going for a picnic with a good book, some lovely food, maybe a laptop – possibly even to connect with others who are waiting too. Why not?

114. I remember once playfully pondering the notion of writing a book called ‘The Joy of Queueing’. Perhaps there is a sequel here entitled ‘The Joy of Waiting’.

115. What many have shared about a waiting room is also what I feel on an airplane. An enforced stop – which I love. But the irony of all of this is not lost on me. We are stopping only when we are forced to, yet perhaps if we stopped more often, we wouldn’t be in that doctor’s waiting room.

116. I can feel how this blog is calling us to be responsible for the fact that we find ourselves as a patient. So, in fact, how dare we be impatient in that it was only our choices that got us into that waiting room in the first place.

117. A great re read, exposé and play on the word and experience of being patient, a patient and the caring for self and others that these involve. I love your expression!

118. Why is it so easy to get triggered into reaction and impatience when it is obvious there is nothing that can be done in certain situations. If I do stop and feel what is actually going on, there is very often something there that I’m not wanting to feel that’s trying to come up, or I am already in reaction and self-judgement about something, therefore completely out of centre and running in some unpleasant energy. Learning to just observe and understand this makes all the difference and can actually offer an opportunity for much greater clarity and awareness. A huge gift.

119. I love going to the doctors and dentist especially when I have to wait! I know that sounds crazy but I lead such a busy lifestyle that I look forward to the stop, it’s a real gift. The other day I had 4 of my 5 children booked into to the dentist and we we’re left waiting for 2 hours, most people would be devastated but I had miles of food and blankets and we all snuggled up on the couch and watched a movie, I even feel asleep, it was a great afternoon.

120. It has taken me many years to develop patience! Now I feel really quickly just how frustration creeps in and controls whenever I have any tendency to become impatient. It is very wearying. So nice to feel that I go there less and less these days. A gentle breath or two, settling more into my body and appreciating the space I have just made helps enormously.

121. Anne I agree I would much prefer to be a patient than a client. Recently I made an appointment with my doctor. I deliberately chose the first appointment because I’ve noticed that, because she is a thorough person, a long wait is often involved. After about 25 minutes I became restless, wondering if she had indeed arrived yet. Then she appeared and apologised for the delay, explaining that she had examined my records (she’s new to the practice) and listed the preventative health checks needed and when, and she’d also done some research in response to a question I’d asked last visit. I felt totally cared for as she was attending to me all that time.

122. I have just reread this beautiful article Anne with so much more appreciation now that I have actually experienced being a patient! Earlier this year I broke my foot, which entailed 2 months of sitting on a couch unable to walk or do anything much for myself. Wonderful that my hands and arms were still working and that computers are in my life!
     I went through many ‘break though’ walls learning to be a patient – waiting for meals (very kindly supplied by friends), waiting for car lifts to go the supermarket and medical centre and then waiting to see the fracture surgeon. Experiencing acute anxiety when I thought I had to have a plate or pin put in the foot (which I didn’t have to in the end). I experienced a gamut of reactions myself that I could not seem to stop. The great thing was that at least I could observe and name them all. I now realise that being a true patient is a real art, and when I was writing all my fine words about it previously in the comments, I hadn’t actually gone through the reality of it and known what a loving discipline it would require.

123. Every waiting experience can be an opportunity to connect deeper, either with ourselves or others, in the waiting room, line up in the bank or waiting to be attended to in a shop….all opportunities to practise patience or to interact with others deepening expression.

124. I work in a hospital so I am very well aware of how patients have to learn to be patient and to be a patient! To me, it all feels like a part of the healing process. I encourage people to enjoy waiting, to take time out to be with themselves and to honour the fact that they are in hospital because their body is trying to give them a message and that it sometimes takes a while to hear what the body is telling them as they may not have been listening to it for a while.

125. ‘Because I allowed time and space for waiting, I did not find it a pressure, a burden, an imposition, and did not feel at all frustrated or cross. In fact, I even had a nap in a very comfy chair.’ – Anne I love what you share here – I know I have used the doctors as a last resort and never wanted to interfere with company time when I see them, so the wait to see a doctor would be agonising, and I’d get frustrated and anxious and then by the time I got in to see the doctor I’d be sharing in frustration, and then I’d rush myself to get straight into work. But what if we allowed the space, what if we approached seeing the doctor with the care that was needed for our bodies and then were able to express in full what was going on without feeling any tension. That is a healing in itself.

126. Being a ‘patient’ is indeed an interesting experience. I recently broke my foot and found out what this was like. What required my patient understanding was not so much the broken foot – I knew the root cause and embraced it as a welcome healing of an old pattern – it was the thoughts and feelings that seemed to flood through me as I sat on that couch for 2 months hardly able to do anything for myself. There was always a choice for me to go back to my divine essence, and yet I found that so difficult. So as a patient I was required to actually let go of many conditions about the way life should be. And this seems to go back to your original definition of the adjective ‘patient’ Anne: ‘able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious (the adjective)’. This definition is very close to describing true observation, which is one of the most powerful things we can choose.

127. It is interesting that people presume that the doctor feels the doctor’s time is more valuable than their patient’s and that they feel because they are in high demand, that people should be patient. I have heard doctors express this and I understand why. I also understand what Kathryn Maroney is saying and there is room to bring more equality when it comes to valuing people’s time. I understand that appointments are a juggle and there are always unforeseen events at play. I have experienced long waits in Brisbane hospitals where everyone is scheduled at the same time and just wait for a turn. The usual wait was about 3 hours. I did feel that there was a better way of organising this as it seemed the clinics were always this way, therefore slightly predictable, but I didn’t let it affect the way I felt. Making space for me to feel lovely was more important than railing against any system especially when it comes to caring for my health.

128. Connection with our own stillness brings understanding and a deeper wisdom that allows us to feel what really is going on in our environment, with people, and to know why people are behaving the way they do.

129. Anne, you have raised some great points here. I feel that it really is about understanding and appreciating that both parties ie. us as the ‘patient’ and yourself as the doctor (or any other appt of this kind), that ‘patience’ does need to come into play. Absolutely we have busy schedules, as do most doctors and the juggling act that would occur throughout the day due to people cancelling or expecting urgent attention, must be a challenge. I do like to bring understanding when I am waiting for an appointment, but after reading this article I will definitely be bringing even more.

130. Hi Kathryn, it is great that you bring this to the discussion, because this is how most people think and feel. But doctors do not actually keep us waiting on purpose!

     Here is an example of my day. Today I saw 24 patients. Two more who were booked in did not show up, despite receiving a telephone reminder two days earlier. Ten more who were booked in cancelled at short notice, despite receiving this same reminder. I fitted in five people who called this morning, and wanted to be seen urgently, so was able to fill 5 of the 12 vacant spots.

     But sometimes everyone shows up, and people will still call and want to be seen urgently. So, if I anticipate cancellations and book accordingly, I will be overbooked, and if I allow space for emergencies and none call and several people cancel at the last minute or don’t show up, I am sitting there with empty appointment spots, which other people are waiting for.

     My current waiting time for a new patient is 6 weeks (people who have already been to see me can get in sooner, and on the same day, if it is urgent). If I extended my appointment times so that they were 30 minutes rather than 15 minutes long, to make sure that no-one ever had to wait, that waiting time would be more like 6 months.

     It is a delicate balancing act, to allow enough time for each person, while trying to see everyone who wants to be seen within a reasonable time, and we are dealing with people, who are each unique and have different needs from each other, and who themselves may need more or less time on different days, and people just cannot be boxed into a regular time slot!

     So next time you are waiting for a few minutes, please appreciate that whoever you are waiting for is just as aware that you are waiting as you are, and that they are not doing it to hurt you, but because they are trying to care for everyone, equally.

131. Anne, you offer here an understanding for people waiting for medical appointments of why they are needing to wait and propose accepting waiting as part of the process.

     However, I feel there is a degree of responsibility here for the doctor or specialist too. Very frequently medical professionals are running late, but is this really considering the patient? Each patient has their own full day and demands on their time. Some only have a narrow window in their work day in which to attend medical appointments. Part of an equal practitioner – patient relationship is for both to hold themselves as equal to the other. However, by continually running late, the message the practitioner is giving the patient is that their time is not as important as the doctor’s.

     If a doctor isn’t able to provide their service in 10 – 15 minutes perhaps appointments need to be longer or have 5 – 10 minutes scheduled in after every few appointments to catch up or follow up with things that would otherwise contribute to the doctor running late for their next appointment. For some doctors it might be a matter of communicating to the patient how much time is available for the session to help keep the appointment and associated conversation on track.

     Waiting is a reality of attending medical appointments in the current day, but is this something that patients and doctors should just accept, or does this point to needed changes for doctors within their practice?

132. Reading your description Anne of sitting in that waiting room, a picture came of how we can all be this patient with ourselves. No matter what choice or turn we may take, we can bring this same understanding and simple acceptance to our life. In this way, we ourselves become Doctors of Love, and assist every physician.

133. I have never been one to be a ‘client’… ‘hearing and obeying’. My entire childhood I was constantly reminded about those two words from my mother… that I was doing neither. It is said the English invented being patient and do it so well we have our own word for it…’queuing’. Times are a changing, a recent survey found that we now in our busy life… leave the queue if we have to wait for more than 4 minutes. There are things that are always worth the wait… medical care will always be one of them. This is when another’s needs are some times are greater than our own and we wait patiently.

134. Yes the waiting room of doctors is the place where I most get to put into practice a lot of my understandimng of stillness, re-connection …. And not reacting. ☺

135. “So I shall continue to be a patient, and to wait patiently for the great care my doctors and all the medical staff provide.”
     I also will continue to wait patiently to see my caring doctor. As you said Anne it is a wonderful opportunity to spend time with yourself, to be present and nurturing.

136. “There is a way to be a patient, that minimises our suffering, and increases our ability to accept or tolerate delays, without becoming annoyed or anxious.” It is a blessing that God does not become annoyed or anxious at our delay in turning up for our appointment with Him.

137. I used to get really frustrated at having to wait more than 5 minutes for an appointment and if it was 20 minutes I would be really grumpy by the time I walked into the doctor’s room and my frustration would get in the way of saying everything I needed to say about why I was there. Now when I go for an appointment I go prepared with a bottle of water, something to read, my iPod and the potential for some ‘me’ time. The interesting thing is that since I have gone prepared I have very rarely had to wait.

138. It is very inspiring to read how you prepare yourself before you go to a doctor – and that you give yourself the space and time for waiting – feels great. The connection to space is so important, otherwise we get lost in the busyness of the world.

139. This is great Anne – being patient in a waiting room can have many benefits; conversing with other patients, reconnecting to ourselves and enjoying our own stillness – being prepared with a little food or water can bring an ease to the situation. Giving scope to the bigger picture that there are many people requiring medical assistance and the Doctor’s that are working are always doing their best at any given moment with their patients.

140. Being a patient, patient has opened my eyes to the fact that my body holds less anxiousness/tension while in situations of waiting to be seen by the doctor, dentist or at the opticians even at a shop etc waiting patiently to be served. This in turn has initiated conversations with others and, it has been shared that being in conversation and listening to others has eased the anxiousness/tension in them too! How simple and beautiful is that!!

141. Can waiting in a doctors office, be used for time to contemplate and understand why you are there in the first place? That is what I use it for and to take responsibility on how best I am going to work with the doctor on my own health. Very empowering to do.

142. The example you have put forward of waiting patiently for a doctor can be applied to any other situation that we are forced to wait for, the waiting time gives us the opportunity to be still and re connect.

143. I have to admit that I always loved it if a person was patient – they inspired me because it seemed that a patient person had found something inside of them what I was missing. Since I have re-discoverd my own patient, life is so much easier and not so exhausting anymore and I love it that I am now an inspiration too, when I was standing patient in a queue in the supermarket.

     1. I love to be patient. It always allows space for a moment to stop, for a moment to connect to yourself or with another which you would have missed if you were in a hurry, for a moment of true inspiration or an impulse to emerge that would have stayed buried if there was a rush or impatience to get something done. As you say Ester, it is exhausting to be impatient. I would love to stand next to you in a queue in the supermarket so we could be patient together ; ))

        1. I would love to stand next to you as well Sandra! I love what you share about the space and the moment to stop and the connection that is then possible – that makes it even more worth it to be patient.

144. Sitting in the waiting room of a doctor very quickly exposes or confirms if I have patience that day or not. Thank you Anne.

     1. Indeed, I can relate to this Kerstin!

145. This is a lovely reflection on how the choices we make to accept and bring understanding to a situation supports our experience to be one of connection, rather than anxiety and disturbance. It also allows for us to be able to connect with our Doctor when they are ready to see us, rather than being in reaction and shut down.

146. When we are with ourselves, it matters little where we are, we can just enjoy whatever circumstances we find ourselves in, time to ponder, check in with our bodies, or space to be and connect with others, then there is no need of patience in waiting, because there is no waiting, just enjoying being.

     1. Could it be that patience is what we use to describe the feeling of lack of connection when we are waiting for something? Could it be that in truth there is no need for patience if we accept that there is time and space for everything in our lives, and there are no coincidences? So if I arrive early for an appointment or the doctor is running late, it is nobody’s fault, it is an opportunity to, as you say Rosemary, just enjoy being.

147. Thank you Anne for this. I feel all the time how people must feel waiting in the waiting room. So much tension comes up around it, in how I feel as well as them. More often than not I realise it is not really an issue for the patient and they understand. Greater understanding and communication about this can be done for all. If as patients we accept we may need to wait, and as doctors we can communicate and say how long the wait might be, then there is space for a more harmonious system for all, even with the current inundations of illness and disease our doctors see.

148. I too am learning that being patient offers much to you….an opportunity to re-connect with your body – feel your fingertips, feel your feet, check in and see if you are tired and need to sit down or move and walk around, catch your breath, have some water, see what’s going on. And develop an understanding that it is not all about you! You may be waiting because a fellow human is needing some thing. It broadens your understanding of both yourself and others.

     1. I too am learning more patience with all in my day through life. I can feel the tension when I am waiting at a counter buying something at times as the assistant fumbles around. I ask myself why do I feel like this. The moment I surrender to it, I always find that I am offered something more in the shop for example. Being patient always pays off for everyone.

        1. I so agree Gail. If I’m getting impatient, I always stop and go ‘woah, what is it in me that is reacting here’. It can take a bit to come back from – but it always exposes to me something about my relationship with time.

        2. Oh yes Gail I too know exactly about the tension when waiting at a counter or waiting at the check out. And as you I asked myself why is this tension – normally I do not like to be stopped but now this is changing – now I am starting to appreciating this waiting time as a little pause or as a reminder to rest.

        3. Especially the Body Gail, as I know for me that being impatient caused frustration and boy does my body suffer for it. I am learning to breathe, wait and ask myself what is this about – before I know it the frustration is gone and my connection with the doctor is that much clearer and more enjoyable.

     2. I agree Sarah, there is so much for us to connect to and ponder on when we are waiting. There is always something for us in it to reflect on. Why have we been provided with that moment, at that time to reflect? There is no coincidence.

        1. Thanks Amelia for posing this question. I have often wondered the same. Is this time given for us to feel into the reasons why we are here and the signs our body has been feeling but we have often overridden?

        2. Great point Amelia -why have we been provided with that moment? What is there for us to reflect upon? (that cannot be found on your iphone ;-).

        3. Amazing how as a society we have become impatient when it comes to waiting, when these moments are given to us for us to stop and reflect – well said Amelia.

     3. Being patient is a great medicine as often in that push of impatientness I often end up getting frustrated and out of place for not stopping to understand what the moment is asking for or showing me. Going off into moments before me is like saying ‘ I will be better in that moment over there’ so we rush towards it by thinking about it constantly. But being patient can be awesome when we use those moments of pausing to check in with ourselves because in that rushing I have never felt content, only when feeling that I am already enough in the moment I am in have I ever felt that settledness that is falsely assumed to be ‘over there’.

        1. I love what you have said here Leigh that patience is actually a great medicine. If for example one is waiting and feeling impatient, we may clock that impatience and find that there is an anxiousness operating there which is part of the false energetic environment we have set up in order to navigate being safe in the world. We can bring observation to this and allow ourselves to come back to our essence which is an emanation rather than a forward push or momentum. And in this emanation lies the essential and universal medicine.

149. I love what you share here, Anne, about taking the time to care for ourselves when we know that we may have to wait a while to be seen by someone (be that a doctor or a mechanic, or whomever), and that if they are running late it is not because they are sitting in back waiting to see just how annoyed we can get, it is because they are doing their job with someone else!

     1. Yes Naren the running late with doctor appointment is because of the care and detail taken with each patient to support them. To get annoyed with this is not understanding the level of care these professionals are willing to go to for each and every one of us.

        1. Indeed, grounded05. It is understandable that there is something that comes up when we do not feel well, our bodies are in a state of distress, but the capacity for understanding is always there!

     2. Yes Naren, we can so easily become disgruntled if we are kept waiting, and so often we forget that it is exactly as Anne has said, that it is because the person we are waiting to see is taking the time to do their job with the person in front of us. It is very interesting because often these days, we are given an alloted amount of time with a doctor for example, in order that their patients/clients are not kept waiting, and then we complain that we are not given enough time!

     3. Yes Naren, and it shows us and reflects to us that we have a responsibility to be on top of our own connection with ourselves, and so we are responsible to be loving and have patience with ourselves also when we are waiting at moments we rather do not want to wait or be confronted with ‘me’ time. As at times waiting can bring stuff up, and to stay honest and feel what it is coming up is the best part. Therefore the healing of our session, doctor appointment will start already even before the meeting time is scheduled, so cool!

        1. Really well put, Danna. I often find myself feeling a bit uncomfortable when faced with that time where it is just me and there is nothing to do but wait. That is because, as you said, it is a time for me to just be with ME and feel what is there to be felt. Being honest about this and about what is coming up in these times is all that is being asked, and is nothing to run away from into busying myself with distraction. It is an opportunity to learn something more about me!

     4. Well said Sandra, it allows space for a “momemt of magic” . We all know how amazing they can be and that they are well worth waiting for.

     5. That is so true Naren Duffy, there is usually a good reason. The staff can only do one thing at a time and when we do eventually get to be with them we expect them to take the same amount of time and care others received. If we are rushed through, that quality is no there.

150. Rich and playful honesty from a generally gorgeous woman!

151. I tend not to have an issue with waiting – I like to schedule the first appointment of the day or after lunch to minimise waiting. As a 13 year old I once went to the doctor and when everybody else had been called but not me (twice) I went to the receptionist and they didn’t see me come in… I got some chocolate out of that.
     From then on I made sure that the receptionist would know about me…

     1. Recently, having patience at the airport when our plane was delayed overnight, led to being put up for the night in a top hotel. There were many others who had rushed the line, anxious, angry, pushing, who got served first. These naturally were put up in the more economic hotels which we expected too be to, so it was a lovely surprise when we discovered all those had been booked out. We had a ball in the line, meeting and talking with new people and had a wonderful meal and rest at the hotel. All in all it was a magic experience. It didn’t even really feel like being patient, more just accepting of our situation and making the best of it.

        1. That’s gorgeous Jeanette. When we can make the most of it we usually get the most out of it.

152. Having worked in healthcare for over a decade I have a good understanding of the demands on the healthcare system itself and the professionals who work very hard within it. Because of this I have patience while I am a patient however I have done this in consideration of the system and others and not myself – what a gift to use this as an opportunity to further support ourselves in preparing for any appointment, consultation or treatment we may require. In doing this we are able to have a body which is receptive to and responds well to the treatment we receive. This kind of preparation is not only possible in waiting rooms but in every choice we make in our daily lives.

     1. Awesome point Michael Chater, being patient in consideration of the system and others and not yourself. I will be taking myself to appointments now with that awareness, a great opportunity to reflect and prepare. And as you say it is possible in every choice we make in out daily lives, giving ourselves a little waiting room 🙂
        .

     2. Well said Michael. In many industries patience and understanding goes a long way. Some people threaten, complain, control and force their way through situations and others gracefully, but with strength and purpose respond to the situation in front of them. Two completely different approaches and both are felt and seen by everyone involved.

        1. So true Vicky, we must remind oudselves daily that we always have a choice in how we are going to respond. To take the other into consideration often makes that choice easier amd much more fulfilling.

153. Being patient in a waiting room at the doctors creates a wonderful moment to focus on my body and how it feels. Sometimes in these moments I remember or discover something else I wanted to discuss during my consultation so if I ever have an appointment I now arrive early to give myself check-in time.

     1. I love this Jane and it is something that I usually do. Taking time to stop and be deeply connected before I see a doctor enhances the consultation for both me and the doctor and is part of the healing.

        1. This is lovely Jane and Anne. Up until recently I would more often than not turn up for an appointment with just a few minutes to spare, but have realised that by doing that, I then take all my rushing around into the appointment with me. I realised that it would take me a little while to slow down, so I now make more time to get to an appointment a bit early. It does then give you time to stop, have a ponder on what you want to take to your appointment and the whole experience is much calmer and more relaxed as a result.

        2. I will sometimes show up minutes before the appointment also, exposing my lack of patience. I run my day so full with a list of things to do with an allotted time for each thing, so I can cram as much into my day as possible. This is an awful way to live and creates so much angst in my body. I am getting better at not rushing around but it has been a really hard process to just stop and feel my own body and my own life and how I am running it.

154. So often it is the lack of understanding of what is happening behind-the-scenes that leads to impatience and criticism, and as always when one understands and feels more brings a depth of consideration and awareness that always helps us to see and feel the bigger picture.

155. I love the message you are conveying of the beauty of patience and the power of using it as time to just be. It is a much needed quality in a life that is not always ready when you are and there is much to be learnt in those times should we just allow it.

156. Lovely to connect with this blog again Anne. A reminder that if ever I am feeling impatient, in a rush or out of time, it is a big reminder to stop and find out what is really going on because really, being with me is all I need to do. Ever. That is always first and foremost. From there, everything can and will be done as needed.

157. Learning to wait patiently is a gift for everyone to acquire, for waiting is often part of life as we live it. Learning to just be and appreciate the time to feel is key to life and a real learning. Thank you Anne for this really great blog and the inspiration from it.

     1. As you say Tricia, to be patient is indeed a gift, as it will open up time and space to be with ourselves, which is is the gift. If we truly appreciate what it is to be one with ourselves, we would look out for these moments where we have to wait, and appreciate the value of having time with ourselves, as it will teach us the true meaning of our life and and all life around us.

158. As they say “patience is a virtue”! When I have the very rare space to actually wait with nothing to do I consider this an utter blessing. What a joy to have some precious me time to feel my body and to check in with how I am feeling, and a chance to deepen my connection by focusing solely on it.

159. I have found that being aware of being patient, or a patient, helps being patient. I used to hate being caught in traffic and get really frustrated, but since I made myself aware of it, I seldom (touch wood) get caught up in major traffic jams. With life as busy as it can be sometimes, it’s nice to have moments to just sit and be, no matter if you are in a doctor’s surgery or sitting stationary on the M25.

     1. I agree Kev, the car’s a great place to practise just sitting and being. There’s nowhere to get up and go to, and nothing to read! Doing a fair bit of car travel for my job, I used to treat my car as a traveling office, so any jam or go-slow was an opportunity to make a call, read a document, send an email. I’m more aware now of ‘car time’ and am practising simply focusing on driving :). How I feel and behave in my car, is a great reflection on how I am generally.

160. I have just returned from my GP for my annual tests and read this blog. What rang true to me was the importance of being patient whilst waiting. So glad I sat with that today- thanks for a great reminder.

161. A great timing to read this blog this morning, as I am about to take my husband into hospital for a procedure this morning, and being prepared, giving ourselves time and an honouring of the day is a great reminder and confirmation of the care taken by ourselves and the hospital staff, and their dedication. It brings an appreciation and love for all concerned, Thank you.

     1. Brilliant Tricia. There is so much to be appreciated in each moment, and as you say there is much care and dedication expressed that is truly loving for all in much of the medical profession.

     2. This is beautiful Tricia. Anne’s blog would serve well if it were prescribed reading before any visit to a GP, specialist or surgical procedure, however minor.

162. I find waiting can be such a different experience in any given situation on any given day, it all depends on me. As you say Anne, it can be a lovely opportunity to just stop and reconnect if prepared but, if it’s not factored into the schedule on a busy day, I have somewhere else I feel I need to be or, I hold onto preconceptions of how things ‘should be’, it can be most uncomfortable.

     More and more I’m allowing space, letting go of expectations and finding that by simply allowing and accepting a situation as it is, I can relax and enjoy me being with me.

163. I love the space and time that you allowed yourself when supporting and waiting for your husband Anne. I have been leaving more and more time the older I get to attend to things that I need to attend to without creating more of a stressful environment for myself and jam packing everything into one afternoon. It really does make so much of a difference and it is so loving to do so. I love that you pack yourself a self-love bag of goodies for when you’re waiting 🙂

164. Anne, I love this, thought provoking and asking us to consider how we come to certain words and understandings. And it’s funny I always allow extra time when I go to the doctors, but I don’t always have the same tolerance or patience for waiting in other scenarios, and I even don’t prepare with the same care, so now I can feel how I can be more caring with me and them while I wait patiently!

     1. Great point Monica, it’s interesting that we can be quite selective with when and where we exercise our patience!

165. Agree Gill, I have had much experience with hospital over the last 20 years and ‘waiting’ is par for the course in all medical systems no matter where you are. However as you say ‘waiting’ can be part of the healing process if the wait time is used to fully connect to ourselves and bring stillness, love and appreciation to the situation.

     1. Beautifully said Anne and especially at the time when in a waiting room in a medical centre and about to have a procedure or check up where anxiety or agitation /frustration may be there, or sitting with other people in anxiety. It is a great time to become still and feel deeply into the anxiety and understand more about how it works in our lives and where it comes from.

166. To realise that as we are waiting patiently, or in some cases, impatiently, for our turn to see the doctor, that she/he are not just sitting at their desks, filing their nails or twiddling their thumbs, but that they are taking the time to be with others who have a myriad of health issues to be addressed, really brings home the meaning of the word patience to me. And with this understanding, being prepared for a wait, makes being a patient, patient a whole lot easier.

167. I agree with Debra, I also felt it was beautiful to express your appreciation and understanding Sylvia, allowing the doctors the opportunity to be less demanding of themselves. Patience with ourselves and others, and expressing our appreciation and understanding in the many varied situations we experience during our day would lovingly change the energy and impact on all involved.

168. When I go into a clinic I expect the problem to be fixed by the qualified doctor or nurse. I used to just want it fixed and not look at why it happened and all the actions that lead up to it. Now in the waiting room before I am called in I look at why I had the injury/illness. In becoming more responsible with my actions I found that I am not visiting the hospital as often.

169. Sometimes I get to the Drs expecting to wait, I get prepared for the wait, I look forward to my time to stop and rest, catch up with some emails etc..but get called in straight away! I have a laugh to myself of the inconvenience, but grateful for the prompt service.

170. I keep coming back to this blog because being patient isn’t something that has come easily to me – it is slowly getting better and when I am not patient I can certainly feel the tightness in my body, and it doesn’t feel great! Logically I do know how silly if not downright idiotic it is to want to be ahead of where I am actually at, but this old habit of men will take further chipping away.

171. This is much needed common sense, and I love your suggestion of preparing to wait in a waiting room. Except for the time I had an eye ulcer (crazy painful) I’ve always quite enjoyed waiting and being prepared to wait feels great, along with the understanding that we are all in this together which has always helped made me a patient patient.

172. Great to hear it from a Doctor what and how the day can look for you. I don’t expect it is that much fun running late and then to be met with a constant flow of annoyed patiences. What I can’t help ponder on is that this state that we can go into, which I know I have in the past most certainly gone into, is not going to help with issue that you may be there with. All that uptightness is going to have an impact on the body. To actually prepare for this and take time to enjoy you is such supportive approach not just for yourself but everyone.

173. Waiting is a beautiful thing, and I am starting to have less and less problems with it, not that I had many but I still could become frustrated when needing to wait long, even in the doctor’s waiting room. And as you said there is actually nothing to get frustrated about, there is time needed for a patient that is equal to me. And waiting is a great time to reconnect to who we truly are and feel our beauty.

174. I have always felt that the word ‘patient’ feels more warm and inclusive, where ‘client’ feels a bit brusque and business, less connection.

175. I love how you said Anne that ‘we can rail against it, but we know it will happen” with regards to waiting for an appointment at the doctors – this is so true! Why put a load of energy into getting worked up, and putting more pressure on the already loaded doctors, when we could use that energy towards minimising suffering and even possibly enjoying the experience.

176. Waiting can be an absolute joy, enjoying the moment to stop and spend time with yourself quietly. Even if there is sound around, and preparing by making sure you are cared for during this time is a lovely way to support oneself.

177. Absolutely, Ariana. How we are when we are asked to stop and feel it, is how we are. Full stop.

178. “There is a way to be a patient, that minimises our suffering, and increases our ability to accept or tolerate delays”- developing understanding of the pressures doctors are put under in order to accurately diagnose and treat patients within such a short time allotment is very important, as you lovingly describe.

179. Patience is a medicine in itself. I’m learning to have more patience with myself and others. Say I go for a swim, I give myself patience to reach the other side instead of pushing to reach the goal. There’s less reaction to my actions or those of others. It is a great teacher, because it always reflects where you are at, if one is patient enough to see.

     1. I like that Jinya – ‘Patience is a medicine in itself.’ In our fast paced life where I know I can be in rush to do most things, it’s great to have more patience with ourselves and others.

180. So succinctly and wittily put Michael Kremer!
     It is so difficult to accept that ‘a waiting room is for waiting’ because most of us cannot bear to take a stop and feel the enormity of life’s tension jangling through the body. Being brought to a stop we inevitably have to feel how we have been living life and that is a hard call. The restless human spirit is addicted to moving to numb its agony. So when it is requested to wait for the doctor to attend to the ills that it itself has created, it nearly goes off its tree.

     1. Love this Lyndy…so true! Constant motion is a great way to not feel what is truly going on in our bodies, and life has become so much about the ‘doing’ that when we are forced to stop i.e. in a waiting room, it becomes very uncomfortable – there is no avoiding how our body is feeling. “So when it is requested to wait for the doctor to attend to the ills that it itself has created, it nearly goes off its tree” because it knows the way it has been living will be exposed – the doctor can’t help but see and feel the dis-ease facing them.

181. Love it Ariana!

182. It is interesting that where I work in a community health setting we refer to service users as ‘clients’ whereas in the hospital they are known as ‘patients’. This distinction seems to have grown from the general perception that if you are a ‘patient’ in hospital you are really unwell (Patient definition 2) and in need of a higher level of care, whereas if you are living in your own home/community environment, then you are a well in comparison and are therefore referred to as a ‘client’ (Client definition 1).

183. A living room is for living. So why oh why is it so difficult for us to accept that a waiting room is for waiting.
     Once we honestly look at that, we will be able to structure our days so that having to wait will be not the obstacle that drives us mad, but a gift of having time with ourselves.

     1. Your comment that ‘ a living room is for living’reminds me that when we are connected to self, with our focus on whatever room we are in there is no drive to be anywhere else.

     2. I love this, Michael! True indeed, and a testament to the true power of words.

     3. Great comment Michael. I wonder if for many of us, we are going through life at such a speed that when we are forced to stop and ‘wait’ in waiting rooms we don’t like it. Perhaps the enforced stop is asking us to take stock of how we are feeling which is very challenging and we resist being ‘patient’ patients?

184. A great reflection Anne on what appears to be a clear difference between patients and clients. Having come to use the term clients in more recent years in my practise (complementary health care), I had felt that the term ‘patients’ somehow implied the person consulting with me was ‘giving their power away’, I have now revised my view thanks to your insightful writing.

185. Being present with me supports me to be a patient patient. Waiting patiently for a doctor’s appointment offer me the opportunity to be with me and feeling whatever has brought me to the need for the appointment and the underlying issues. My clarity on the situation gives the doctor greater clarity and understanding and therefore better outcomes for both of us the health system and for me.

186. A very playful and poignant blog, it highlights the impatience and self importance people are living with and how this can be dropped in an instant when we start to take responsibility for ourselves.

187. You never know what is going on for people in doctor’s surgery and hospitals. Best not to get to concerned with time and focus on what is needed most to support those in need of it as you have shared Anne.

188. It’s a great reminder that it’s not just about the Me factor, but that a doctor is caring for a whole community. I can see how putting the care into preparing ourselves as a patient really would make the wait a very supportive experience… It would likely ease any anxiety that can typically surface in relation to medical appointments, where there can be a feeling of vulnerability and handing over of control. In this way, with being prepared, this can be a confirmation to ourselves of our own empowerment to take care of our body.

189. Preparing ourselves in a loving way for a situation, that we know might lay itself out differently from what we might want it to be like, will allow us to enjoy with lightness and understanding what before would have been but an annoyance.

     1. Agree Michael, preparation for any situation allows us to stay with who we are, as opposed to being derailed by any emotional or external turmoil. I love your expression of lightness and understanding, such a ‘gentle – manly’ turn of phrase.

190. It was great to read your blog exploring what being patient means. Being patient was always something I considered a virtue or a compliment if I behaved this way but when I read the definition “able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious (the adjective)” I am not so sure. It kind of reminds me of being “nice” and “polite”.

191. I love it Anne and I too am not at all a patient person by nature, I am all about getting on with things. Curiously though I am a great patient when I am in need of medical attention, I think one reason for this is because I was raised with a seriously ill father and watch him resist being a patient to his own demise, and secondly and most importantly I take it very seriously when my body is not well, or even having its regular check ups because I always want great health, and so I am prepared to wait and surrender to the healing on offer, from experience I know there is no other way.

192. This is so refreshing to read Anne and I have had read it several times!
     Being a patient is about caring for oneself and part of this is being patient and being present-great self- care!

     1. Patiently caring for ourselves! No matter what the world throws at us, and even if we have to wait for hours.. what matters most is that we continuously and delicately and beautifully care for ourselves..

193. I used to dread going to the doctors, not the actual examination or anything but the time spent waiting to be seen, an hour out of my life for maybe ten minutes of being seen. With no decent up to date reading material, I used to be the quintessential impatient patient. Something changed when I realised it was a good chance to catch up on some reading, so I started taking a book or my own reading material and found this was a gift of time. After this realisation my waiting time magically seemed to decrease and sometimes I would find it a bit annoying as I didn’t even have a chance to finish what I wanted to read.

     1. I too now carry something to do or read and I treat it as a time to stop and have some quiet time. My recent visits to the doctors have been very caring experiences where I can see that even though they might be running late, they are not going to rush me or or be any less attentive to my needs. Our doctors do a great job.

     2. Kevin, I love how you said you found the waiting time to be a ‘gift of time’ – that’s a great perspective to have. And it made me laugh when you describe getting a bit annoyed when it decreased and you couldn’t finish what you wanted to read!

194. Thank you Anne. I loved coming back to your blog to read it. Having had several hospital appointments recently I have found being ‘patient’ as a patient in the waiting room has been a lovely experience and a perfect opportunity both to stop and connect to my body and how I am feeling and also connect to others also waiting ‘patiently.’

195. I felt inspired to return to this blog after a recent visit to my GP. I had a morning appointment and had rushed a little to arrive on time so I thoroughly enjoyed the wait upon arrival. As I surrendered into my body I had such a wonderful time and I really started to appreciate the space I was being given. Being an appointment early in the day I did not expect to be waiting so long so I had not really brought much to do along with me but this was no problem, the 90 minute wait was no problem. I reflected how I would not have scheduled in this time to simply sit and be with myself otherwise and this ‘patient’ period was deeply healing, regenerative and a large part of the medicine I received that day along with the focused and attentive care I received from my GP when it was my turn.

     1. How lovely Deanne, feels like true patience here.

     2. Deanne you sure used your time to not only remain patient but to enjoy a moment being with you. A great reminder to us all next time we visit our GP.

196. Drawing from the dictionary definition of patient here, the meaning is so apt for the healing process as well as the waiting part. Being patient to the body’s own healing process often means delaying our usual activities when we may not have our usual strength and or abilities.I especially like how this can include tolerating some discomfort or suffering without becoming annoyed. I bet medical staff would find their job much easier if their patients were true to this definition of a patient.

     1. I love your take on the word patient Deanne. “Being patient to the body’s own healing process often means delaying our usual activities when we may not have our usual strength and or abilities.” Often it can be difficult to be patient during the healing process, as we just want to get going again, but patience is a necessary part of healing if we want to give our bodies time to truly recover. I hadn’t considered “being patient” throughout the whole process, from first stepping into the doctor’s office until complete recovery, as an important part of “being a patient.” Thank you Deanne for giving me a different perspective on the word, and a chance to ponder another understanding of patience, that is having loving patience with myself as I am learning to navigate how to be true in relationship with myself and others and how to express in full, patience with myself and others is a vital ingredient in my learning/healing in every day life.

197. I have spent many an hour waiting in A&E in the past year as I have an elderly relative who often falls. Each time we have been we are informed there will be a 4 hour wait to see the doctor and each time, sure enough we have had to wait 4 hours to be seen. I realised reading your blog Anne how I have been harbouring some feelings of ‘well it’s just not good enough!’ and not fully appreciating what is going on. We have a great number of people trying their very best to attend to and care for an OVERWHELMING number of patients and at the same time, tick all the boxes of maximum waiting times being demanded of them by the authorities. There is so much criticism of the National Health Service here in the UK, but most of it is down to us being impatient with higher and higher expectations that our needs be met within the timeframe we have dictated, and yet this is expected of fewer and fewer medical staff as funding to the NHS is being cut constantly. It’s an impossible equation to balance, but we as patients can do our part by living the meaning of this word in it’s fullness as we wait for treatment. After all, we are the ones who have created the problem for ourselves in the first place (the way we live is our best, or our worst medicine) so the waiting room is offering us an opportunity to reflect on why and how we came to be in this situation and take responsibility for creating it.

198. It is a great reflection on how easily we have allowed our selves to apologise for how we look, rather than look at and feel what’s going on inside our body. Our body talks to us all the time, we know the answers already. So you’re right to say we just need to accept ourselves for who we are and how we feel, without putting ourselves down. Question ourselves: why are we apologising for being us?

199. Anne hi, waiting rooms create a stop, today i see it as a welcome opportunity to check in with myself and feel where/how I have been – raciness is hard to ignore in a waiting room! Quite often I am in the waiting room with my children and I am amazed at how great they are at being patient – they are always intrigued by new environments & content to watch others come and go, or pick their way through leaflets giving advice/information about varying ailments – which often brings up conversations about our bodies.

     1. I love what you say here Lucindag… “raciness is hard to ignore in a waiting room!” Absolutely true, it is never more obvious in this scenario, and I find too it is the perfect opportunity to just be, quite rare these days. If I find myself impatient at these sort of times, it is usually a sign that I don’t want to stop and feel something inside me.

        1. Yes, I agree Jenny that if I find myself being impatient at times of an opportunity to be still, it is a sign that there is something I am uncomfortable about facing. I have found that in these times if I acknowledge that, explore what it is I am not wishing to look at, and address whatever it is, I nearly always gain a huge insight.

        2. I agree, there is a moment offered to sit patiently and just be. I have gone into an anxiety in hospitals and doctor’s rooms of what is going to be exposed in my body, something I have not wanted to know about, so for me it is honesty or dishonesty that comes up.

     2. I’d agree Lucinda, any point in the day where we are not engaged in a task is a great opportunity to take stock of how we are, and perhaps to do this rather than check a phone which is something I do a lot would be a much wiser use of my time.

200. Waiting in the waiting room seems to take on a moment where there is nothing to do but wait, a time to just be with me and be present. This blog has helped me appreciate more, what these moments have offered me and highlighted how I get caught up in the busy-ness of the world. A change in perspective. Thanks Anne

     1. A great point and something to really consider as I find we are presented with many moments such as these but can very easily override them and yet they are an opportunity to just be and enjoy ourselves, reflect on how we have been living or even just rest.

201. Fantastic blog Anne. We are in a world at the moment that doesn’t seem to have much patience at all.

202. There is such a broad spectrum of response to illness. I have found lately through Universal Medicine healing sessions and courses, that the most supportive attitude to take when ill, is to become still. This does not mean disengaged from treatment but it does mean choosing to let go, trust what domes my way in terms of health professionals and treatments, and above all, not get up tight waiting in waiting rooms :-). Plus if I do find someone not being supportive, I meet them from stillness and express what I am feeling, with the confidence that they are able to meet me back. It has always worked! Our attitude to healing of self and others comes from our relationship with the stillness naturally there in our bodies and I dare say, this is the greatest form of preventative medicine as well.

203. Such a beautiful blog Anne that delivers much needed understanding of the waiting room from a patient and a Dr’s perspective. With appreciation and acceptance of the process of patiently waiting and the understanding of the level of care that is a right of all to have equally, we are far less likely to become heightened or agitated over waiting for our turn and may well develop the patience required of patients.

204. Prescribing patience for patients certainly relieves the pressure if presented as a practice that can bring pain relief from any ‘proclaimed tension’ from being a patient!

     1. Love it Greg.

        1. Precisely portraying my position on love.

205. This is such a beautiful perspective – thank you Anne.

206. I enjoy waiting rooms and like Anne described, am usually prepared to wait. The preparation prior to seeing a dentist, doctor or other heath professional is as important as the actual consultation as we need to bring all of us in our fullness to the practitioner. In my experience if I go in uptight because I have waited my connection with the practitioner is poor as my agitation stops me from truly present.

207. In the past I certainly wasn’t a very patient patient. I was one of those patients watching the clock counting how many patients arrived before me and working out the order I thought patients should be called in, huffing and puffing, sighing and even going up to the receptionists asking if I have been forgotten and by the time I finally got in to see the Dr I would be so annoyed I would snap his head off. That behaviour didn’t help anyone and that was years ago when I was frequently at doctors and specialists with a sick child and always rushing expecting to be able to fit much more than was possible into my days. In the latter years of that I managed to let go of my impatience and mainly letting go of the unrealistic expectations of myself and what it is actually possible to achieve in a day this has supported me to let go of my unreal expectations of others.

208. Patience is not just for the doctor’s waiting room. ‘All good things comes to those who wait’ is an old English phrase extolling the virtue of patience. In our busy times the phrase today is even more valid in all aspects of our life.

209. I have been a bit impatient lately so your blog is perfect, thank you Anne.

210. What a gem Anne, to “allow time and space for waiting”. This takes away rush, tension, anxiousness, expectation and frustration. That feels so much better by anyone’s books!

211. This is such a great real blog bringing reflections to all of us as waiting and/or running life with busy-ness and impatience, or simply allowing space and developing patience. Since reading this before, I have really enjoyed and allowed waiting times to be times of reflection and to treasure them, instead of the old way of impatience and stress. Thank you.

212. This is such a playful blog Anne, I relate very much to your lack of patience! I work as a therapist and we have clients, I have never thought about what that means at the root of the word and shall consider what you have shared, though patient feels weird to me – not being a doctor… I will have patience and see what comes.

213. When things go wrong in my body, I often feel the limitations of being in a human body. It is usually an injury that I sustain from pushing or rushing myself, so it is always a reminder to be patient and that I am here to learn to remain present with myself through life. After all, there will be little or no presence if I am rushing onto the next thing.

214. In my practise I have clients, but after reading this blog I now prefer to call the people who come to see me ‘Ladies’ or “Gentlemen’ as this is the truth of who they are.

215. Reading this blog again occurred to me that patiently waiting does not just apply when there is an appointment ahead; I can actually patiently just be and attend to what I am doing at present rather than race ahead in my mind and think of all the things I still have to do – and I shall do this right now.

216. There is definitely a ‘way’ to wait, and in waiting there is of course stillness, so a practising patient patient is also practising stillness, which leads to greater harmony in the body, which leads to less call to be ‘a’ patient.

217. It is great to re read your blog Anne, as it made me think about how being patient actually introduces that ‘stop’ moment – a moment to check inwardly and feel how we are going, or just to reconnect to our presence. We can be patient when we are driving our car, in a shopping que, or patiently listening to another talk when they are trying to work something out. Being patient is quite the tonic needed in this modern era when everything is time pressured or wanted ‘yesterday’.

     1. “patiently listening to another talk when they are trying to work something out” – I love what you say here johannebrown17. It takes the want to fix out of the situation.

218. I found out to be patient is such a supportive quality for my life.

219. I am loving exploring how regardless of what I am doing I can make the choice to surrender deeply to my body. Having to wait for something is like a gift, a pause, time to surrender and let go to support what ever is next.

220. This is an amazing conversation almost the opposite of what is being had. Usually the focus is on maximizing time, and filling it up. Preparing to wait is unique. At th doctors surgery we attend they encourage you phone ahead before you come to see if the doctor is running on time most often they are an hour late, I had wondered how this possible, yet when it is my turn and the doctor gives me time and attention I always feel listened to and looked after. They take the time with their patients and they care.

221. It is fascinating that this is what we can go into, getting caught up in what or where we ‘need’ to be or what ‘needs’ to be done. Like you say Kristy it isn’t until the there is a more serious sickness are we forced to surrender. I know I have done the same in the past and now I can feel that the more responsibility that I take for what is going on in my life or the little things that are not harmonious then I am starting to understand that everything has an impact.

222. I have a similar appreciation now too Anne for my doctor’s waiting room. I really enjoy the experience actually, observing the comings and goings and just having time to sit, ponder and be with me.

223. I do similar things Kristy; often if I get something like a bruise or hit my head, because I’m not ‘ill’ or in long-term pain I will just completely ignore it and carry on my day, but when things happen that ‘force me on my knees’ a bit more – like getting really ill – that’s the only time I take a break and try to pinpoint what’s going on. The little stop moments definitely need to be appreciated and listened to more!

224. Yes I agree Anne, preparation is all when going for a Doctor’s appointment at a Surgery or Hospital. Here in the UK the increase in the population means Doctors and Nurses are under greater pressure than ever before.
     Taking the extra care to prepare for my time with the Doctor and the waiting I know will be reflected in the care I receive from her/him.

225. Interesting that the current use of the word client has no much to do with its Latin origin. The idea that the client/customer is always right and hence the seller has to treat him/her with the due care and respect so the client will return another time and spend money with us does not exactly matches the idea of ‘cluere’, meaning that the client is one who has to ‘hear or obey’. I am with you Anne, patient all the way!!

226. Reading this it reminded me of when I waited at bus stops to catch a bus, I could either just let myself be and be with me or I could spend the time checking the road to see if it was coming or checking the time. The choice is always ours in how we are going to be.

227. This is a gorgeous way to look at it, Gill, that you are waiting for the perfect constellation for healing – I love it.

228. This is a great sharing, Kristy and shows that the quality we bring to the experience affects the quality of our experience – no surprises, really!
     And yes, being a patient can be a humbling experience – perhaps that is the point of being sick – as you say, bringing us to our knees, or bringing us to a stop, or at least a pause in a doctor’s waiting room.

229. Letting go of how we expect things to be, and bringing understanding, patience and openness to every part of our life, will allow us to experience that always a fitting solution will come to us, if only we are open for it.

230. Thank you Anne for a deeper look into the workings of a Doctor’s day and the reasons why we need to be “patient” as a Patient in the Surgery. I have in the past felt stressed when at the Doctors’ waiting to see him or her, especially when I had my own small children. Also recently when I was with two lively small children, helping a family member who was also sick. If I am on my own I usually find this a time I can do some browsing through a magazine and it feels fine, as I understand that we all like to have time spent on ourselves when we are ill also.

     1. Ah, yes, Roslyn, that is a whole other level of patience – learning to be patient with small children!
        Quite a different experience from waiting quietly on your own!

        I have found that the same can apply though – bring a picnic to share, a book to read, or if the doctor is running late, take them for a walk and ask the staff to call you when it is your turn.

231. Like Anne shared, I love arriving at my medical appointments early and have noticed the last two times that, as I arrived early, I was seen 20 minutes earlier than scheduled. I always have a refreshed feeling these days when going to medical appointments, rather than fear, as I know they are there to support me to go to the next level in terms of understanding my self, my body and what it needs healing. The National Health Service (NHS) here in the UK has helped me enormously to deal with various health conditions.

     1. Shevon that is interesting that when you were choosing to go early and support yourself with what was going on in your body – then your appointments were actually early. Great example of the choices we make can feed us back with harmony or dis-harmony.

     2. This is lovely, Shevon, as long as you don’t start to expect to be seen early! Some people come an hour or so early and start counting the minutes from when they arrive, not from when their appointment time is, and this puts even more pressure on us and our staff!

        1. Don’t worry Anne – arriving early and being seen early was an added bonus. I was quite content to sit and wait even if I was seen later then scheduled.

232. It’s an interesting point you make that, in a world which is moving its long-term or multi-symptomatic sick and suffering ever closer towards an ‘integrated care’ solution from across the disciplines, we don’t have a common vocabulary, a unifying term for the very focus of that attention – the person. Perhaps the most helpful unifying principle we can adopt across the disciplines then, if not in terminology, is one that ensures the respect and dignity we would want to receive ourselves is applied by all who come into contact with the patient, client or person.

233. I agree with you Anne it seems the essence of patience is feeling space and completeness within ourselves so we do not need circumstances in life to be a certain way. When this need applies it brings a kind of forced patience where one might be tolerating a situation and that is not really in connection with oneself but more mentally controlling the tension rather than remaining free of it. I was a very tolerant nurse at times (sometimes intolerant) but this did not offer any joy in the role. There were some nurses who seemed to be light hearted despite the worst of days in the hospital and it used to puzzle me how they could be this way.

     1. This is a great point, Simon. There is a big difference between tolerance and patience, and “mentally controlling the tension” has never really worked for me either!
        The difference? Letting everything and everyone in.

234. I love this blog Anne and your great insight into the word patient.A great reflection to ponder on and enjoy. This definitely gets us all to stop and be in waiting situations and simply enjoy being and who we are. Taking time to reflect is an important and necessary part of life, thank you for the reminder.

235. It is very easy to overlook and not appreciate the tremendous work medical staff do for us through our impatience. We can blame and curse them for running late and in doing so we make it personal, how it affects us let alone look at the fact that they have supported countless other people throughout the day.

     1. Great point to take into consideration every time I have to wait Tony. To consider the countless people that are taken care for by the service and support I am waiting for and to appreciate the waiting and being patient as part of my healing.

        1. When we are only thinking about how the waiting is affecting us we can’t see the bigger picture as our thoughts are consumed by us and us only. We may think we are thinking of others but in reality the main part of that thought concerns us and what we get out of it.

236. Wow, what a refreshing way to look at being a patient, Anne. I can feel how much I have judged doctors in the past for being “pretentious” or not caring because they always seemed to make people (including myself) wait forever to see them. Your blog has really provided another more understanding view, along with a chance to simply accept things for what they are and use that time waiting to be with myself and do other things like you mentioned. If we all would be ourselves in ‘the other person’s shoes’, so to speak more often, we might not get so frustrated (like I have) and take advantage of the situation in a positive way.

     1. To be honest, Michael, some doctors are a bit like that – just not all of us! Some pride themselves on being so busy and important that they have to keep you waiting for hours, but most of us have no intention of keeping you waiting, and are doing our best to see you at the appointed time.

     2. so often we are given opportunities of waiting time that we can spend with ourselves, and instead of accepting its gift we resist the positive benefits we are being offered. Daft, isn’t it?

237. Being a patient actually provides me with an opportunity to stop, reflect on what has brought me to this point and take the time to care for myself. Any ‘suffering’ is a great learning opportunity and makes me much more present and honest with what’s going on.

     1. “and the notice board in the waiting area asked lovingly gentle questions to prompt self reflection and self responsibility.” – I love this idea Jane.

     2. No surprise here Jane that you are able to bring forwards an amazing idea for the future of medicine – I love this suggestion too.

238. The other thing this reminds me of about being patient as a patient is that sometimes things are not done when we might expect as there are things we need to learn along the way. I am due to have some minor surgery and the dates have changed various times over the last six months, however currently the timing is perfect. There was a point that I felt very frustrated and wanted it all over and done with. However now there is so much support around me and I feel prepared and have learnt so much about myself that I’m glad it’s happening now rather than earlier.

239. Anne on re-reading your blog I have been aware how being patient can be applied to many more areas of life too. Much to ponder thank you.

240. Reading your blog again Anne I can certainly see a different and deeper meaning to what being a patient truly is. It also shows what my role as a patient is rather than the way I used to be demanding and impatient.

     1. And, what an opportunity being a patient and waiting in the waiting room provides to us. It provides us a space to be patiently with ourselves as part of our healing.

241. Thank you Anne for showing us both sides of the coin. It is very easy to become im-patient when a doctor is running late if one is only considering themselves. However, there is a bigger picture and I would much prefer a doctor who attended to their patients according to what the patient needs rather than a doctor who fitted each patient into a fixed time slot.

242. You have prompted me to take a fresh look at being a patient patient Anne, and taking this approach to any situations where I am a group or community member. Thank you.

243. Going to the doctors prepared to wait takes away the frustration and anxiousness of being there. It also gives me an opportunity to stop and relax and prepare myself for the appointment and remind myself of exactly why I am there. This was not always the case but it makes sense to be the patient patient rather than a frustrated grumpy patient.

     1. Yes Alison, the experience at the Doctors is totally different if you are not frustrated or bothered by the waiting, I actually found last time I was at the Doctors I enjoyed the wait as it gave me time to stop and just be, not doing anything at all.

244. I really enjoyed reading this blog again Anne, and it of course brought a smile to my face once again as I reflect on the possibility of the two hundred plus hours that I must have spent waiting in ‘waiting’ rooms, not only as a patient/impatient patient but as a mother of 3 children, many years ago I admit, but the memory of sitting for an average of 1 to 2 hours in country medical/dental practices is something that springs to mind quite easily. Yes, I get it why these rooms are called ‘waiting’ rooms, and the people sitting in them were called ‘patients’.

     If only I knew/remembered then what I have learned to re-member now as a result of attending the presentations of Universal Medicine – these hours of waiting could have been seen more as an occasion reflecting harmony and acceptance, an opportunity to “just be” as you say.

245. Anne, you remind me with your blog how the “special times” of waiting and being (a) patient is offering a beautiful space, when I am allowing it to be. When I am also a “client” of this space (in terms of listening to it) to surrender into and be open to what ever kind of encounter will happen, this time occurs to be the same space, full of life, as every time. So waiting time can remind me of the appointment with the divine, I have at any time.

246. Great blog Anne, and great advice for all of us who are waiting to see a Doctor.
     Then when we are finally in front of the Doctor we are cool and calm and collected and able to communicate our problems with more detail.
     The Doctor gets a better understanding of our needs and provides better outcomes and we can appreciate and trust our Doctors, which may lead to better, more efficient health systems.

     1. Love your take on this Nick – so in appreciation of the inter-connectedness of everything.

     2. Well said Nicholas. How we present ourselves to another has a direct impact upon how we are received by the other and how they then respond to us.

     3. Absolutely, Nick. By taking that moment to stop and connect with our doctor as another human and having a conversation with them on that basis as opposed to them being an authority who knows more about you than you know about yourself, we are able to create the possibility for much better health systems, and much better health!

        1. This is so true Naren. Dr and Patient working together will bring far greater understanding of a person’s health and therefore the level of service possible and asks for greater responsibility from the patient in how they live their life and manage their health – the possibilities are endless.

247. Thank you for another gorgeous article Anne! I too welcome the time to stop that being in the waiting room allows.

248. I have returned to your blog Anne, to share how I have been paying attention to becoming “the patient patient”. It is a wonderful practice; to give myself time to wait so that I will not feel the pressure, to sit and observe myself and reflect on what I am taking to the doctor, to observe others in the waiting room and perhaps talk to someone, and have the time and space to connect with me so that when I enter the room my expression is true and clear. It has been a very valuable observation practice of how I approach these occasions.

     1. Thank you for taking that to a deeper level Gill. I am now realising how, as I wait for the medical system to send me the appointments I need, I have a beautiful space to ponder more on the symptoms that are taking me there, and continue the clearing and healing I have already begun. By the time I return to the consultant maybe none of the pain and disability will be there, much of it has receded already, and in a way I need not have gone in the first place. However, it is important to have things checked, as now I know, (and will know more), about the what is wrong, and have something to work with. Both these procedures, going to the consultant and working with my own healing are necessary parts of the process, and very self loving. The waiting is all part of that.

     2. It’s a wonderful practice to apply to those other times in our lives where we wait – the repair man, the delivery man, sometimes simply waiting for a bus – can all drive us to feel restless and irritated. When we start to view them as an opportunity to simply be with ourselves, they become a gift of time to cherish.

        1. And it gives us SPACE Catherine, space to BE and notice how difficult it can be for us to give ourselves that in our busy lives. Allowing the day to unfold with whatever it brings is another learning, not to be too rigid about our “plans”.that leads to feelings of failure.

        2. Oh that’s so true Catherine – while I understand waiting for medical care, I often resent waiting in other situations, but they can be equally an opportunity to be with myself.

     3. This is lovely to read Joan and very practical. I actually enjoy the space to just be in waiting rooms as it does bring you back and you can observe how you are feeling. When it is your time to go through you are clear and concise with what needs to be discussed with your doctor when you go through.

     4. Joanchristinecalder: that is such inspiration and good to hear. I too have been a patient and patiently wait and feel what is coming. I have recently come across a situation where I felt something else was needed. I felt to stand up and express what felt natural to me, even if this would break the ‘accepted version’ of what patients would say or go to. It is like there is a certain barrier that we have in our health care system that is hierarchical and only allows ‘ a certain measurement’ of truth in it. We both as patients and healthcare workers can feel it. An interesting point to further uncover and to break, as I feel it limits our expression of every equal person and the right of voice to speak. Yes, also in a health care system.

249. This is so beautiful Anne, I love the gift to sit patiently and give yourself space and time to do this without getting anxious and impatient and all the healing and observations from this whole saga as part of life. A great pondering moment to take into the day. Thank you.

250. ‘able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious’ This is great. A time to stop and re-connect and not get swept away by what is happening around us or something that is happening inside us, as it is when we have let it become an illness, accident or disease.

251. Re-reading this article made me wonder if part of the lesson that we need to learn when we get ill is to slow down, go inwards and wait patiently for the body to heal from the trauma we have put it through from the way that we treat it on a daily basis?

     1. A lovely pondering, Elizabeth, and yes, illness is an offering from the body to stop and feel how we have been living – an opportunity to be more patient with ourselves…

252. Watching people making decisions is interesting – some are quick, others take their time – but the interesting thing I observe is patience (or lack of it) in the people around them who are waiting to move on to the next thing but can’t till a decision is made. It’s as if we are so lost in our own little world of activities that we can’t feel there is a whole thing going on between us all and that it takes whatever time it takes and that it’s all fine. I find it extraordinary how much people rush about.

     1. This is a lovely point you raise, Carmel, that everything and everyone takes a certain time, and it is for us to accept and appreciate that – not to try and force things to happen in ‘our’ time, or to get frustrated if they don’t happen in the time we ‘think’ they should take.

        1. This is heightened for me at road junctions during rush hour traffic. Some people do dash out, others take their time, appearing to ‘miss’ opportunities. All of which can be magnified if I have allowed the energy of time constraints in.

           When I accept that I will get there whenever I get there, relax and allow the drivers in front to take their time, all works out….and I get to my appointment on time.

253. Having just been given a clean bill of health by the hospital, the number of times I have visited the hospital after my operation, I could have written a book on people watching. Observing their impatience and fidgeting. I am sure it may have become a best seller, getting people to be more aware of their bodies and the stress and tension they put themselves through, whilst waiting to see the doctor.

254. I don’t go to the doctor very often; however when I do I arrive early and expect to wait. I am there grateful of the service I am about to receive and I enjoy the opportunity to look at some magazines that I would never normally look at.
     Patience at times feels like a skill that society has forgotten about.

255. Thanks Anne, I have also found that the only way to be able to handle the sometimes long delays in hospitals and doctors is to surrender and just enjoy the ride so to speak.
     Be prepared, supported with food and hydration, as well as what else you may need and just be.

256. Indeed what do we fill that space with when we wait for practitioners to see us? I can either fill it with frustration or irritation or seek understanding of the bigger picture that may be going on. I could even choose to reflect on how I have been living that may have contributed to the ailment I am seeking help with or appreciate how lovely my body feels when I choose to care for it by seeking support.

257. Thank you again for this blog Anne. I have just read it again and am reminded of the space that is provided when we have to wait in any situation. We can be at peace with this space or rile against it. Either way the space exists but it is our experience of it that changes.

     1. Yes, Lee, and the way we are in that space can create spaciousness in us, or not!

258. ‘The doctor is caring for a whole community of people, of which we are a part, and when our turn comes, she will devote the same level of care and attention to us.’ – beautifully said, Anne. I can definitely feel the need to give more consideration when I go to the doctor, both to myself and the doctor!

     1. That is great, Alison. If we care for ourselves and the doctor, and the doctor cares for herself as well as for us, that will be a lot more caring!

259. I love your blog Anne – wonderfully written with wit and humour and such clear truth. It helps me understand much better what goes on and although I have come to accept that there is mostly a wait at the doctor’s or dentist etc, now I can just be and enjoy much more the space I can create while patiently waiting other people’s turn.

     1. Great point, Karina. If we make it about the space within and around us, then the wait becomes less about the time, and more about the opportunity to be with ourselves and with other people.

260. Perhaps there is a healing in just being patient, without even seeing a doctor and that is how the word came about. After all, aren’t our illnesses so often brought about by the lack of patience for ourselves and therefore others?

     1. Good point Jinya, patience is an acceptance of our selves and where we are at.

     2. Great point, Jinya, that the waiting itself can be healing, and an opportunity to stop and reflect on why we are in that waiting room in the first place.

261. Thanks for bringing such a great understanding to the word ‘patient’. There have been many times where I have become impatient, and I have found that it usually doesn’t make any difference to the time that I have to wait, but it sure does make my body feel anxious and tense, as well as a feelings of frustration and anger – not pleasant at all! I have already begun to develop more patience but there is still work to be done – thank you for inspiring me!

     1. Thank you, Melissa. I too am still a work in progress when it comes to patience, but have come a very long way from the very impatient person I once was!
        And yes, the way we wait makes little or no difference to the time, but a great deal of difference to how we feel in our bodies. And the less resistance we have to waiting, the more space opens up and the less time seems to matter.

262. Beautiful contribution Susie. Thank you. This reminded me that when I went to A&E the other week i noticed the reading material available was of a very poor quality, next time I go by the hospital I will offer a Women in Livingness magazine.

     1. This would be a lovely offering, Elaine. I notice that what I read in my “waiting” time, or break, affects the quality of how I am in the next moment. Reading a trashy magazine, drinking a coffee and eating something sweet or heavy leads to a completely different quality of being than reading a Women in Livingess magazine, drinking a herbal tea and eating something light, and we bring that quality of being to our next meeting.

263. This blog draws a super practical, definitive line between self-care and self-love. When we have a pain, or our bodies are telling us something, it is out of self-care that we call up the doctors and book an appointment. Many people stop there, but it is the WAY we go to the clinic, and sit in the waiting room that is self-love. If we rush, panic, sit in anxiousness or are stressed that is not self-love, but if we are a true patient (and live all that entails, as Anne has described in her blog) then we are truly self-loving.

     1. Beautiful expansion, Susie. This is so true – the way in which we go to the appointment (or indeed anything in life) then becomes part of our healing.

264. And why do we consider time spent waiting as a waste of time … you are only wasting time if you fight it and don’t value it.

265. I love the way you have transformed the usually stressful situation of waiting in a doctor’s waiting room into one with an almost ‘picnic’ feel to it, Anne! And I do love picnics! I can hardly wait for my next doctor’s appointment to try this out of myself. I’m feeling it will be like doing the photocopying at work – a welcome stop and ‘be with me / say hi to everyone and enjoy moment.’ Lovely!

266. Being patient asks us to take away the control – to let go and let things unfold. Whew, that immediately takes away the tension we create as soon as we have an expected outcome.

267. This reminds me of it takes a patience to know and practise patience. Very simple but very much needed. Letting go of expectations that you hold for yourself and others. Definitely will support this.

268. Interesting points here, I would much rather wait to receive medical treatment than be dealt with.

269. What’s really interesting is that the word patient is something the majority of us would consider ourselves to be as we receive medical treatment. Yet many of us have also put onto that the demand that being a patient means the doctor is responsible for fixing or curing whatever condition we may come in with. Yet that that is not part of the definition – perhaps something for us to consider as we look at what our role as a patient actually is – the amount of annoyed, angry and anxious people waiting in line to see the doctor suggests we have some pondering to do.

270. What a great blog and all the comments that have been shared.
     When I am patient I am allowing and present. Time slows down sure… And that can feel spacious and like a precious moment of grace.
     This is all about appreciation I feel and an understanding for what goes on from every angle. ✨

271. When I go to the doctors with the intention of ‘let’s just do this’ and ‘can I leave now?’ I find myself being stressed and aggravated with the anxiousness of that I am the next patient, always on the edge of my seat waiting to be called. When I come to the doctors with an understanding that other people might need help before me, I appreciate the doctors and how hard they work and how they have to deal with all the people constantly going to them to solve their problems.

272. It is super interesting what you have presented here Anne, as it is a perfect example of how we can get so frustrated and more involved in the ‘dramas’ of life if we feel the pressure of time – but, if we give ourselves space, as you did when you went to the hospital, understanding that there would be waiting around and prepared yourself accordingly, an otherwise stressful experience became joyful.

273. I love the way this blog is set out/formatted … each ‘section’ ponders on an aspect of patience, creating a gentle unfolding of the sharing … it’s a beautiful offering … it’s like we could pick it up and cradle it in our hands and consider our newly awakened approach to being patient and being a patient. Thank you indeed, Anne.

     1. Beautiful Marian. Our newly awakened approach to patience ☺️

274. What is notable here is that in the waiting room, Anne claimed her own rhythm and I know that this is a profound and much needed message, that if we simply choose to be with ourselves, at all times, then we will not have the stress that comes from dancing to other people’s tunes and schedules, that we will always be with ourselves… what a great de-stressor!

     1. Great wisdom here Chris James. If we stay with ourselves in our own rhythm we do not even have to find it within ourselves to be patient. It is only when we leave ourselves that other people’s rhythms can affect us.

275. Yes, I agree it is important to take the time out to see the doctor, so there is no stress or pressure in needing to be somewhere else. To realise that this is a way to care for yourself, and to understand and appreciate all that the doctors are doing for everyone. Working to provide the best possible care, endlessly. It is mind-blowing how they can help all the different medical cases that walk through their door…and still function at the end of the day.

276. They say patience is a virtue – and it is a quality that is often needed by patients – to wait for doctors/investigations/results and of course for their body to heal. Thus I feel the word patient is deeply honouring of the process of healing that the person has to go through – the body when sick cannot be rushed or forced to be well. It’s like the body taking a time-out and saying you will pause, stop, surrender – be patient – whilst I heal. It feels to me that using the word client instead of patient is an attempt to deny this much-needed process and part of healing.

     1. This is a lovely pondering and expansion, Eunice. We can indeed use the process of being a patient patient to deeply honour our bodies and the healing process.

     2. I love this Eunice – when we are sick the body is providing us with an opportunity to “stop, surrender – be patient – whilst I heal”.

     3. Hmmm..love that connection – being patient and offering the body time to heal…and time for us to listen and to surrender to the healing of its illness.

     4. Eunice that makes complete sense and it is so true that the body can not be rushed to heal itself. That there is a reason why we have to be patient – it gives us space to reflect, feel and understand the possibility as to why you are sick in the first place.

     5. Eunice, this has really got me thinking and feeling! I often call the people I visit in the community “clients” but I can feel that this is a much more clinical term and is less honouring of their healing process. I had always felt that being a “patient” implied an inequality of relationship but you and Anne have given me a very different perspective.

277. This is the second time I am reading this post. I can see the responsibility of both the doctor and the patient when it comes to the waiting room. The Doctor’s responsibility is letting the patient know when booking the appointment that there can sometimes be a 30-60 minute delay, due to unforeseen complications. The Patient’s responsibility is to wait patiently and maybe spend the time reflecting on why their body may have the condition it has. Is the body trying to tell you there are choice’s you are making that are not working for you. When waiting time is used in this way it could be considered to be a very important part of the consultation.

     1. Yes, Toni, the waiting time can be used to ponder on why you are waiting there in the first place!

        1. That’s a good call Anne, and when you are there all those magazines are there for you to check out whilst all the articles confirm that what is going on is normal, when in fact it isn’t normal at all. The dis-harmony in the body that has been created by our choices has got us to that point and that is why we are sitting there waiting.

     2. That would be respectful, to let the new patient know that this Doctor can often run quite late, ‘The Doctor’s responsibility is letting the patient know when booking the appointment that there can sometimes be a 30-60 minute delay, due to unforeseen complications’, then the patient allows time and space for this appointment.

        1. Yes, Lorraine, it is important that we as doctors communicate this openly and respectfully to our patients, so that they may plan their day and so that we can all understand and can be patient with each other!

        2. Whenever possible I choose the first appointment of the day to minimise the waiting time. This blog is very interesting in showing me that time waiting in the doctor’s office is not wasted if we are prepared and, as some one post suggested, we use the time to ponder why we are there in the first place.

278. If we are to be annoyed at having to wait even five minutes, is it because we push ourselves for time and we see that five minutes as extremely valuable time wasted.

     1. Tense with others is actually an understatement, as I can be quite nasty. It is not something I am proud of, but when I have very little time to finish what I want to do then out comes the ugly. I have set all of this up because I have expectations about what I can do in a certain amount of time.

279. Fantastic blog Anne, so often I feel myself get impatient about having to wait in a waiting room even though that’s exactly what one would think one would do in a waiting room. Really shows how just our attitude towards if can really change our experience

280. Patience is only required when we are expecting something to happen at a given point in time and we can’t accept that it isn’t happening. If we let go of the expectation and just allow what is, then we will not get annoyed and we can welcome the opportunity to have some quality time to ourselves.

     1. Letting go of expectation and simply allow. This is powerful Sandra ✨

        1. Let go of expectations is good advice, Kathryn, and maybe just close your eyes, breath gently and meditate.

281. Anne, as one who has been both Doctor and patient you have shown us both sides of the story. If we can see the situation from the doctor’s angle instead of just our own needs we can understand that the doctor is doing their best to care for people. By arriving prepared as you did, expecting there might be a wait, then we do not get impatient – we can use the time to be with ourselves or do something that we’ve brought with us to do.

282. Beautiful blog Anne – highlights for me that it is our attitude that is important and also the meaning we bring to words. Being a patient can be empowering or disempowering experience depending on what we bring to it. You have shown how to be an empowered and patient patient!!

     1. This is a great discussion Eunice as it brings about the responsibility in all that we do, say and think. Appreciating this fact is vital.

283. I loved your fun blog on a quite serious subject Anne and great to hear this from a doctor’s perspective. I was recently recalled for a mammogram and was informed it could take up to four hours. Like you I was prepared with food, drink and warm clothes but couldn’t help but notice that in a room full of women I was the only one taking care of myself in this way. Waiting can be a great time to rest our body and I take the opportunity to read the magazines. What a difference it would make when seeing a doctor if the “patients” weren’t “impatient” and the doctor was not under time pressure.

     1. This is a great observation, Irene. Interesting that women waiting for a test to exclude a disease that is related to lack of self-nurturing are not caring for themselves while they wait.
        And yes, it makes a huge difference to the quality of our waiting process and the waiting room, and to our time with the doctor, if we are willing to wait patiently for the service.

     2. Irene how wonderful that you were showing how you take care of yourself in a waiting area. It’s interesting that most people know that if they are in a waiting area, that is something that they will do…wait. I remember taking my partner to an emergency department in Sydney years ago and we took everything that we needed to be comfortable for what was a 6 hour wait. It was actually quite ok and we got to watch the comings and goings with an openness, rather than a frustration of is it my turn yet?

284. Anne fantastic to read your article and from a doctors point of view how we can all support the system to flow in a better way. Being prepared to wait, having food, drinks and what ever it is that you might like to do while waiting as you say is a moment that we can actually enjoy the stop from our normal busy lives. That the doctors are doing their best to support the community.

285. Gorgeous Anne. I love the wisdom you bring and this line really stood out for me – ‘The doctor is caring for a whole community of people, of which we are a part, and when our turn comes, she will devote the same level of care and attention to us.’ A beautiful call for responsibility to be with ourselves and consider how we can bring and support our loving way to all that we do and in every situation we are in. With this it does allows us to receive the wonderful opportunity to enjoy what is offered in every moment such as bringing understanding and appreciation to the much needed love, care and guidance that doctors provide for all of those in our community.

     1. so true Carola beautifully said

        1. So true Carola and beautifully said. Bringing the responsibility to how we support and care for ourselves in ever situation we are in…I love this.

286. There’s something about accepting something you cannot change in this. When I was a child I was waiting in a doctors surgery with someone who was intent on counting the man hours lost in the waiting room. Later in my life I decided that there was no use railing against this idea of being kept waiting and just went with it, staying with myself, enjoying the time just sitting. It’s so much better for your body to not hold all those tensions that accompany the frustration of not wanting to be somewhere when that is where you definitely are.

     1. Great point, Amanda, about accepting what you cannot change. No matter how frustrated you may feel, you are not going to be seen any faster, so why not accept where you are at and enjoy the wait?

287. I am the least patient with myself… which explains why I often, but not always, lose my patience with other people and particularly systems put into place for efficiency and convenience. Like automated phone menus and random sales calls. Lack of patience is rooted in being driven to do the next thing and not waste time. So perhaps the antidote is to appreciate ourselves more so that allows the space for us to just be and enjoy those moments when we are halted. We are much more than doing machines.

     1. Yes Jinya and it is only when we stop the doing and connect to ourselves in our bodies that the concept of patience can emerge for us to enter into…

     2. I agree Jinya, lack of patience is rooted in being driven and the need to control how my day needs to be no time to waste!! When in fact, it is an opportunity to reconnect with me and as you said appreciate the loveliness of me and others alike.

        1. Absolutely Jinya and Francisco the control that we want to have with life is totally exposed when it is taken away from us and things aren’t going to our plan!

     3. ‘We are much more than doing machines.’ Absolutely, Jinya – is it possible that all that ‘doing’ is what made us patients i.e. sick, in the first place?

288. An awesome lesson in doing one thing at a time – so when it’s time to wait and be patient, take your time and be patient; definitely something I will put into practice more and more rather than letting my mind dictate to me about all those much more important matters I ought to be attending to, apparently!

     1. Yes, Jane, multi-tasking is so last year! It has been a revelation to me that I can actually only do one thing at a time (no matter that my mind says otherwise) and when I do one thing at a time, each is done well.
        There is now much less tension and much more of a flow in my body, and at the end of the day I feel much less tired than I used to, when I tried to do everything at once.

     2. Doing one thing at a time and feeling what is true for me to do in every moment is also worth a stop. If I choose what to do from my head my body has the same anxious reaction as when I am doing more than one thing at a time.

     3. I still feel like one thing at a time can be a challenge, especially if I am under pressure to gets lots of tasks done when deadlines are approaching. But creating more space at each end of the day and staying with each task in a steady calm way helps enormously!

289. You are right Anne. The act of waiting reflects so much about ourselves. No wonder people can get a bit antsy when they have to wait and can’t control a situation.

290. Good advice Anne. It’s good to be reminded that the doctors are trying to attend to their patients in a timely manner, but every case is different – including sometimes our own! I will take heed of your advice next time I am in a doctor’s office and sit patiently while others are being attended to. My turn will most certainly come.

     1. I agree with you here Jo, it’s not like the doctors run late on purpose and they generally do a fine job at handling the work load that they have to cope with.

291. What a gorgeous blog and topic Anne. I too have learnt the merits of being a ‘good’ patient. I view waiting for an appointment as a wonderful time to have space with myself and look forward to it – in fact, I can now experience disappointment if I’m seen on time! But I certainly have not always been like this – in the past I have rushed to make the appointment bang on time, never early, to counter sitting around ‘wasting’ time and then feeling tense and irritated if I had to wait. I love the connection and irony of the effect on our health when our bodies experience this rush and tension as we wait to have our health assessed! – compared to the care and gentleness and ‘healthy’ manner of waiting patiently. Something indeed to ponder on … Thanks Anne.

     1. Thank you, Gina. Yes, it is funny when the doctor is actually running on time – especially when we have taken time and trouble to prepare for a wait – it can be quite disconcerting, as we usually take a few moments to prepare ourselves for the appointment and what we are going to say and do – it must be that spontaneity is needed in that moment!

292. There is such a beauty and power in being patient and allowing the space for all that is necessary. There is this much more personal relationship aspect and an aspect of commitment and responsibility in being a patient interacting with doctors, nurses, etc., rather than being (just another) client to be dealt with.

     1. Yeah Michael, there’s a whole lot of room for true improvement in how we approach being the patient.

293. Anne. Just love your blog on being a patient and having patience. Like your husband I have just had major surgery. My wife definitely was the one who has had the patience. She would come in to see me, and sit for hours whilst I kept nodding off.
     As the Patient I would get bored lying in bed, not being able to get out or doing things.
     I agree the medical profession certainly do have their work cut out for them, and yes they do need patience to cope with what is thrown at them.
     If Patients only knew fully the work load of Doctors etc, maybe they would have more PATIENCE.

     1. Well said Mike, Doctors these days have not only a huge workload in terms of patient numbers with increasingly complex health issues but also too much paperwork from proving outcomes and ticking many boxes and they do all this and still provide each of us with the level of care we need.

        1. It is a great point Judy, the push to tick boxes alone is creating more work than needed by a long shot.

     2. That’s true Mike, many people in the health services industry already have a huge workload, so it makes it very difficult when we as patients expect even more from them, or worse that they do our healing for us, rather than us take a greater responsibility in our own healing process.

        1. You are spot on Dean that as patients we expect the doctors to do our healing for us. I see this all the time in my work; people want a ‘fix it up’ visit to the nurses clinic and are reluctant to look at what may be causing the ill in the first place. I have come to understand that until we know and feel that we are worth caring for, any changes are about relief from pain, itch, discomfort, inconvenience, lack of social contact, no income. Patience is what is required to see each person for the truth of who they are and not having any expectations save that of offering the same again next time they come in!

        2. Yes Bernadette and I think what you are sharing here is something that everyone can relate to well.

        3. Wise words Dean. As you say, on top of a huge workload, as patients some of us expect even more of them, instead of taking responsibility for our own healing process. Loved your comment Mike and your recognition of your patient wife Stephanie!

        4. Mike, I think we could apply this way of being with all parts of our life, as having patience is not the ‘norm’ in modern day society and this is a great example of that.

        5. Totally agree Amina

     3. The point from what you share Mike is to have ‘understanding’ which can allow space for patience. When we take into consideration what is going on and what work load that the doctors have then it simply makes you want to take any more pressure off them from being impatient. I can see how this goes with everything in life. Understanding.

        1. The last thing our health professionals need is more pressure and lacing them with our impatience and over-expectancy that they are to ‘fix’ our problem is not supporting anyone. When we support ourselves in full we can deeply appreciate any support offered by the medical professionals we turn to.

     4. Well said Mike, we could all do with more patience and less patients.

294. You don’t have to be seeing a doctor to be patient…call a help line for anything, now that requires a saint. I have not really ever had a need of doctors’ services, unless in the past when I had attempted something that did not quite go according to plan. There are things that cannot be fixed with duct tape… this is an Americanism that you can fix anything from your rusty pick-up truck to broken limbs with it…the latter does require medical attention…I know, and not for lack of trying!

     I have always been content to wait my turn. I have had a few occasions in the past of moving to the front of the queues to see medical staff,
     due to a wrist being swelled to twice its normal size from having bent it the wrong way too far… like a book backwards and the red stuff flowing in your veins should not be leaking from your arm, head, foot or basically anywhere…I also have past experience in these queue jumpers.

     I have always felt that doctors worked too many hours and do great work. I worked for a family restaurant when I was young, that had a motto on the menu that said ‘quality food takes time’ and on the other page it said ‘our service is fast no matter how long it takes’ – just change food for medical services.

     1. Great comment Steve, you made me remember the 50 minutes + I had to spend on the phone trying to get though to Lloyds Business banking on many occasions, when trying to set up a new account. I could feel the annoyance and frustration that I still held on to, so now I think I am able to let it go.

     2. That’s very true Steve. We lose patience when the predetermined quotient of time for an activity / service has been surpassed. If we let go of the idea that something should take a particular length of time, we are freed from judging its performance.

        1. I like what you have written here Jinya it made me stop and realise that i often put a predetermined quotient on time for an activity and then get frustrated and want to give up or stop doing it leaving it not completed – cleaning is one that comes to mind.

        2. Brilliant point Jinya. Accepting situations as they are really helps too. That way we can make clearer decisions and can flow much more easily with whatever is occurring as Anne has beautifully shared in her blog.

     3. I was just thinking that “patience is a virtue” in relation to travel and delays when I happened to read your comment. I know from experience that when I let go of an investment in wanting something to happen by a particular time I feel much more at ease and more space is created. Like Anne. I really enjoy these times and take them as opportunities to connect more deeply to myself and to enjoy my own company since there is really nothing else to do – any pressure I may have felt/imposed upon myself is lifted.. Love the comment “our service is fast no matter how long it takes!’ This could certainly be attributed to the NHS…

     4. Great comment Steve I love your humour here and again this is another quality we can take to our medical appointments (where appropriate). I always find that having a lighthearted approach brings an extra spark of joy to the appointment.

295. I enjoy waiting 🙂 It gives me space to just be, to sit quietly and watch what’s going on around me. It allows me time to become connected with my environment, to ponder on what actually I’m there to see a doctor about, and to get rid of any anxiety I might be feeling. I need not be in a rush, and so can feel fully part of the discussions with the doctor and not forget to mention issues or symptoms that I might if I was feeling rushed.
     A most important thing about being patient is understanding why you need to wait. It could be to appreciate that there are others that also need support and you are but one of many, or it could be that the time spent waiting is very needed by ourselves and that this time out or waiting is as much a part of our treatment plan as a pill.

296. Over the last few years my son and I have spent a lot of time in doctor’s and hospital waiting rooms and I have learned to be prepared, as you say with food and drink, and things to do. It’s not always easy with a child but he reminds me to keep it light and playful. Of course there is also the opportunity to connect with other patients.

297. I love your blog Anne, as it shares what I feel about waiting…for some time now I have really relished any time that I need to wait (yes it usually is a Doctor’s office), it is a time to stop, to be with just me, a time to reflect, to connect to how my body is really feeling, chat to a stranger, etc. An unexpected (or expected in terms of the Doctor’s office) space to just be and not do…I love it.

298. I love the play on words and I’m definitely in the patient camp. Client always feels too harsh and so I thought I’d find out the definition of a customer, which seems to be “a person who purchases goods or services from another; buyer; patron” or “a person one has to deal with”, like a ‘cool customer’. I’m also OK with being a customer so why do I tend to call my customers ‘clients’ if not because it’s a control thing? Interestingly the regulatory authority under which I work changed the terminology from ‘Client’ to ‘Customer’ and I never realised why – so thank you Anne. And by the way, being patient whilst waiting has changed my life and allowing plenty of time for anything makes such a difference.

     1. Agree Michael, ‘being patient whilst waiting has changed my life’. I used to be very impatient whether in queues, waiting in traffic, or waiting in the doctor’s surgery as I always felt that I had to be somewhere else. Now, where ever I am is where I am, and there is no compulsion to have to be elsewhere. Waiting is ‘in the eye of the beholder’ and can be whatever one makes it. Now it is a time for enjoying time with me, or if in a public place, a time to connect with others.

299. I love how you prepared yourself to wait, it felt so loving Anne. Time well spent 🙂

300. Hi Anne, just loved reading your blog. As I was going through the comments I was wondering and feeling why I so loved it… What comes up is that I’ve always liked connecting to people, patients waiting in the same room. Often it is very very quiet and serious. Like we’re all playing a role. I guess we’re projecting our own anxiety onto the doctors. Knowing as well, that we are the one ourselves that have created the ill in the first place. What I also love about your blog is your description of your own waiting room. That feels very warm, caring and loving. Providing people the opportunity to come back to themselves and have a lovely rest while waiting and perhaps being patient. That’s an inspiration in itself and could be (or should be…) an inspiration to all waiting room in all hospitals and clinics all over the world. Worth sharing.

301. For myself, whether a practitioner has patients or clients, the level of responsibility remains the same.

302. Love the humor AND while what doctors do is important for the whole community, is it more so than any other professional who runs on time? The concept of patient seems to puts the patient in the service of the Doctor, the concept of client reverses this. Maybe there is a term that brings equal focus to the relationship.

303. Love your blog Anne and your humour too in your writing! So true that there is patience involved in being a patient – and great practical tips of how to support the patience/patients when going to see a doctor and having to wait in the waiting room. Love it! Also bringing the understanding of both sides helps stacks in your article – people are more likely to be more patient, be it on the doctors side or the patients side!

     1. Agree 100% Henrietta, I don’t think there is a doctor on the planet who is sitting in their office filing their nails! The tension that must be felt by many medical practitioners of trying to keep to their appointment times, knowing that some if not many patients will be impatient!

304. Yes Sue, as you so beautifully describe, when we are caught in any situation where we have to wait we have a choice – we can either get annoyed and anxious or we can see it as a moment of grace which we use to re-connect and go deeper with ourselves.

     1. Beautifully said Anne, I agree we can choose to make it a moment of grace to reconnect with our selves. In fact the times I find myself waiting I’ve been able to feel it is actually the most perfect outcome as I’ve needed the opportunity to do just that. An opportunity to sit and be with myself.

        1. So true Sandra I have also found this when I have had to wait, and now with the awareness that I have re-developed it is indeed a period of grace. Beautiful.

     2. How right you are Anne. Choosing waiting as a moment to re-connect with myself is so beautiful and the difference to the anxiousness that I used to feel when getting annoyed is so very obvious. Suddenly waiting is a beautiful and unexpected gift instead of a burden.

305. Having spent a lot of time in hospitals with my relatives I have learnt to be very patient and have never had a problem waiting for my own appointments. I have never understood how getting stressed and impatient can help in these kinds of situations – there’s no point to it, excepts adds an uneasiness within the waiting room which everyone can feel.

306. “There is a way to be a patient, that minimises our suffering, and increases our ability to accept or tolerate delays, without becoming annoyed or anxious. That way includes preparing ourselves for the likely possibility of waiting, and developing understanding.” I used to hate waiting – and was not at all patient. I now appreciate the time I wait – in a doctors surgery or at an airport – it gives me time to breathe, to come back to me, or to read an inspiring book, such as “An Open Letter to Humanity” by Serge Benhayon. Staying in the moment was the key for me.

     1. Yes Sue I have often sat in the waiting room reading this inspiring book. Definitely one worth waiting patiently to read.

307. Being in a position of waiting so many times for medical appointments, I have learnt to be patient and this time can be used to just be with myself or to read, whatever I feel like in the moment. One doctor said to me I was a ‘ patient patient’, when something went wrong and he felt responsible. He found it difficult to understand why I was not angry with him. So, this was a reflection for him and he wanted to know why I was so understanding. We then had a talk about it. I find that being prepared, bringing food and water for long waits is important and warm clothing for temperature changes, as my body does not like to be cold. So it can be a time to nurture oneself and to contemplate.

308. I absolutely love reading this blog Anne. ” Because I allowed time and space for waiting, I did not find it a pressure, a burden, an imposition, and did not feel at all frustrated or cross. ” Simply allowing ourselves the space to just be in a doctors waiting room sounds like a mighty fine idea to me.

309. Thank you Anne,
     Many times I have enjoyed the opportunity to stop and connect while I wait patiently for my doctor or another therapist by taking advantage of the waiting period.
     What you present here however brings me to reflect on how I am not carrying that same level of patience to other moments of waiting.
     Due to my son Kai having autistic behaviours, I often find myself in situations that require me to wait. Rather then get annoyed by the inconvenience of being regularly delayed by his slow transition times I will see it now can be an opportunity to feel my body and connect.
     By transforming this waiting time into time for me I can appreciate and accept the moment before me and experience patience. In a waiting room or in waiting for Kai.

     1. Lovely, Nicole.
        Your comment has offered me a moment to reflect on situations in which I have to be patient with people…including myself. Sometimes I too find myself in situations that require me to wait (for me) and in which I am regularly delayed by (my) slow transition times…from knowing what I need to do next and actually doing it!
        A gentle reminder to be patient with ourselves too.

310. Anne, I loved reading your blog – it is so true, we as a society are running with such stress that we have forgotten the art of being patient. Most people would see it as a waste of time if their appointment was delayed and I know for myself I used to often come just in time, or even too late for appointments (not only at the doctors) to avoid wasting my ‘own’ valuable time. I am forever learning and appreciating the incredible difference it is to make it a way of living to allow the space and time to not rush and to be prepared for what may arise in any given situation without it causing anxiousness and stress.

311. What just comes to me that while we are waiting, whether this is for a doctors appointment, in a queue at the supermarket or in the car waiting for the traffic light, we are actually getting a wonderful invitation from life to just be. We get this precious moment of being, where we can feel ourselves and just realize how utterly amazing we are. Isn’t that the most wonderful invitation we can get?

     1. It feels true Mariette, that we get a moment of grace to just be with ourselves and with others to perhaps gather from a hectic day or time. Most people seem to find it quite stressful to get this quiet time but anyhow it’s an offering. I admire the staff at the register that seem to have such patience with everyone they meet. To me they feel like a blessing for all the stressed out people queueing to get through as quick as possible.

312. Why do we need to prepare to be patient? Sometimes I have found that a time where I do have space to wait, is just that, a space and a perfect moment for just pausing and reflecting in my day even if it was unexpected.

     1. Great point, Joshua. Why do we need to prepare to be with ourselves? It just shows us that we are not always in that space, and when we are presented with an opportunity to be with ourselves, it is not always easy to take it, because of the way we are (not) with ourselves in the other moments of our day.

313. Thinking time to prepare oneself, creating space for the care we would like to receive and understanding are all very honouring of oneself and others and a gift to us all. It really does make a diffference and this is such a real and lovely honest account of it all. Thank you Anne for the love and reality offered here and great to ponder on and reflect on.

314. Interesting observation Anne, I have tried being both the Patient suffering and the client there to hear and obey. Now when I have an appointment I enjoy getting there a little early to compose myself, clear all other matters, and reflect on why I am there and how to make the most of it.

315. In the past I have sat waiting for an appointment watching the clock counting who and how many were in the waiting room when I arrived, watching the order of people arriving and being called in and being critical in my head of why is she going in next – he was here before her, I got here before them; all of those thoughts. Sometimes even going up to the receptionist with attitude and tone asking if I have been forgotten – I did have an hour of waiting rule for that though. These days no longer having children my appointments are mostly planned so I plan ahead and book my GP’s first appointment for the day, often she is running late to work as she starts at 7.30am or there is an emergency appointment taken in before me and I am totally fine with either scenario. I have plenty to do ranging from cleaning out my hand bag or wallet to just sitting being with me.

316. I know I have been impatient at times when being a patient, which really takes us away from ourselves. What you present here Anne is how we can support ourselves whilst waiting for an appointment, and make the experience enjoyable instead of being attached to time – thanks for the reminder!

317. I would much prefer being a patient rather than a client any day!
     Being patient has not been an easy thing for me, but I am starting to really appreciate those moments where I have to wait and instead of getting wound up like I used to, I now make the most of the opportunity of being somewhere, having to wait and having a few minutes or even half an hour to just stop and be still without things to do. It does challenge me at times, as my mind wants to get in the way and make a drama about it and about how much other stuff I should be doing, but it’s all just a distraction and never life threatening and not worth the stress that I can create in my body just by going over and over it again and again in my head.

318. The onus of control over patients that doctors are conditioned to have (yes conditioned by their training), is really a form of protection, just like anybody develops personality traits to protect themselves. Protection of themselves against the harsh reality they face so often every day, of how human beings that are capable of such greatness, as we all are, find themselves in illness and disease through the choice they make that keep them small. Of course this hurts to feel (as a trainee and registered nurse for 15 years I felt this too). Unfortunately our education system provides no understanding, even within a 6 to 10 year degree, of how to not take in the hurt but still stay very open and loving as a health care practitioner. That choice comes from a wisdom within us and true education, such as delivered by Universal Medicine, is simply pointing to how we can tap into it.

     1. Simon, what you write here about not taking on the hurt we feel and being open to humanity is key to living life in full. I am forever grateful to Serge Benhayon and Universal Medicine for reminding us all of the greatness we are and how to live it.

319. I’ve just been a patient many times and the waiting can be long..from 5 mins to few hours at times. I have learned to be prepared for the waiting and at times have taken my eye pillow so could have a nap. I also know that at times doctors have given me a lot of their time up to half and hour (not just 5 mins) and fitted me in when I needed to seem them urgently. So with this understanding it allows me to be a very patient patient 🙂 Thanks for clearly sharing the meaning of the word patient to a whole new level.

320. Dear Anne,
     I too use the time that I am waiting, whether it be for a doctor or another appointment. It is a great time to catch up on face book, or emails that need answering. I especially love the way you touch on understanding the preasures of life as a doctor and how with this understanding, there is no room for impatience. This I feel is what is needed by all of humanity, a sense of understanding. How much less frustration would there be if each of us simply understood each other?

     1. This is a lovely point you make, Leigh – the more we understand each other, the less we tend to react, in any way. It is not the waiting itself that hurts us, but our reaction to it.

321. How true, people and their health issues can’t be put into boxes. So it totally doesn’t make sense to get annoyed when I have to wait 45 minutes for my doctors appointment as I did recently. It’s interesting how I know the appointment will never be on time based on 36 years of late doctors appointments but there was still an expectation and need of it being on time based on how I had set up the rest of my day and needing to be somewhere by a certain time. One could perhaps say that I’m addicted to time!

     1. Very true Vanessa – I can get impatient when my appointment is not on time – but really it is my relationship with time that is important to look at, and to appreciate allowing the doctor to take they time they need with each patient.

322. I Love this article.
     Dr. Mallat actually really offers us something much more here than meets the eye. The reality is that every situation we “find” ourselves in ( which is actually where we have put ourselves) is a simple choice in how we perceive it. If we take the time to enjoy, nurture and care for ourselves in everything that we do then their is no need for frustration, anxiety, tension or struggle.
     As Siddhartha Gautama discovered – suffering really is nothing but our own creation.

     1. Simon, your simplicity is lovely! Every situation is indeed an opportunity for us to feel the truth, as you have shown – that we can either suffer and struggle, a making of our creation, or not. There is indeed more here than meets the eye!

     2. Love it Simon! That’s a big pill to swallow.

323. After reading this blog I can feel the huge difference between demanding things happen within a time-frame that is convenient to me alone as opposed to being in a rhythm that flows with everyone else – whether that’s in a traffic jam or doctor’s surgery.

     The former feels so inconsiderate of others and the truth that we are all here to work together to bring togetherness and harmony. When I am intolerant of others ironically I’ll think it’s others who are inconsiderate. I’ll fail to recognise it’s me inconveniencing myself by not making the space to enjoy the opportunity I have to be still.

     Unforeseen or not, I can always choose to let go of the rush to be somewhere, or the impatience/annoyance/frustration at not being let loose on the next thing. I can choose to appreciate the period of grace, no matter how small, I’ve been given to stop, reflect and just be.

     1. Yes, Karin, beautifully expressed. When we let go of trying to control time, then space opens up and in that expansion, there is an opportunity to truly enjoy just being, with our selves and each other.

324. Reflecting on this I see that it is so relate-able to anywhere we have to wait (patiently or not).
     To remember that whatever service we are using is actually there to serve many, not just us, and prepare ourselves accordingly as you do has such a different feel, one which is supportive of all.
     How lovely if all waiting rooms were like that, building relationships while you wait or just connecting with a smile, these things are healing in themselves.

     1. Yes, Jeanette, wouldn’t it be lovely if we looked forward to waiting patiently together – in any situation – no more awkward silences or avoiding each other’s glances or burying our noses in something, but taking the opportunity to meet more people and let them in!

        1. Absolutely!

325. To learn to be deeply patient is a healing in itself, no matter where, in a doctors waiting room or in a traffic jam. Being patient offers another understanding of the me in the world or the me and humanity. Being patient supports to not go into reaction so quickly. This blog offers so much insight. Thank you Anne.

326. I loved your blog Anne, very playful and yet, so full of wisdom. I learnt a long time ago that whenever I go to medical appointments I will have to wait and truly be ‘patient’. I use that time to connect with myself, ponder and remain open to what is offered each moment. It can be a very healing time if we are open to it. Thank you for your beautiful sharing Anne.

327. Awesome Anne, I like to take the time in the Dr’s waiting room to contemplate why I am there and what that means to my life on the whole. It is, as you say, a lovely time to just take a moment and be still.

328. Many times I have found myself rushing to get to the doctors. For any number of reasons I am running late. I am already anxious and impatient. On arriving at the doctors surgery I discover the doctor is also running late. All that rushing around was not needed. Preparing myself for any meeting or appointment or indeed any part of my day, allowing myself enough time and accept that, yes, I might have to wait, and the waiting can be an opportunity, seems to be a much better way of living. A great reminder Anne of how to approach my life not just my doctors appointment.

329. This is interesting Anne, I have never pondered on this before. Thank you Anne

330. Thank you Anne for a great blog, over the years I too have learnt to prepare myself whenever I have any medical appointment and actually look forward to spending time just patiently waiting, it is something I have learnt to enjoy as I can and look forward to spending time with me.

     1. Francisco I remember being so cushy up that I would turn up to an appointment with moments to spare then get irritated if I had to wait 2 minutes! Quite arrogant when I consider things – with medical appointments I would try and keep operations or investigations a secret rather than appreciate what they were showing and starting to use the time to be with me.
        What I’ve come to understand is the more I embrace connecting with me in life in general, then the more I use opportunities like waiting to feel and connect with my body. As you say I actually look forward to them in part because it gives me that opportunity to reflect but it also helps me to build a greater level of connection to myself into my life moving forward.

     2. Yes absolutely. I find this an opportunity to actually deepen my care by taking the time to really be with myself. It is also an unavoidable opportunity to reflect on what has brought me to the appointment in the first place. A definite stop.

        1. Perhaps this “unavoidable opportunity” is what we don’t like to feel in the waiting room!

331. I am feeling the discomfort at the number of times in the past I have arrived late for surgery appointments and only briefly considered how this may impact others. When we stop and feel our responsibility of our choices in the world and how these impact so many others we realise we have to take responsibility for everything we do.

     1. Well said Fiona – the key is to take greater responsibility, in all aspects of life.

332. Thank you Anne for a great blog, I really enjoy you sense of humour, brings a smile to my face . I sometimes take the time to just be or read the magazines that I would never buy and sometimes I have my little ipod with me to listen to . It is a great idea to allow 2 hrs for the appointment , I will remember this , because I sometimes add on other things to do and then get anxious about the time if there is a longer than usual . Great advice .

333. I am laughing at your lighthearted comment Gill, something I will remember when I am getting irritated with long winded answer phone options.

334. Love this quirky yet annoyingly exposing blog. It is bizarre how much I totally agree with what you are saying about the medical profession – they deserve daily awards for their dedication and patience, and at the same time I can feel my own impatience even as I think about waiting for an appointment. Definitely something to ponder there, thank you for the blog.

     1. Ha Ha, Heather, so true! I love your honesty. It is annoying having to wait, and yet a great opportunity to reflect why. This is not about defending the medical system – which is overloaded and in dire need of overhaul – but appreciating what is on offer here, and learning to care for ourselves when we find ourselves in this situation as a patient.

        1. Your frankness Anne in the one statement, “This is not about defending the medical system – which is overloaded and in dire need of overhaul” is very strong! I often feel myself going into sympathy for doctors, as the press are constantly giving them a hard time and knowing the stress and strain the profession is under. Your comment cuts the sympathy in me … “the oh poor you syndrome”, which is a breath of fresh air! I realise that I have projected my sympathies onto the medical profession from being in a profession which is equally loaded and the daily strain I feel.

335. Great blog Anne. I have always quite enjoyed sitting in the waiting room, waiting! I take my reading glasses and read all the magazines (I never buy them, because they are usually full of rubbish, yet I love to read them in the waiting room!).

     1. Thank you, Jade. That is a great point to ponder on about the magazines – we don’t buy them, yet we love to read them in waiting rooms. Why is that?

336. So many people must go in to see the doctor venting their frustration, anger etc. which is just amplified by the having to wait.
     I enjoyed my last experience at the doctor’s, as like you, I allowed for the time to be there & made the most of that time, it was great to have the opportunity to stop.
     In hindsight I’d take enclosed shoes and a cardigan for my next visit.
     Thanks for sharing, it was great to hear from a doctor.

     1. Great point, Sherryll. It is often freezing cold in doctor’s waiting rooms, especially in hospital settings. I too dress warmly when I go to visit the doctor. I also find I have to balance the feelings of my staff, who are moving around and feeling warm, and my patients, who are sitting still and anxious and feeling cold. I like the room temperature on the warm side, and my staff on the cool side – a work in progress, with me turning the heat back up whenever I walk past the A/C controls!

337. I love this, in fact I want to print it out and put copies around my local surgery. Every surgery and hospital waiting room would benefit from such a loving reminder to prepare for the appointment and be patient!

     1. Thank you Samantha. You have inspired me to offer this blog to my staff and patients – I had not actually considering doing that until now!

        1. Absolutely Anne, If I was waiting for you in your practice, I would love to read about your personal experience. I can feel it would bring a trust in you that could really help people who are feeling anxious about what they were there for.

     2. Great idea Samantha. This would change the whole waiting room experience for those who read this article while waiting.

     3. I love this idea. Perhaps with a picture of you. Then when they walk in to your room, they see that the patient ‘patient’ is also the patient doctor. Cute.

     4. Haha that would be a timely reminder and would love to read that in any waiting room.

338. I never really enjoyed handing myself over as a patient to the medical system, as I was always wanting to stay in control and generally not trusting the system or the people who work in it. However, since attending presentations by Universal Medicine and working on my issues, I have found that by taking far more care and responsibility for my daily life, when I do need to seek medical attention it is done now with an openness and a willingness to be supported by the medical system and the people within it, as I am now more able to enter the situation with an understanding that the men and women who work there are just people like me who are committed to doing their jobs and so there is nothing to be scared of.

339. I thought of this blog whilst I was waiting for a blood test recently. To my surprise there were many more people also waiting than I expected, but I found after the initial shock that I chose to take the time to do some writing and also speak with some of the other people waiting. I had a ball as it was great fun and by the time I was ready to be seen, I wasn’t stressed or anxious at all and could greet the lady taking my bloods in exactly the same way

     1. And the lady would have loved you for it – your veins would have been easier to find, because you were not anxious, and she would have been truly met, at least once in her day. We make such a difference, to everyone and everything in the way we are, and the more aware we become, the more aware we are of this truth.

        1. Hi Anne, this is so true. It was a breeze having my bloods taken. I have had a history of it being very difficult for my blood to be taken – but not that day!

     2. Beautiful sharing Shevon- thank you.

340. Waiting patiently is marvelously healing. I used to get to the airport as close to the deadline as possible so I didn’t have to ‘waste’ my time waiting to board the plane. Usually, I would just waste the time I ‘saved’ at home instead! Then time would become compressed and my nervous tension would escalate as I inevitably rushed to the cut-off time. I would always say how much I disliked the stress of airports! Now I get there early and it is a totally different experience. I can do whatever I feel to; walk around, meet someone, read, listen to an audio, do some writing or some emails, or just stop and pause. Amazingly my time at the airport has gone from being stressful to calming. We really do choose the type of experience we will have.

     1. I can relate to this David… I love heading to the airport with oodles of time and really enjoy the time to just ‘be’ – and no anxiety about missing flights! I love airports!

     2. This is awesome, David, and the point you make about nervous tension is great. That is it! I too leave plenty of time to get to airports – there is already enough tension around flying without adding to it with worry about missing the plane!

        1. Great point Anne and keeping things simple really does make life easier.

     3. I can really relate to what you’ve written here David. Many a time I had to run with heavy luggage to board trains. That to me was being right on time!

        Now I love getting to stations early as I no longer live off nervous tension, or not so much! I love giving myself this space.

     4. David I never looked at it like that before but I also would try and leave things to the last minute to maximise my time to do what I wanted and minimise any time waiting – all well and good perhaps but the point I failed to appreciate was that I would then waste far more time at home in gossip discussions about utter rubbish or dealing with the anxious wreck I would feel.

341. I love the wisdom in this piece, if I am an impatient patient then I have disregarded the other patients who are being seen and need the care and attention of the doctor. As you say Anne there is a whole community being served which is something to be greatly aware of, and delays to our treatment is not due to idleness from the Doctor but down to the demands on their time and the workload that is there in front of them. A re-assessment of the appreciation we should carry for our medical services would mean leaving the time required to be as patient as needed. This leaves a reflection of patience for all other patients and medical staff to feel and enjoy.

342. Ha ha ha! I’m laughing with you Gill.

343. It’s fascinating to look at the meaning behind words which we usually taken for granted. Thank you Anne… I’m inspired to come more prepared, arrive early and allow for more grace around my medical appointments.

344. Thank you Anne. You have to be patient to be a patient! I know I have learnt patience in the waiting room.

345. Anne I’ve heard it said that doctors make the worst patients, but you challenge this stereotype! It is great to be reminded of the unnecessary (extra) burden we can place on our medical system. We need to appreciate the service available to us and bring the care and nurturing to ourselves, not demand it from others.

346. I remember one doctor who used to leave the room and explain to his waiting patients why he was keeping them waiting, and ask them to be understanding as he was treating someone who needed the care and attention, and he was sure they would value the same attention in their turn. It certainly helped those waiting to let go of their frustrations and anxiety.

347. This is a lovely blog Anne – what I got from it was how much I/people in general expect everything to be handed to you on a platter at the very moment you want it to. When in real life, there are many considerations to take, and if we were to approach situations that we have to wait for with a little understanding, it helps our wellbeing (for example by not becoming stressed, anxious and irritated) as well as helps the person who we are waiting for – they don’t have to deal with the angry person that has been brewing for the previous 30 minutes!

348. Thank you Anne for your gorgeous linguistic explanations. Recently, I experienced a rare visit to the doctor for a check-up. I expected that she would be running late and therefore I factored it in to my waiting room plan, preparing my reading material and engaging the patience function on my mental control panel. When my appointed slot time had been passed by a good 30minutes, I was ushered in to the doctor, who was smiling and apologetic. What then followed, was one of the most impressively thorough and pleasant consultations I have ever had, and it made me realise that she does this, not just for me, but for all her patients. Everybody receives 110% from her and so her appointment times are always regarded as a bit optimistic. People are just so grateful to have this extraordinary doctor in their community, that displaying a little patience is the very least they can do!

     1. Wow Jonathan, that’s brilliant, I wonder how many of her patients tell her how much they appreciated her attentiveness!

349. I love your sharing, Anne about the word patient. How relaxing it feels to allow oneself to be patient and how would this support the situation in the waiting room and the connection between doctor and patient.

350. This blog made me really ponder on why we are to so impatient in waiting situations, take being stuck in traffic for example and how furious that can make the most impatient of us all. Surely with how busy life can get these days we can look at these waiting experiences as gifts of time to allow us to just be. Not sure if I’ll ever get used to standing in a queue though.

     1. Love what you say here Kev. Instead of getting frustrated about waiting e.g at road works, traffic lights etc, I now accept the inevitable and use the time to check in on my connection to me. These little delays used this way can bring the magic of God as they inevitably appear when we need them most!

351. I love the respectful relationship expressed in this article between the patient patient and the caring doctor. The time to wait, settle and prepare seems to me to be an important part of the medical treatment. Maybe the term waiting room can be renamed to the reconnect space.

352. Anne, your article has given me a far deeper appreciation of that space we can create when we are waiting in the doctors surgery. Recently I arrived half an hour before an appointment at a hospital as I was certain I did not want to be late and miss it. I felt myself start to react to having so much time to spare in the knowledge that the Dr would probably be running late, but I had a drink and something to eat, the sun was shining and the waiting area was light and a pleasure to be in. I had something to do and a place to sit so I settled down to enjoy the space that I had created. It felt great to use the time productively however reading your article has reminded me to take note and appreciate these little moments more. Thank you

353. Anne like you I have established that the time I get to sit waiting patiently is a great opportunity for me to stop and listen to me for a bit – unashamedly spending time with all of me simply waiting for support and care.

354. The beauty of being patient is to honour a doctor’s work and allow them the space to care for every patient in exactly the way that is needed.

     1. Beautifully written Michael, ‘The beauty of being patient is to honour a doctor’s work and allow them the space to care for every patient in exactly the way that is needed.’ It is great to remember this and to have understanding that some people may need more time than others with the doctor for their appointment.

     2. Michael I concur and what a lovely way to express it.

355. So true Anne! And it also gives us an opportunity as a patient to sit and feel why we are at the doctors, what choices have lead us to that appointment and possibly what needs to change. I love how you have also brought in the bigger picture, of the fact it is about people, if this was deeply felt, waiting patiently would be easy.

356. I find that too Kristy – if I’m ever going to the doctors (or dentist actually) for a quick check up, or for something minor, I notice I’m much more impatient and easily frustrated than when it’s something more major.

357. Very light hearted blog. It is true that we don’t always stop and consider all the factors that connect to how our day plays out. We may get frustrated and angry that things seems to not go our way. However when we prepare to be ‘patient’ as patients, and allow that space, we become inclusive of everyone.

358. What a great blog Anne. And a great clarification of the words patient and client. After reading it I also rather I am a patient than a client. And what a great opportunity when waiting patiently to stop and feel, be still.

359. Anne I have pondered for a while on why it seems much harder to ‘just be’ whilst we are waiting. It’s almost like waiting sets us up to be frustrated, especially if we are ‘kept waiting’. As you say if we can be with ourselves, filling the time with us then the time is not wasted, but if we spend the whole time just ‘waiting’, then we feel annoyed. Does it all boil down to the fact that we feel so time pressured that if we are not getting something done then we can’t handle the ‘lack of productivity’ ? Is it the old ‘being versus doing’ thing ?

     1. Yes Alexis, I can feel how when I get frustrated with waiting for a service, I am not really fully in the moment, but thinking what I need to get done in the near future. So when I do get to see the doctor I can’t be present for that moment either.

360. A beautiful dissection of the language we use, Anne, and an what an appreciation of the opportunities we are given to have space in our day!

361. I love the way you write Anne it excludes no-one and took me with you on a short humorous and loving journey and insight, thank you.

362. The patience found in waiting is time well spent!

363. This is an interesting example of the power of words – I could feel while reading this blog that an even deeper underlying theme behind the word ‘patient’, is that of submitting to, or relying on another to ‘pick up our pieces’ that we have, in fact, chosen to scatter in the way we live.

     To be presented, directly with the truth, as is the case for a ‘client’, leaves us no option but to pick up our own pieces – the true joy in this being that we get to take responsibility and re-build the puzzle for ourselves and true understanding and appreciation is then possible.

     Perhaps, it is no surprise that globally the health care systems are burdened beyond recognition for the simple choice that, as a system, it offers care without Truth – and therefore ‘carries’ all that it is not there to have to carry on behalf of a humanity that does not choose to be responsible for its choices.

     I have lived as both a ‘patient’ content with handing my ‘issues’ over to another to ‘fix’ for me and the price I paid was to have to ‘wait my turn’ – and quite possibly the space I was given in the waiting room was a necessary pause for reflection that I had to sit with as part of the healing process. I now live far more so as a ‘client’ and have made the choice ahead of my appointment to commit to my role in taking responsibility for my healing and I make sure I present on time for the appointment, I am also aware that my practitioner respects and runs on time accordingly.

364. I really enjoyed this blog Anne. Thank you for bringing an awareness to something everyone does, generally once or twice a year – if not a lot more (wait in a waiting room of a medical provider). If we could all take this same level of consideration to each appointment, regardless of where it is, that would be really great.

365. Coming back your blog Anne has got me thinking about waiting and being patient in general. Often I become frustrated at my situations, wanting them to be ‘over and done with’ and for the issue to be gone. But in that tension and anger and frustration am I preparing myself for the end of my issue that I am focusing on and fretting over? Am I putting in place actions in my day to support myself over time? For example: I get frustrated about songs in my head, then go into the excuses, reasons and judgements for why I have choosen to let the songs and negative thoughts be there (giving myself a hard time). In this cycle I do not allow myself the space and time to focus on anything but the issue and even less on how to resolve and heal the internal hamster wheel. Giving myself an understanding that these old ways take time to heal is much more supportive than just expecting situations to happen for me instantly.

366. Waiting can be very exposing, if we have been in a busy momentum then sitting and waiting can feel quite tortuous. However I enjoy the moment to be still and with myself, or to have a chat with someone else waiting, true if you prepare for it it can be a great part of the day.

367. How beautifully exposing this sharing is of how it can look from the ‘other side.’ Having been a patient I have drummed my fingernails, glared at receptionists, grunted “it’s ok” should a doctor apologise for running late (while my whole demeanour says it obviously isn’t), become stressed, whinged to friends later, and all round felt affronted that a doctor thinks they’re so important it’s ok to keep patients waiting!
     Thanks to Serge Benhayon and his family, Universal Medicine and Associated Practitioners I no longer live life allowing outside influences to control my behaviour or hold on to the false belief that the work another does makes them any more or any less than me.
     Like Anne, now when I visit a practice I go prepared. I take the opportunity to make use of the time by having some quality time with myself, irrespective of how uncomfortable the chairs may be!

     1. I can relate to your previous experience with going to the doctor Julie… sitting there with pursed lips, looking at my phone all the time, because I had made an appointment too close to another commitment, or coming to the Doctor’s rushed and last minute, expecting to get in straight away. Thank goodness this has changed, and now I’m surprised when the Doctor is early, as I’ve made space for me to sit as long as needed.

368. So great what you share here Anne, it brings a deeper understanding. I myself can appreciate it when a doctor takes the time that is needed for me or my children.

369. I have also wondered about the word ‘patient’ what it means. Thank you Anne. When visiting the doctors I too take this time to sit, do nothing or sometimes I read, I am much more relaxed about waiting when I am not looking at the time calculating how long I was waiting. So by being connected with myself and where I am it feels lovely to have that time to just sit. I now go into Doctor’s waiting room with a completely different view and experience.

370. What I great blog and sharing of the difference between patient and client. I have always used these words quite interchangeably. But having a truer understanding of the words, will be a great support in my work, as sometimes I have clients and sometimes I have patients.

     1. That is so true Amita. It’s great when I don’t instantly assume what the person is requiring but allow the connection between us inform me what is needed next.

371. “There is a way to be a patient, that minimises our suffering, and increases our ability to accept or tolerate delays, without becoming annoyed or anxious.” – this is gold Anne…this surely aids the healing process by staying calm and relaxed while waiting to see a medical practitioner.

     1. You’re right Sandra – this definitely supports/aids and could even quicken the healing process.

372. What a great Blog on patient and patience to read and appreciate every moment and the care and love we can both receive and put out if we give ourselves time to just be and in presence in all we do. Thank you I love reading it.

373. Thanks Anne for your humorous words on patient patients! My patients have often said to me that they were almost glad they had a little time waiting in the reception area as it gave them a moment to stop and calm down and catch their breath for sometimes the first time that day! So maybe a little wait in the reception area sometimes is part of the medicine!

     1. I’ve found that waiting provides an opportunity to stop, and feel a bit deeper what is going on in my body. So its a great opportunity to connect to why I am seeing the Doctor in the first place. Definitely this can be part of the medicine…

     2. I completely agree Andrew, it is a healing just to bring the opportunity of a stop to someone’s day.

     3. When a waiting room is prepared for the incoming patients – how lovely to just sit for a while as you shared Andrew to have a stop point in the busyness of the day.

374. I loved your blog and the insights it brought me, of how we expect things to be a certain way (like being seen on time by the doctor) and when we bring in understanding of how the system they work in functions we can be more appreciative and patient when we have to wait. Thank you Anne.

375. What an awesome way to present this Anne, and some really practical ways one can prepare themselves for the waiting room. It’s great to get this from the perspective of a doctor because we have all experienced the waiting room!

376. Anne, this quality of being a patient patient can be applied to any situation in life. This would help so much in letting life unfold rather than planning and controlling it. Surrendering.

     1. I agree Felix. I can relate to wanting to control life and can feel the damage of keeping the tension in my body as a result. Although I have felt the beauty of surrendering, I have only let myself go so far, as I have kept a tight grip from letting myself surrender more deeply… I have controlled how much I surrender! Allowing myself to be patient and letting go in completeness feels like it would be amazing.

     2. Absolutely, Felix, the quality of surrendering to life and accepting it as it comes, without trying to control it or judging it, would bring an ease and a joy to our way of living. Beautiful.

377. Thank you Anne for your reminder that ‘there is a way to be a patient’. With this understanding I trust that I will in future be a ‘patient’ patient while waiting patiently ‘for the great care my doctors and all the medical staff provide’.

378. I love your blog Anne. Whenever I’m in a waiting room at the doctors, I always think, ‘gosh what’s taking them so long’, and often I don’t consider that they are seeing other patients that may have much more serious reasons for having an appointment. I realise this is me being much more like a ‘client’ than a patient! Thank you for reminding me to appreciate the services doctors provide – a little waiting time is nothing when you think of what doctors do to support humanity.

     1. Thank you Susie. It’s not that it’s ok for doctors to keep people waiting (and there can be an arrogant consciousness that says it is ok), but that there is often a reason that we are kept waiting – that other people are needing an unexpectedly longer appointment time, as we may one day – and it helps us if we understand this. And whatever we think about being kept waiting, we cannot control the waiting time, so we may as well make the most of it and enjoy being with ourselves.

     2. This is a big “ouch” as I too often find myself in the doctors wondering why they are late, why are they always late, what are they doing.. How selfish! Rather than simply connecting to and appreciating the support that doctors are bringing, not only to me but to everyone

379. This made me acknowledge something Anne, “I shall continue to be a patient, and to wait patiently for the great care my doctors and all the medical staff provide” – When we are content to wait patiently and then enter the doctor’s room like this, the care he provides is likely to be greater than if we entered holding a frustration and annoyance at him for keeping us waiting!

380. This is a great blog, and surely obvious and makes a lot of sense. I used to get very stressed and upset when travelling, I began to hate commuting to work, and by the time I’d made it to work, I was frazzled and felt bashed by the terrible system. If you live in London you’ll know what I mean. I moved away for a period of time, and when returning, I knew that I didn’t want to feel like that again, so, I prepared, I did exactly what you did when you knew you were going to be in a situation where you would be waiting. I allowed more time, I walked instead of getting the bus, I got myself food and a drink and something to do on the train, if there wasn’t a seat I would wait for the next, as I had enough time, and basically supported myself as best as I could for something that I knew I could let get me down. Amazingly, my journey to work became my favourite part of the day… I no longer live in London, but when there is an opportunity for me to travel, I prepare in the same way, and look forward to the time to wait patiently, and have some time to myself.

     1. Yes Laura I too can relate to turning around the frustration I felt in wasting time in being kept waiting. Now I relish the opportunity to prepare myself for the day ahead and I am more present in those moments of waiting. It also occurred to me to ponder in those moments in the doctor’s waiting room, what quality was I living in to manifest an illness or compliant that led me to see a doctor in the first place.

381. I have always accepted waiting at GPs’ office, dentists, doctors and even at pathologists’ or for X-rays as a normal thing to expect, so it never bothered me, hence, I have not really thought about it until now. As it is presented here, I, also, am careful when I make appointments as not to have anything to do or anywhere to be afterwards, so I can total be there and waiting patiently. I never buy magazines, so I actually enjoy going through them if there are current, good ones with lots of photos. I have been noticing that not many waiting rooms have these good and current magazines any more unfortunately (most of them are very old). I must come to yours Anne!

     1. I like the way you’ve highlighted the preparation that Anne, as the Doctor puts into her waiting room – it’s a huge part of the experience and the difference between one and the next is remarkable – showing whether the Doctor is paying attention to the whole. I can really notice the difference between something functional, and something that has been prepared with some careful thought and attention.

382. I agree Anne I have also found that waiting can be enjoyable when I accept and prepare for it being time to just be, or to do something I otherwise would not have been able to do. It is when I am forced to wait without warning that gets me! I guess I need to be more accepting of all that comes my way and generally more flexible 🙂

     1. Great point Tim. It is one thing to know we may be kept waiting, and to prepare for it, but another to be caught waiting without warning! It comes back to just being with ourselves and enjoying that feeling, no matter where we are or what we are doing, and accepting life in full, and what it offers us, in every moment. Perhaps we needed that unexpected stop!

     2. Me too Tim – I could definitely do with working on how I handle unexpected waiting time; bathroom queues are a killer!

383. Anne I love how you write. It brings everyone with you and always deepens my understanding of life and the players in it. The image of the doctor caring for the whole community is beautiful.

     1. Rebecca I love your comment especially about how Anne brings everyone with her. I don’t think I’d have been conscious of this until you commented but it’s so true. This is a lovely article about how we can give ourselves the space to be as patients.

     2. Yes Rebecca, I agree. And isn’t it in earlier years like in little towns where there was just one doctor – that the patient really came and took their time to wait? Stopped their daily work and dedicated his or her time for themselves and honouring that and that the doctor can help. Also the waiting room was a place to stop and connect with each other. Creating this space is healing itself.

     3. Beautifully said, Rebecca. There is indeed something universal about Anne’s blog. The simple truths are often the most powerful, and this is an experience we can certainly all relate to.

     4. Great point to highlight Rebecca,
        ‘The Doctor caring for the community and the greater whole’

384. Anne, I have returned to this blog because it offers me such an opportunity to appreciate waiting and allowing; something we just don’t talk about in our so called ‘busy’ lives. Patience and patients are now words that have a new meaning for and I can feel that there is more to explore for me here, so I will come back again!

385. Anne your blog makes me ponder on my relationship with time. Sometimes I am feeling racy and running behind schedule or at times running too far ahead of myself. I can worry about the future or muse over the past. For me patience directly relates to being comfortable in the present moment. Just being fine where I am at. I love the moments in my day when I stop to connect to me in the present time and space and be completely with myself without impatiently dragging my mind elsewhere.

386. I’ve never really given the question “Why are patients called patients” much thought but thankyou for the clarification between a client and a patient.

     1. Neither have I Joe, an interesting read as to why ‘ patients are called patients’ . It’s great to have the insight between patient and client, as Anne has written in her article.

387. I was a patient, patient yesterday. I went to see a specialist about a medical problem and they were running late, but it was gorgeous to wait in the waiting room and use the time to sit and be still… I felt great! It was a great moment to take stock.

388. Anne this really does make me appreciate the work of a doctor and how much they support people – especially when their patients might not have a true understanding of self care – and wait for doctors to ‘fix’ them.
     I can also see how looking after my body makes me a patient to myself – and not only helps when I do need a doctor.

     1. I love how you’ve said, ‘looking after my body makes me a patient to myself.’ It also reminds me that I can be patient with myself when I am addressing an old pattern and I am feeling the effects in my body. This is part of the healing process too. To be impatient is really me not wanting to accept the extent of how unloving what I’ve been up to has been.

        1. Absolutely Karin – yes it’s funny how patient can also be the love and time we allow for ourselves, rather than an impatient rush 🙂

389. Being forced to wait for anything goes so much against the fast paced world we live in. People seem to be so consumed in their frantic world that being forced to sit still and wait is almost too much for some. It all comes back to how we allocate and manage time for ourselves, and the value we ascribe to that. I loved how you expressed yourself in your article Anne. Thanks.

390. Anne I love the the description of why patients are called patients- needing to be patient. With the understanding that doctors are only given 10-15 min time slots to see patients, it makes sense that you will be waiting; also because illness and disease is becoming more complex today, than it used to be.
     Allowing more time and space to see a doctor, dentist or other health practitioner gives you the opportunity to “just be” and become more centred/still before seeing them.

391. Waiting for appointments seems to have become very much part of our culture, regardless of what the service is we are requiring. Of course there are times when either doctor or patient are running late, but this does give the other person time to hit a pause button and collect themselves – which is something that they might not otherwise have considered doing in their busy day.

392. Gorgeous Anne and this puts the responsibility on us as to how we are. Although recently when I went to the doctor I was running a few minutes late. I was almost embarrassed especially as I had the first appointment of the day. The doctor casually arrived after me and I waited for 20 minutes – as the first patient of the day. This was an extra challenge in learning not to be a non-patient patient!

393. Having read your blog the other day, I then found myself waiting for a hospital appointment to see a consultant and the staff were very good at keeping us all informed that the dr was completing his rounds and would be there shortly. I cannot image how stressful it must be as a doctor to always have patients waiting for them and running late.

394. This is a lovely point to ponder on, Kristy, thank you. When we are sick we are more patient, which is fortunate, seeing as we have to then wait for medical care!

395. Awesome blog Anne thank you. It really is about bringing quality to everything we do and that includes waiting patiently when needed. Imagine what this then brings to everyone around us? Pretty cool.

396. Anne, I agree. “Client of a doctor” feels wrong. Waiting is part of the process.

397. I’ve also realised from what you write here Anne that part of our annoyance at having to wait is that we have put so much emphasis, importance and value on doing, rather than ‘being’. So of course we’re going to feel annoyed, frustrated, put out and challenged in waiting situations – because it deprives us of the very doing that we so erroneously value ourselves by.

     1. Thanks, Rosanna. When we have to stop and surrender to the waiting, it can be confronting because we get to feel everything we were avoiding feeling by keeping ourselves in the ‘doing’. So being patient as a patient is part of the healing process, as we get to catch up with ourselves.

398. What a great insight this blog offers. We all need to wait at times for someone, whether it be for the doctor, the dentist, the bank teller, the supermarket check out person etc. We do a lot of waiting so what a great idea to bring a certain quality like understanding and patience to those moments rather than just getting annoyed. I will definitely be practicing this.

399. This is a really great blog Anne thank you for your lovely sharing one we can all relate with and learn from. It is all so true and real practical examples of life and waiting and the rush we can get into not allowing oneself to take and create space in our day and lives. From a doctors perspective this very is beautiful to feel too.

400. I love what you have shared about waiting being an opportunity for so much. I know that some of my most precious moments have been in the ‘gaps’ between things: times I used to want to rush through so I could ‘get on’, but now ever more willingly I let them be the spaces they are for reflection, deep observation, unplanned encounters and/or moments of revelation. Thank you.

     1. This is lovely to ponder on, Matilda. Thank you. Yes, “the ‘gaps’ between things” are often filled with gold.

401. Awesome blog, Anne, – thank you for the insight into the different meanings of the words patient and client. I’ve had some impatient experiences in waiting rooms too, but generally I always make an effort to arrive early everywhere I go, because I strongly dislike to rush, stress and get all agitated. You take self-care and nurturing to a new level and a new scenery, – so lovely.

402. Great point here Anne about waiting. So often we find it an annoyance or a painful experience because perhaps we have not allowed space in our day for it and also perhaps we do not like to be still for very long. We are always in a rush and doing something so waiting could actually be an opportunity to slow down and be still for a moment.

     1. Great point, Andrew. Is it that we don’t like waiting, or that we don’t like feeling what we are feeling while we are waiting? And is this the gift that waiting offers us – the present of being present? The opportunity to stop, be still and feel what is truly going on inside us.

403. So true Anne, that constant hurry we are all in. I can so relate to that. I love the way you share how you prepare to wait and bring food along and things to do. It’s much better than sitting there huffing and puffing and tutting. I am going to take a leaf out of your book. And you’re right, putting yourself in the doctor’s shoes, there are so many reasons he or she could be running late.

     1. I agree Debra, in out busy lives it is often that we don’t have time to consider life from another person’s perspective – the other patients also waiting, possibly with serious concerns, and the doctors working hard to support the community and make time for as many as possible. Being able to consider others is a brilliant way to develop patience.

404. I can remember whilst working full time that when I needed to see the doctor I would go in my lunch hour. However by the time I drove there and back, waited in the waiting room and attended my appointment it was always longer than one hour. I would call the doctors rooms and ask if my doctor was running late or on time so that I could work out how to fit it into my one hour and would be frustrated that they would not divulge that information. There was a time pressure and anxiousness in this waiting because I wanted it all to go my way. Thank you Anne for sharing both sides of the waiting game. I have relinquished some of this need to have things go my way by staying in my own rhythm so that the day has an easy flow.

405. Love your blog Anne, I too now prepare my self when going to an appointment knowing that often they are running late and I use this time wisely. I so often see people getting very annoyed that they have to wait with out considering that the doctors are more often then not doing the best they can. I think your blog should be printed out and be in clinics for people to read, people need to be educated just as we have been through the teachings of Universal Medicine.

406. Anne I loved reading your light-hearted take on the whole scenario of being a patient as opposed to a client, patiently waiting, and the ways to be in the scenario. I had not paid much attention to all of this and by reading your blog I feel I have opened up to an area of life I was previously quite oblivious to.

407. Giving that space to the doctor to treat others in need is really important, and it is what being a part of a loving community is about (:

408. Great blog Anne. It’s so true – we know we may have to wait, and we can rally against this, or we can accept it, prepare ourselves for the wait and enjoy the time while we’re waiting. I really love what you have expressed here “The doctor is caring for a whole community of people, of which we are a part, and when our turn comes, she will devote the same level of care and attention to us.” – it really highlighted to me that our impatience can be because we’re only thinking of ourselves, our day, our schedules… and how disconnected we can be from other people and our communities. Great sharing, thank you.

409. I really enjoyed reading this article Anne. It is a well known fact that in the medical profession appointments are generally running a bit late, we all know this but continue to whinge and whine and blame the doctor, dentist, receptionist or anyone who is nearest to us. But why don’t we show a bit of compassion, as you say Anne the practitioners are not behind closed doors loafing about, they are treating other people like you and I. Does the impatience simply highlight our selfishness? If we know there is a good chance of an appointment running late why not apply a bit of common sense and free up your time afterwards so that there isn’t the underlying pressure of “hurry up, I have to be somewhere in thirty minutes”.

     1. Yes it does highlight our selfishness, good point Tony. If people were a bit more open to understanding the situation it would help, and saw the waiting as an opportunity to break out of the rush and trap of schedules.

        1. In this busy day of age society in general doesn’t want to look at what is going on. We are being stopped first by something that needs addressing by medical experts and then we are stopped in the waiting area of the clinics but instead of accepting this and reflecting on what has caused this stop we blame the doctor, dentist, practitioner for taking up our time. All we want is the band-aid solution, fix me up so I can get back out there amongst it all. We are letting this fast paced life dictate how we run our lives.

410. I agree Anne, there is so much to be said for sitting still. I love it, and especially when I am preparing to see my doctor because I know that he is very busy and only has a short time, so I make sure that when I enter the room I am completely with myself and ready to deal with the issue at hand so it can be an effective and prompt meeting, with both of us working together for the best outcome.

     1. This is lovely, Shami, and perhaps what the true purpose of the waiting room and time is – to prepare us for the meeting, “with both of us working together for the best outcome.” How different health care (and indeed all of life) would be if we all prepared for our meetings in this way!

        1. What you have said here Anne has really touched my heart, as I felt the element of deep valuing and bringing our ‘all’ to every encounter every day – how we can bring our loveliness, our openness, our consideration, our amazing sense of humour to all we meet – our colleagues, the retail encounters, all the people in the waiting room, the doctor.
           I recall going to see the doctor last year and he was very held up by an emergency case, and was very distracted when I came in to see him. This was my opportunity to be present and open and naturally bring the exchange into being settled and balanced. It felt like a really solid and empowering place to be.

411. This is great Anne, I think being understanding of the pressures on the time constraints of doctors schedules is really important. And seeing that waiting time as an opportunity rather than just an inconvenience makes a big difference.

412. Interesting reaction for me reading this blog. I loved the awareness opening up in me regarding the word being a patient vs being a client, gaining a greater understanding of the difference and also gaining a deeper appreciation and awareness of a doctor’s point of view….that yes you are not there just filing your nails and are providing a great service to the community. I also noticed a level of tightness in my body because control can be a big one for me and a strong expectation that things should run on time, systems should work perfectly and I should be always been seen as I am important! I’ve been quite impatient and very rigid at times. It was a great reminder that when we hold these beliefs etc… we lose our ability to surrender to what is truly going on. Of course a doctor can only set 10-15 minute slots and some of these will run to ‘time’ and others of course will not. Patience connects us to humanity and impatience serves us as reminder that we are wanting the situation to be different than it actually is and an opportunity to surrender to what is truly happening….and possibly even with grace 🙂 and patience :-).

413. Thank you Anne, I have often wondered about patients being called patients and what this was really all about. (Although several years ago a doctor did surprise me by calling me a client rather than a patient.) This is a fun article and reminds me that I could do even more for myself when I next go to wait to see my GP and share with others too how we could honour the term patient and make it an experience to appreciate.

414. Love your thoughts on this Anne. Understanding does seem to be a major requirement for patience. I find that when I do have understanding of a situation or someone else and even of myself as well, I am very likely to be patient along with that understanding.

415. Anne, I love the angle you present here of being a patient. A couple of months/ years ago, I would have been very annoyed to wait- either it is the waiting room of a doctor or in a traffic jam.
     Taking life how it is and not rushing through my day any more I know now, how much space it can open up and I really enjoy waiting – there is no “suffering” anymore. And if impatience kicks in, I remind myself of accepting the situation how it is and that it offers me a stop and to take a break for example. I will think of your post next time, I am going to a doctor 🙂

     1. Ah Steffi, yes how similar is a traffic jam to the medical waiting room – both are about ill flow and symptoms of dis-ease and disorder, both are about brotherhood and how we have been living, what has been chosen by one is lived by all. Waiting rooms and heavy traffic are a reminder everybody is connected and affected by everybody. Surrender and acceptance are definitely allies in life to keep at close call.

416. Oh Anne, what a lovely way to look at being a patient! I also bring this to other ways of living, for example when I take my car to be serviced I have a lounge waiting area and tea making facilities. I often take my computer along and make sure to not make any appointment times close after as the time my car will take cannot be assured, it’s crazy to create pressures on ourselves (especially with time) when it is not necessary and doesn’t have to be the way and can make something as important as seeing the doctor a more enjoyable experience as there is certainly an aspect of it that we are solely responsible for.

417. I had always wondered where the term patient had come from because I know I had never really been patient, seemed as if being delayed or if things weren’t working out it as if it was the end of the world…

418. I am beginning to see how much allowing time and preparation for common events in my life allows for my life to flow with ease and allows the space for me to be me in life and not my frustration, anger or some other reaction. I love how your blog connects this also to developing understanding and care as a member of a community.

419. Anne, this is such a wise and common sensical (possibly a new word) approach to life. I can relate to what you are saying and also apply it to other areas of my life. When I put time pressure on my interactions with my kids and want to get us all finished bathing or getting ready quickly it is always full of frustration but when I prepare for allowing the time necessary (not pandering to them) then everything flows smoothly and I enjoy the little quirks and expressions that often come with being present in the moment with them.

     1. Rebecca, commonsensical is indeed a word: “Possessing, proceeding from, or exhibiting good judgment and prudence”, which is what you are doing when you are with your children in this way. It is all about us surrendering desire and control, and accepting life and people as they are, and enjoying what they offer us.

     2. What you say here is so true for me Rebecca. The end of the day routine is often one I am impatient about if it takes too long. Reading your comment I can really feel how much I am pushing the situation and not allowing for any fun or any quirks and expressions that may come. I am definitely not present and I am ahead of myself thinking about what I am doing after. Eek!!

420. Thank you Anne for your gorgeous blog! It reminded me of my own doctor who is never running on time and thanks me sincerely for waiting each time I see her. The wait never bothers me, because I know it is due to the incredibly high standard of care she gives to each of her patients – how could I be annoyed as I wait when I know that the patient before me is getting the same detailed care and attention in their appointment that I value so highly? I actually enjoy the time to take a break from the busyness of the day!

421. It’s wonderful to have a doctor’s personal and professional take on being a patient – thank you Anne for this refreshing blog. Recently I supported a friend as she went to a large private hospital for a minor procedure, we both prepared really well for ourselves in terms of food, drink and reading for me while I waited for her to come around from the anaesthetic and the proceedure itself. We were both really calm and my friend was a very patient patient and open to all the nurses and doctors who came her way.
     I observed from the side how this openness was so appreciated by all the medical staff attending her – so much so that at one time she had 3 nurses around her and the other patents had none. There was a lightness and a sense of enjoying the connection with my friend – the staff were her old friends by the time we left and I am sure they were sorry to see her go.
     It struck me how much we can bring as a patient patient to hard working caring medical staff, when we take out the suffering factor and that we really are not here to suffer.

422. I love this article, it’s very needed. I love how it’s written in a very light and fun way, which is not normal for such a deep pondering!

423. A very cute sharing Dr Anne Malatt. A very wise and dear friend of mine once told me how much she enjoyed waiting. It actually shocked me at the time because I hadn’t even considered that to be a possibility. But, when she described how lovely it was just to be with herself and allow the potential fun to unfold in that moment – I understood. As you have suggested, allowing sufficient time and planning for waiting makes much sense and prepares you so that no patience is required – it can just be part of the experience of seeing the doctor – a bit of unprescribed medication – taking an unplanned moment just to be.

     1. Love that Simone, ‘a bit of unprescribed medicine’.

        1. Thank you Lyndy – I enjoyed that too.

     2. Great you have gone a bit deeper here Jane – “waiting” is so loaded! I love how you have written ‘waiting time mode’ because that’s what it feels like. It is like we change ourselves depending on our activity rather than maintaining the consistency in ourselves no matter what we are doing or where we are and just enjoying being us!

424. My kind of Doctor! I have learned after years of being ‘impatient’, the pleasure of waiting, somehow it never seems so long when you are prepared for it and can be as Donna says a lovely stop moment in our day, and also an opportunity to connect with others also waiting.

425. Could it be that being impatient is actually a waste of precious time, taken up by thought processes and increased heat in the body: what does it serve, what difference does it really make to the outcome? And why would I spend time on being impatient when it feels so awful and imposing anyway? And where did this idea that something has to take a predetermined amount of time – or else – actually come from?

     1. MMMmmm Gabriele, is it possible that impatience is actually the antithesis of being present in each moment and limits our ability to create a sense of flow and space in our lives? Your comments have really taken me to another level of considering what is really going on here energetically with impatience.

        1. I agree Jenny the questions that Gabriele poses in her comment, adds a further dimension to the topic of impatience, and may provide the answer as to its root cause within our lives. Something here for me to ponder on.

     2. ‘Could it be that being impatient is actually a waste of precious time’ – I would say a definite ‘Yes’ to that Gabriele. Being impatient really helps no one, I know for me when I’m standing in a queue, waiting for an appointment or counting down the minutes to the end of a maths lesson, time seems to go a hundred times slower. I can then very easily become a bit agitated and frustrated, thus having an impact on the people around me. I’m not enjoying it, they’re not enjoying my mood – no one wins really.

426. I love your blog Anne! It is great to have understanding of the doctor’s end of things.

     And I know just what you are saying when you talk about preparing for, and enjoying waiting. I was first initiated into ‘waiting’ in this way when I was living on an island, which I did for 18 years. During the daytime hours when it was not peak hour the ferries only left the wharf every hour, and it would often happen that we would just miss that ferry, then would have to wait another hour for the next. I learned to wait and enjoy it – it was part of a different rhythm of life. It was always beautiful to watch the sun sparkle on clear azure waters, watch the yachts got by, have a conversation with a fisherman or another person who had missed the ferry (I know it is not quite like this in a doctor’s waiting room!) Years after I’d left the island I would sometimes have to wait for something or someone and they would apologise profusely about it, but for me it was simply the way it was and it never ruffled me in any way. I was well schooled in enjoying waiting by then.

     1. Thank you, Lyndy. I love your description of your waiting “initiation”. Perhaps this is indeed something we should all be schooled in – enjoying the art of waiting.

        1. Absolutely Anne!

        2. The art of patience is an old school virtue that I and probably the whole world could do with a dose of.

     2. I love your words Lyndy, that waiting ‘was simply the way it was’… If we accept that there may be waiting involved, there is so much to notice around us, enjoy, appreciate. Personally, if awaiting a medical appointment, I absolutely treasure this time to simply ‘be’, let my body deeply relax, etc. Most oftentimes I find myself having an amazing conversation with someone – who would want to miss out on that? Being ‘impatient’ can rob us of so very much…

        1. How true Victoria – impatience is a thief of life . . . and comes as a result of wanting to and needing to ‘control’ the way things are, instead of bringing the beauty and joy that we are to whatever situation. By indulging in such a way of being we rob ourselves and all around us.

     3. Thank you Lyndy, your comments have brought to my awareness, how essential and important it is for me to look at my impatience and how/why I allow it to permeate so many areas of my life.

427. Anne your blog was fun to read, I enjoyed your lightness of this topic. I know that when I go to the doctors, I prepare to wait and I too enjoy this time just being with me. Life can be so busy, using these moments of ‘waiting’ can be a lovely full stop for us within our day.

428. Anne, your blog was timely for me last week when I first read it. I visited my GP today for a routine check up and reflected on your blog as I prepared for my day. I took the same usual care getting ready for my day, but there was also an acceptance in the knowing that I may have to wait to see my GP. I felt ok with that and consequently wasn’t feeling any agitation about the possibility of being kept waiting and getting to work much later. As it turned out, my GP was running on time. However, she ended up needing to take a little longer with me, resulting in her running late for her next patient. I was in absolute appreciation of how my GP took the extra time with me and how that made a difference to my experience this morning. Thank you so much for sharing Anne.

     1. Sandra your story reminds me that we are all interconnected, one day we are waiting, and another day we are receiving extra care which in turn means that another waits. We have the choice to acknowledge and allow this natural flow, and to see its grace as you have done, or not, and so to suffer frustration etc when waiting.

     2. Sandra, I too have had this experience of a doctor taking longer with me as it was needed which supports me to appreciate at other times, they will need to take longer with others and I may have to wait. They key is just allowing ourselves more time and I always find it now a wonderful opportunity to just simply stop. A little healing in itself.

     3. Anne’s blog and people’s comments have shown me a new way of approaching medical appointments, and for that I am truly grateful. Our responsibility needs to also extend in to making sure that we arrive on time so as to not create an unavoidable delay for other patients by being late.

429. Great blog Anne I definitely used to be a very impatient patient, it used to do my head in going to the doctor or dentist, although I knew there would probably be a wait. The only reading material was issues of hello magazine dating back to the late eighties. I then realised taking a good book and preparing like you Anne, never went so far as to take food and drink but just appreciate the time there to catch up on a bit of reading and leave the clicking noises, the rolling of the eyes and the deep sighing to the other people in the waiting room.

     1. Your description is so spot on Kevin, the old magazines, the sighs and huffs and puffs from others waiting in the room. I had to go to hospital for some tests and knew it would take some time, so I took a picnic with me. What was really great was that I met a friend and we sat and shared the picnic together. It was lovely to spend some time together. Maybe we could start a trend! Next time I will definitely take some good reading material too!

        1. Love the idea of a picnic Rowena – especially if around lunchtime. I even catch up on some of women’s magazines that are there to get a picture of what people and reading and talking about (and also having thrust upon them!) Once one of them inspired me to write an article which is now being published in the next Women in Livingness magazine! Wherever we are we can always be restful, patient or inspired to write . . . or have a picnic!

        2. Rowena, I get a lovely picture of you sitting joyfully catching up with your friend and sharing a picnic. It reminds me that if I choose to wait truly patiently, and even to enjoy the pause, then that too gives other people, who may be very anxious about their appointments, the opportunity to also choose to pause for a moment.

     2. Very funny Kevin – I haven’t experienced a lot of waiting rooms and yet the few times I have, I distinctly remember disliking them, and yet the way Anne has gone about approaching the experiences sounds far more enjoyable and relaxing.

     3. Oh, that’s so funny, Kevin! That is exactly what many waiting rooms are like, and how the people are in them! It is always lovely to see and feel someone waiting patiently, and the effect they have on the whole waiting area. We can make such a difference, if we choose to.

     4. So true Kev. I am laughing just thinking about it. The roll of the eyes and sighs are a classic waiting room behaviour. Your acts of self love whilst waiting allows us to observe rather than absorb the goings on. Great comment!

430. Hi Anne, I have recently been reading a lot about the level of pressure GP’s themselves are under, the demands of numbers of patients and the increasing paperwork they have to complete and I have come to a deeper understanding when they are running late. I had not however looked at the waiting time as a chance to spend time with me, it was simply time I had to wait, so thanks for the inspiration and the next time I visit the doctor I will prepare myself in a whole new way.

431. Your blog offers us all a great opportunity to re-imprint waiting rooms and waiting times. I was in a Accident and Emergency Room with someone I know recently and there was a lot of waiting. The person had taken ill suddenly. I stood beside her bed, stroked her hand and spoke gently to her. I spent time getting to know the medical team, found out their names and had conversations with them. The patient regained a more conscious state, began finding words, three hours previously she had been silent and unable to speak. She thanked me for stroking her hands. This period felt precious and timeless.

     1. That is amazing Kehinde, what a beautiful way to take the opportunity that being in a waiting area provided. I am sure that this was greatly supportive of the medical staff who I can imagine are not often given that personal appreciation.

     2. Gosh, thank you Kehinde for sharing your experience. Anne’s blog and your comment really confirm that in every moment we can use it as an opportunity to connect with another and ourselves and just be, without the francticness of needing to be busy.

        1. I agree Shevon with your beautiful words “in every moment we can use it as an opportunity to connect with another and ourseves and just be” – sometimes we can forget the simplicity but the power of allowing ourselves to ‘just be’.

     3. How great is it that we can use our time to not just wait patiently but support another patiently. Great to read and glad you shared Kehinde.

     4. Simply gorgeous Kehinde. There is always something we can do, even in the most horrific situations. I can feel the power of your gentleness and love here.

        1. Beautifully put Rebecca. It seems that it is simply about being present and feeling what is right to do in the moment.

432. It is so different to read this coming from a doctor, having been involved in health care for many years and noting just how impatient doctors generally are! There are plenty of reasons why – such a heavy workload in the system they work under, as well as the ill -feeling around ill people. Yet it is true how ‘giving’, so many doctors also are to their patients, and understanding how important, in the one to one situation, compassion is. But to read a doctor embracing how to be patient and take it to another level of care for herself, that is very refreshing and that would be a doctor I would so much book in to see!

433. Thank you Anne for showing the other side of the coin for a doctor’s appointment. The doctor is also the patient, with having to wait more times a day than the people they are seeing. Doctors do not have the luxury of other jobs, that what you don’t finish today you can do tomorrow. The whole medical learning process of monstrous work hours is putting everyone before self… with out caring for ones self how can you fully help others.

     1. Steve I’ve certainly started to be more aware and appreciative of the work the doctor has to do. When I think about it why would a doctor want to keep anyone waiting on purpose? It calls for a different approach to the way we visit the doctor and the time it offers us to reflect on what’s actually going on for us. If we reverse the roles I am sure I would find it challenging.

        1. Yes, doctor’s can’t walk out the door when it’s time to go home. They have to stay and see every patient in that waiting room. I’ve wondered what happens at closing time when it’s time for the reception staff to go home but the backlog of appointments are waiting in person to be seen.

434. What a great twist in perspective by looking at the true meaning of the word patient. And next time I am patiently waiting, being with me I will appreciate my doctor is taking care of a community of patients, so when it is my turn I will walk in the treatment room with this energy.

     1. I agree Marjo, it a brilliant reminder of the bigger picture that the doctor is taking care of a whole community of patients and to walk into the treatment room with this perspective when it’s my turn and not the blinkered one that we’ve been kept waiting. Great to read this Anne.

435. I also work with people in an appointment based setting Anne, and I am amazed how often people book themselves back to back so that even a 5 minute delay will push them into a frenzy. In fact the frenzy was already there well before the actual appointment, back when the booking was made.
     I know that in times past I would book appointments like this too. I imagined I could do so much more than was physically possible and put the pressure on everyone around me to comply with my needs. As a result I was far from patient by the time I was seen.
     It simply does not work.
     Here is what I now understand too. The wait is part of the process. It is a stop that says seeing the doctor/dentist/podiatrist is not just a thing to tick off that big long list. It is actually an expression of self care and a gesture towards ourselves that deserves a respectful approach and whatever time is required.
     As a patient, I want to know that I am seeing a practitioner who cares enough to take the time I need, not simply going through a turnstile that runs to time. And if a practitioner runs too late too much of the time, well I can choose to go elsewhere. It is simply a matter of choice.

     1. Than you Rachel, for high lighting how our appointments with health care professionals, are an expression of self care and deserves to be treated as such. For me, I can feel how nuturing and flowing it is, when I allow the space necessary for my medical appointments to complete in their own time. This is a very different experience from when I put time pressure on myself and expect my appointments to fit into an exact time slot.

        1. Beautiful Rachel. This would serve as a poster in the waiting rooms!

        2. Yes Elizabeth, this brings a whole different approach to medical appointments and how nurturing this can be.

        3. Thank you Elizabeth. This also goes for other areas in our lives. Putting a time pressure on ourselves and expecting things to go according to plan or fit into a neat little box, is not how life works. When we allow space, things flow much more, regardless of the amount of time it takes.

        4. Being under pressure with time is such an embedded consciousness that to ‘take time’ can sometimes feel alien, but you are so right Rachel when you say that waiting is part of the process. To stop, is an act of self-care and a loving gesture to ourselves.

     2. I agree, the wait is a part of the process. It provides an often much needed stop, this time is for me. A time to take stock and an expression of self care. I have gone from squeezing in appointments quite some years ago to now allowing plenty of time and space for them. If things are running late, then there is no pressure as it’s already been booked and planned with that in mind.

     3. Thats great Rachel, understanding that the wait is part of the process is a biggie.

436. Maybe Anne the reason ‘patients’ are called that is that with ‘patience’ in the waiting room we have an opportunity to be ‘present’ with ourselves and thereby ‘gifting’ our body with the preciousness that it is in preparation for healing from practitioners like yourself.

437. Thank you Anne, after reading your blog I am much more understanding of why a doctor might be running late and much more appreciating the work they are doing in the community. I love how you prepare yourself to be in a waiting room and be patient, very inspiring.

438. In a waiting room I am not busy. I got time given just to sit, to be and think. And it is my choice what kind of thoughts I choose.
     A wise woman once said ‘Waiting time is a time to celebrate’. To live that changed my life.

439. Thank you Anne Malatt for your perspective on why patients are called patients, Your love, care and understanding on all aspects of how a doctor provides her service to the patients gives me the understanding that allowing to be a patient is already a great blessing and supports the patient to deepen the level of healing that can be received. Next time I visit my doctor I will enjoy being a patient, patient waiting in the waiting room.

440. This is such a great blog Anne. I often take work with me when I am waiting at the doctors surgery. In most cases I wait for over an hour but know that my doctor deeply cares for me and all her patients. Waiting is not a chore when you know that your doctor has your best interest at heart and is offering the same level of care for everyone in the community.

441. I agree Anne, what a lovely explanation of what is possible for being a patient. We can avoid stress and anxiousness by realising that we know we are going to be waiting in the ‘waiting’ room so why not prepare for that. We can’t control if the doctor is on time or not but we can take responsibility to assist our own healing by making space for others and ourselves which doesn’t create the anxiousness of running late.

442. What I really related to in your article Anne is the value of preparation.

     I’ve found that by anticipating and preparing for the potential hiccups that can occur in life then my patience is rarely tested. However when I don’t, the reverse can happen.

     For example, just on the subject of travel: making appointments to avoid travelling in peak hour traffic; preparing food in advance when travelling (and not getting caught out at a roadside cafe with food that doesn’t suit me); preparing typed translation cards with dietary requirements when travelling overseas; having something to read when planes are delayed.

     Simple stuff.

443. I see going to the doctors as a great time to spend with myself, it’s like taking some time out for me and so being patient is part of that experience.

     1. I am the same Susan, I see my waiting time at the Hospital or the Dr’s surgery as a time to pause and just be. No where to go and nothing to do, just be patient and I will be seen when I am seen.

444. Thanks Anne…bringing more understanding allows me to be patient at the doctors waiting room. Some people require more time than others and as you say emergencies come up and people need to be fitted in…so knowing this of course I can be patient. In the past I haven’t been patient, and always thought that the clinic was disorganised with their booking system…but that’s because I didn’t bring the understanding. And the doctor may not be filing their nails, but I could certainly use the time to file my nails or simply allow myself to just be and enjoy the stop.

445. It’s interesting also to consider the roots of these two words, ‘patient’ (suffering) and ‘client’ (hear and obey). In terms of their original meanings, ‘patient’ seems to be the most apt in terms of describing the doctor-client relationship, in that it infers an absence of wellness (which is why we go to see a doctor); ‘client’ suggests we’re there to submit to a process (which doesn’t encourage the notion of self-responsibility in our care for ourselves). Is there a third word that would evoke the kind of relationship we could have with our doctors? Could we instead be a ‘visitor’ (Latin – ‘to go to see’); a person who visits their doctor for the purpose of discussing their health, not identifying as a sufferer or ‘one who obeys’, but as one who is consulting with and working alongside a valued professional? It could be a whole new way to consider the doctor-patient relationship, one where the onus is not on our doctors to fix us but to assist, advise and provide practical interventions where necessary – a partnership.

446. Anne, I like you, am one of the people who enjoy waiting…
     I too see it as an opportunity to be still, with me and just feel…
     A welcome pause in my day!

447. Thank you Anne, an interesting topic to write about. I agree It makes such a difference if we go to an appointment with an understanding that we may have to wait and be prepared for this. I know when I do then the appointment is easy and not strained. If I am in a hurry I will get frustrated and eventually resentful that I have been kept waiting and I can feel this has an affect on the appointment. My frustration or resentfulness will get in the way of opening up fully and making the most of the appointment. Being patient really does make a difference.

448. This is a great perspective for a doctor to share, and a valuable reminder to consider the bigger picture and the other factors that may be at play, if things aren’t going exactly how we expect/would like them to be.

449. I really enjoyed reading your article Anne and the way your blog was expressed in such playfullness. As an observation what you have said is so true as I have found over the many years of being sometimes a patient and sometimes a carer ‘waiting’ for a patient. In these past several years, the waiting period has shown to be more fulfilling if having made the choice to take one of Serge Benhayon’s purple books to read – aah! you can make almost any situation more glorious by reading even a paragraph.

450. As one of your patients Anne, I can attest that it is no hardship to wait in your waiting room! I enjoy the break and seeing the people passing through. I admire the work you, and your colleagues, do so much – it is constant and demanding. I never see you being less than gracious with everyone – true patient care.

451. I agree, it is a lovely time being patient in the doctors surgery. The only time that it does become uncomfortable is when you don’t prepare for it.

452. Hello Anne, it doesn’t surprise me that some practitioners are moving away from using the word ‘patients’ and going to ‘client’. When I hear the word patient it seems like it involves some type of care for someone while client has a clinical feel to it and no care needed, it’s more like you just need to give them something or deliver something to them. The quality of the ‘something’ isn’t important as long as it is something. Patient has a one on one feel to it as well and client has more than that, almost like you can choose to be one on one with a patient or you can answer thousands of clients. All from the meanings of words and it shows while you think this is something simple and why does it matter you can see that it does matter and may take you to be a client to remember that we all should be patients. Thank you Anne.

453. Awesome Anne, I never considered that there was a difference between patient and client, but now you have explained it in the brilliant way you have I can see just how much changing our perception can completely turn around a perviously annoying experience to one where you have patience because you understand the need for delays at times, and the invaluable work the doctor is doing for the community as a whole, including you.

454. Great blog Anne. This is very timely for me as I have an appointment tomorrow morning and I have to leave super early to ensure that I get a car park space at the tube station for an hours train journey to my destination. I have two choices, I can pace up and down impatiently, leading to stress and anxiety, or I can take the time out to enjoy being with me, go with flow and just chill. This for me is what being patient, or ‘a patient’ is all about. This can be applied to anything, sitting in a queue of traffic, waiting for a phone call or waiting for your name to be called out at the doctors surgery. Either way patience is a virtue and one we can all apply, if we have the patience!

     1. This is great Sandra, ‘I have two choices, I can pace up and down impatiently, leading to stress and anxiety, or I can take the time out to enjoy being with me, go with flow and just chill’, what a difference, what you have written shows that how we deal with situations and how we feel really is up to us and that we can’t blame anyone else for this.

455. It was really good to read the definition of ‘patient’, i.e. ‘able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious’ and to consider that in relation to how Anne described how she waits, lovingly, and having given herself the space to do so. This really felt like true patience, whereas often people who are outwardly displaying ‘patience’, are in fact just controlling, or managing their anxiousness or annoyance at waiting, so that there are no outward signs of it, so they are just ‘being ‘good’ and ‘polite’, not really patient.

456. To be able to be patient I have to be with myself otherwise I am already busy with the next moment etc etc and getting anxious. I can say that waiting somewhere is still work in progress for me, sometimes I take the opportunity to spend time with myself but there are also times I start to be impatient and mistrusting that my turn will come. Your blog is very inspiring to read and I will definitely will keep it in mind for the next time I will be waiting.

457. Brilliant blog Anne. Opened me up to a whole new perspective of seeing what ‘clients’ and ‘patients’ are like and how much responsibility there actually is to be a true ‘patient’ of someone.

458. Next time I have to wait because a doctor is running late, I will think of the lovely patient he or she is treating and that he/she is getting all the time that is needed in that moment. That it is not about me waiting, but to see the bigger picture and enjoy myself while in the waiting room.

459. Waiting time can be a gorgeous time of just being with ourselves. We can totally ruin it if we become impatient! Thank you Anne for reminding us how important it is to be patient…especially as a patient in the doctor’s waiting room where we are waiting to see someone about our health.

460. I love your perspective from both sides Anne recently as I was setting up my work schedule I was wondering how Doctors manage the 10-15min schedule when dealing with health issues – it made me realise that we do take this for granted.

461. Thank you for your great blog. This needs to be read by millions to stop, prepare, develop understanding, learn patience, know compassion, grow with responsibility that if you are made to wait then possibly there is a reason why.
     I feel the same to be prepared by knowing where I am going and make sure I am supported to accept what ever events may happen. The beauty-full thing about being prepared is there is a likely chance you prevent it from happening, and if it does happen it is easily accepted.
     The next time I go to the doctors I will be prepared thanks to this blog – imagine what a great patient you will be for the doctor too.

462. What I most love about this blog Anne when I read it was the presentation that being patient requires preparation and support, and that when we support ourselves in this way, that there is less room for impatience and much more room for understanding. I have not yet mastered patience consistently, however your blog has given me a lot to ponder on in order to support this development – thank you…

463. I really enjoyed this blog Anne taken from your own perspective as a Doctor and a Patient. I don’t mind waiting if there are a few recent Home ——— Magazines it can be enjoyable. I realise that the Doctor is not enjoying a break at my expense and I’m sure she would prefer to be on time and finish her day earlier also. In the past I have also been kept waiting for what seemed like an excessive amount of time but with good reason I am sure, I may have been the cause of someone else’s long wait too . The answer as you said seems to be prepared to wait and if not great.

464. What a lovely insight from both the doctor and patient perspective. It always helps my level of patience to have a deeper understanding. I realised that if we know that we will have to wait, we may as well make the most of it. As the patient or ‘sufferer’ we could well make use of this waiting time to contemplate and feel what is going on in our body that has brought us to the doctor, so the healing process is already well under way when the wait finally comes to an end.

465. I enjoyed your light-hearted blog Anne and it was great to hear the doctor’s side of the story. I have been at times an impatient patient in a waiting room feeling angry with doctors who habitually run late and wondering why they didn’t have a more efficient receptionist who could schedule appointments so that people didn’t have to wait unduly – or at least better magazines to read! I now enjoy my waiting periods and the sense of space they provide and your blog has helped bring me more understanding for the doctor – and I’ve noticed it can often be the more caring ones that run late.

466. I enjoyed reading this article Anne. My GP nearly always runs over the allotted ‘patient’ time but I know this is because he is taking care of the patient or patients ahead of me. I also know that when it is my turn he will take equal care of me and the health problem I am sharing with him. When I make an appointment it is an opportunity to be a patient patient.

467. This is a wonderful perspective on the word patient, it can be no coincidence that the word has that double meaning, and that we as patients often have to wait to be seen. Waiting is something we have become less accepting off in modern life, as it is a time without distractions. I often find that I can really take stock of how I feel in a waiting room as there is nothing else to take me away from where I am.

     1. Made me ponder on the possibility that the longer we are kept in the waiting room the more grace are we given to wind down and reflect how to move forward from where we are at any given moment.

     2. Great point, Stephen, that without all the distractions of modern life, we are left with ourselves. No wonder we don’t like it! And how lovely it feels to re-imprint that, and enjoy just being with us.

468. There is great advice here, and not only about how to practise patience (as a patient at a practice) – but also about the importance of appreciation and understanding!
     All of these simple actions are part of common decency and respect and we will be well served if many come across these words!

469. Thanks Anne, I really enjoyed your blog. Being a nurse by profession, although not working in the medical industry for some years now, I never actually thought about the word ‘patient’. But what a beautiful word, especially as you’ve given it new meaning. The understanding you’ve applied to it has presented it in a quality that offers such a holding and support. The whole ‘waiting room’ experience feels so nurturing. I almost can’t wait to be sitting back in one waiting for my Doctor. Next time I visit someone in the hospital I will remember to offer them this new understanding of being a patient. I’m sure if they feel what I feel it may facilitate their healing and recovery.

470. I find the waiting time at my doctors a great time to be with myself and reflect on I what I need to discuss and express with her. I truly appreciate the time and attention she gives to me knowing full well that she gives this same time and attention to all her patients. For me a consultation with her is always such an open and equal exchange that it is well worth waiting for.

471. Thank you Anne. Interesting article. Your article highlights the care our doctors give to each person. My surgery is a busy one and if I have to wait a while I know the doctor will give me as much time as is needed just like everyone else they are seeing.

472. That was fun Anne. I get the patient thing and am inspired by the way you prepare yourself for appointments that will probably require you to be ‘patient’. If I have a client, I ask how I can be of help and what they would like me to do for them. So as a professional that my ‘client’ is employing, I do the ‘hearing and obeying’ (to a point).

473. Anne I love the lightness and playful manner of your exposition. Experience tells me to be prepared when I have an appointment to see a busy healthcare practitioner and in that, I can take something to do whilst I wait ‘patiently’ and with no expectations of how long that may be or the consultation takes – I am caring for myself

474. Interesting to ponder on the true meaning of the word ‘patient’ and maybe how my level of patience could reflect on how I spend that time waiting – and potentially my suffering and what energy I take in with me when I walk into the consulting room..

     I now always take something to do when I go to the dentist, he always runs late, sometimes though not enough to finish my jobs! I do know however that he will always take the time to answer my questions , I never feel short changed.

475. A great topic to shed light on, thank you Anne. A copy of your article would be invaluable to have, in all areas where patients have to be patient.

476. An invitation to observe how we are when waiting to be attended to by our doctor or other services. How do I prepare for an appt? What expectations do I have in attending that appt? How flexible am I prepared to be? Is it easy to stay connected or do I separate and invest in the stories that start to happen in my head? Great blog Anne. I loved your perspective considering all of the loving things we can incorporate for ourselves which build a nurturing and caring environment and experience, which then flows on to everyone else. It is all in the quality of the choices we make, the more loving the choice (including the reflection and preparation) the more loving the experience.

477. Thanks Anne, great blog I really enjoyed reading this and especially considering what it actually means to be a patient. It opens up what going to the doctor is all about and a great reminder that our doctors are caring for the whole community not just “Me”.

478. This is such a great observation Anne as it is something we take for granted. Yet another example of significance of the true meaning of words. It just goes to show how by ignoring the true meaning so often it enables one to be in disregard, while responding to the true meaning we are brought back to responsibility.

     1. Hi Jonathan, I can really feel the truth in what you have said here about how understanding the true meaning of words can bring us back to responsibility and how by not honouring the true meaning of words we are being lazy and uncaring about the truth of the situation and our part in it. Thank you.

479. Thank you Anne for this lovely experience from both sides of the fence. It has made me appreciate that I have a choice as a patient – to stay with myself – allow the time I have and know that the doctor will offer me a level of care equal to the last person if I allow it and don’t walk into the treatment room with the anxiousness of having waited so long to see them.

480. I just met a young woman at the local pool who was telling me about a stroke she had about a year ago and the effect it had on her right arm and leg. She too was talking about how her and patience have become much better friends since this happened. As she was sharing and telling me about all of her changes, along with those made by her friends and family since her stroke, I got to feel the absolute blessing this whole experience had been. When we look at the bigger picture, everything has so much more meaning.

     1. Thank you for sharing Vicky, it made me appreciate that there is always a different perspective to any situation.

481. This is a good tip Anne – very practical – I become quite surrendered on the rare occasion I need to see a doctor – I’m not so keen on the sound of others coughing too much though – something for me to ponder on and bring more awareness to.

482. Top blog Anne. Recently I had to go and see my GP. Whilst in the ‘waiting room’ I witnessed the tension, stress and impatience of some people because they had to wait past their allocated time. This is a great line and one that could change everyone’s perspective. “Perhaps the doctor’s waiting room would have a different feeling, if we realised why it was called that, and prepared for and enjoyed waiting there!” For me, it was a time to just relax, be with myself and reflect on some of my issues.

     1. That question does make such a difference Tim, great to highlight it. How different it would be if everyone enjoyed their time waiting, a time to rest a bit, a time to talk a bit, a time to ponder. Valuable moments in a busy world.

     2. I too can relate to sitting in a room with other women waiting to undergo further testing at a breast clinic and the tension was very palpable. I now have a deeper understanding of what this time can offer and the opportunity to address how I have lived that may have contributed up to this point that I needed the medical intervention or investigation.

     3. I agree with you, universallivinguk, the time spent in the waiting room can be a wonderful chance to just relax and be with myself. I hardly ever now feel the need to be doing/reading something to fill in the time. I enjoy that chance to be connected with me. I guess I have learned to develop patients/patience.

     4. It’s certainly made me reflect on how I am when I visit the doctor and what a space the waiting room provides, previously I would get in and get out as quick as possible. Seeing myself as more important than the other characters in the room. Yet never fully connecting with the complexities the doctors are helping people through or the same uncomfortable feeling many others find themselves in as I am sure the doctors waiting room is one of the few places people have to stop – in ours there is no mobile signal so it’s really an opportunity to connect to ourselves.

483. I used to be very impatient and hate those long waits for doctors and dentists. Reading your blog has reminded me of how much I have changed. I didn’t used to like myself very much so liked to be distracted to not feel what was really going on with me. These days I love myself so if I have to wait it is a gorgeous opportunity to spend time with me and I enjoy that! I also prepare myself as you have described which is very supportive. However, I do still get a bit antsy at times if I have to wait somewhere with too much noise and TV and all the other things that I find very imposing in waiting rooms and perhaps are there to keep people distracted.

484. This is great Doctor Anne Mallat and I did laugh when you say that the doctor is not in there filing her fingernails. Well in the past, my mind would make up all sorts of stories as to why they take so long with a patient.
     Thanks for the dictionary definitions and where the words come from. It sure brings another flavour to all this client and patient stuff. I personally have not had to be a doctor patient for the past 6 years but I do attend all my mothers hospital appointments to support her. It really is like an adventure and we plan the journey, take our food and allow for the day to unfold without any agenda. We both love people so we always find the time to talk and because we are not in a hurry, waiting around is no big deal.
     The bonus is my mother is not full of tension and anxiety and the doctors do comment on her state of being. The fact or shall I say miracle is we get to have ‘quality’ time together, whilst we are waiting for the doctor and in most cases that’s a long time.

485. Anne thank you for deconstructing these words, it’s so revealing to see what we have accepted by these definitions alone. Even greater that you are a doctor and can speak from being a patient and seeing a patient. Could it be that the act of waiting brings a stop that allows us a brilliant opportunity to reflect on how we have been living to date. Embracing it in the way you have shows your willingness to look at the bigger picture and unpick the accepted norms.

486. We should use your blog for the waiting area in A&E, it is normally filled with frustration, anger, self centeredness and it would be great for all to be reminded that the staff is working with other people and doing their best to be quick while giving the best care. It is also great to know that you are going to be waiting, and prepare for that, as some people come with babies and not even have any food for them, when it is known that in A&E you might be waiting up to 4 hours. So preparation is important, and knowing you are going to wait. I feel some people get so nervous and upset because waiting means being with yourself, and being still, and that is apparently unbearable for some, and not only children.

487. It is so true – waiting can either be a pleasant or unpleasant experience depending on how we approach it. I had been an impatient patient for many years, getting totally stressed out having to wait and then even more stressed that I am running late for my next commitment. When it eventually dawned on me that I could take it as an opportunity to have some quiet time with myself it totally turned the experience on its head.

488. I loved reading this Anne, I have often found the actual time of 10-15 minutes with a doctor as not being enough and I have to write down what I want to discuss otherwise things get missed. Sometimes it feels like speed doctoring as the clock is ticking and there’s so much that needs to be said, so it makes sense to me how doctors can so easily run behind.

489. I so enjoyed what you have shared with us Anne – I feel a copy of this article on any busy practice waiting room table/wall would benefit all those patients who are not so patient. Perhaps even to reconsider their choice of expectation of a service provided where a wait is inevitable.

490. Such a great post, Anne, Thankyou. Having no expectations about the length of time I will wait helps greatly when I sit in a waiting room. Taking a book, looking at a magazine or just enjoying time to be still makes a difference to how I am when with the doctor/ practitioner. I too used to call my clients ‘clients’. As a former nurse it took me a while to stop calling them patients when I became a complementary therapist. On reading your blog I shall ponder on calling them patients again!

491. I like it Anne. I too use my waiting time as some stop time. It is like a break from the momentum of the day, an opportunity to sit and be still. My current experience is that the more I am open and prepared to be patient and wait, usually the less I actually have to wait!

492. Hear Hear Anne Malatt! “Because I allowed time and space for waiting, I did not find it a pressure, a burden, an imposition, and did not feel at all frustrated or cross. In fact, I even had a nap in a very comfy chair.”
     I loved this. Thank you so much for sharing and exposing the irony of it all, and I am also learning about “patient care”- I may have to have a giggle about that next time.
     Wow – A whole different way to look at being a patient, and appreciating receiving care. This article should be read by all.

493. A great article Anne. I have thought the same for a long time too, that we become patient’s to learn all about patience. This is mainly about learning patience in ourselves as often we can become frustrated, even angry with ourselves when our bodies are not doing the things that they used to be able to do. Working in a hospital I see patient’s who want to be out of hospital as soon as they get there, to only return again a short time later often even sicker than when they first got there. It’s a very caring thing to be patient with ourselves and give ourselves the time and the space that we need when seeing a health professional.

494. Thank you Anne, this is gorgeous. The grace with which I can feel you wait patiently in the waiting room is inspiring, and how lovely it is to take the time to prepare for that waiting time seeing it as an opportunity to actually have some lovely time with ourselves, instead of getting frustrated, impatient and putting ourselves — and then others, including our doctor — in a bad mood!

495. I loved the way you have expanded the meaning of client and patient Anne. Coming from the human services and health backgrounds, I feel that ‘patient’ much more truly describes the people we call ‘clients ‘in the human services. Sometimes those we work with in the welfare sector are not ready, or choose not to make more loving and responsible choices about the way they live and it is the workers who need to be patient! Without being patient and bringing understanding, we can impose on others and treat a person as if they ‘under the protection and patronage’ of their social worker. I also loved how you have expanded the experience of ‘waiting’. Both patience and waiting go hand in glove and you have expressed them beautifully Anne. Thank you

496. What a beautiful way to be a patient patient. It just shows with a willingness to understand we can change how we experience the world.

497. This is great Anne, thank you. I have found that when I prepare myself in the manner you have described I too very much enjoy myself in waiting rooms and feel no need to be anywhere else either. It certainly brings a different quality to most waiting rooms I have experienced over the years.

498. Thank you Anne for such a beautiful article on the art of being a patient “patient”. The way you changed an impatient outlook to one of understanding is simple for anyone to do. I for one will be trying your approach as I too am impatient. Also you have provided me with an insight into those I keep waiting…I am the cause of others (my patients and family) having to wait for me and hence suffering with impatience!
     You have given us much to reflect on.

499. Anne I found it very interesting to read the definitions of patient versus client. I used to feel being called a patient was demeaning but you have opened by eyes to a whole new way of viewing the term patient and deepened my understanding of the need to be patient when in a doctors waiting room.

500. I love the practical wisdom that you share here Anne, particularly in the sharing of how you ‘take the opportunity to have time and space to be with me’. If we do not give ourselves these precious moments throughout our day, how can we possibly be prepared for whatever is needed in the next moment.

501. Great blog Anne, waiting in the waiting room for a doctors or dental appointment has never been a big deal for me as it is the only time I ever get to flick through mindless magazines shamelessly. From reading your very entertaining blog I have concluded that I would rather be sitting waiting for a doctor or medical practitioner who is caring enough to give each patient the time and focus they need than be rushed in and out by someone running by the clock.

502. Love what you have shared here Anne. At my doctors clinic appointments are usually delayed, so I also prepare myself to have to wait. Your lovely waiting room sounds great especially with the relaxing music.

     1. I agree Lynda. Anne’s waiting room certainly feels like a space that will make being a patient so much more enjoyable. And like you, I am always prepared to wait.

503. Patient patients. Love it. But I also appreciate your exploration of the meaning of the word, and the depth of understanding this brings. I will take the opportunity to reflect on what chain of events has brought me to the waiting room next time I’m there … even if it is a simple check-up that is pause for consideration, because it is an act of self-nurture and care. I usually enjoy the moment for reflection that the pause in my day offers.

504. I love this blog Anne. It has made me think about the word ‘patient’ and how this relates to waiting in a waiting room for an appointment with a GP. What I realize is that this waiting time, in the waiting room actually forces a person to sit down, and stop- which might require a lot of patience, particularly if we may be used to always being on the go, but it is a great opportunity to put the breaks on and even reflect what has brought them to the point of having to see a GP for a medical condition. And also, being patient with ourselves, offers an opportunity ourselves to nuture and off load the pressure and expectations, we may be putting ourselves in or living with. So much in this word, its use in terms of the relationship to a medical practitioner and its relevance to our inner health.

505. Great informative blog Anne, thanks for your patience in putting it together.
     My best preparation when waiting, is an expectation to receive my allotted time yet, having NO expectation that my Doctor / Nurse is running to time.
     Giving myself space in my Diary following the appointment, I take a Serge Benhayon book and make it an enjoyable rather than a ‘hurry up’ occasion.

506. Anne, I love this, I never knew what a patient meant or the difference between client and patient. And I love the idea you’re bringing here that if we prepare for the wait and see it as a space to be with us, it’s not a burden, I know when I’ve approached it like that, it somehow flows, even the waiting. And the idea that we’re part of a wider whole, that it’s not just us, but a wider community and if we can let go, and trust and feel that we will be attended to, there is so much anxiousness we can just drop. I see how this applies in other wider areas too, how we can all approach anything we do but seeing it as not just about us but the wider community, that would change a lot. That we are part of a whole, all of us equally.

507. Gorgeous Anne I love the sense in your words that these waiting times are not hindrances, but opportunities to appreciate and savour who we really are. God is certainly patient with us all as we make choices and live our lives. So it’s like being patient is becoming in tune with God in our way.

508. I have worked in a medical practice and attitudes and perceptions around waiting can be an enormous pressure for all of the staff. I have seen a patient arrive early for their appointment and get very angry when he had not been seen and it was still five minutes before his appointment time. I have seen many patients turn up early or late for appointments and want to be seen right away, even when they have missed their appointment slot altogether. Many times as the manager I had to go out to speak with irate patients about having to wait, ask them not to abuse the front desk staff and this was with a sign on the wall explaining, as Anne has, that complex cases can present and in order to provide the highest level of care unfortunately the practitioners can run late but rest assured your practitioner will attend to your care with the same dedication as soon as possible. What Anne has written is such a beautiful composition for patients attending medical waiting rooms as it opens up waiting as part of the healing process. No one likes to wait but surrendering to it can lessen the tension for everyone- especially the practitioner who can feel the emotions and pressure from an impatient patient in the waiting room if they are running late.

     1. Good point Deanne…if the patient is walking into the doctors office full of emotion from waiting, what kind of a consult will they receive? And the stress from this is only impacting whatever the issue is that they are seeing the doctor for…ironic really because the stress we create for ourselves through being inpatient is so counterproductive to our health.

509. There is a big push in midwifery to call patients clients, that patient denotes a sickness which pregnancy is not. Seeing this though, the meaning of client is not so fitting either. I think I will avoid terminology to describe women full stop. This is showing me it is a good idea to understand the meaning of words before you automatically use them.

510. I love what you share Anne. How ‘patient’ we are definitely depends on our expectations. When we have given ourselves little time for the appointment, even waiting 5 minutes feels like an eternity and we go into our appointment feeling agitated. If we are prepared to wait, the wait is no bother, and it can even be enjoyable to have some time to stop.

511. Thank you Anne – I love the way you have shared this point and it is a great question to ask.

     Your writing made me laugh and as I was reading it, I felt like I was being taken through a story and it was easier to feel the care in preparation you took around waiting. What a lovely opportunity for us all to have sometime to just be. It just goes to show that we can find these moments, prepare for them and make the most of them in our day if we so choose.

     Also I agree- I much prefer the word patient because of the meaning- as I too have not really been one to be ‘hearing and obeying’.

512. I find waiting a very reflective time, time to reconsider just how the problem is connected to any actions and the part I have played. An important part of the healing process.

513. I am a patient patient. I enjoyed your blog and agree that it is up to us how we choose our own experience of being the patient.

514. Anne, the understanding you have offered us here of the word patient and being a patient is beautiful. I have come across this ‘debate’ over whether to call people requiring the medical service a patient or a client and even the business advice that it is better to call the person a ‘client’, partly because the word was interpreted as ‘ill’ rather than requiring of medical care and this may be confronting, although in many cases the person is ill and a moment to reflect on this
     (while waiting) may be part of the healing. I also felt the business advice to call patients clients was about making money – I suppose here ‘client’ is fitting as the advice was to obey or hear about more services so the client would spend more and increase the revenue of the medical practice.

515. I had a fantastic doctor once that was so thorough and attentive that each consult was quite long. All of her patients were extremely accepting of waiting room delays because we knew the people ahead of us were also receiving the same thorough, expert and dedicated care we had also come to experience. We all shared a common knowledge of this and were actually quietly joyous in delays (of an hour or more) because she was such an incredible doctor. That joy was also in part knowing others ahead of us were receiving that same great care. It was a joy to see this doctor and support her in her care of all of her patients.

     1. Melinda, That’s beautiful!

516. Such a playful way to talk about something that everybody experiences and gets annoyed with. As a patient myself I am understanding that sometimes people need more time or care as I have been in this situation myself. I used to say I didn’t mind but still feel resentful that I was then ‘running late’ for something else. Like you Anne, I now leave plenty of time and understand fully when Doctors aren’t running to time and appreciate when they are.

517. Thank you for sharing this insight Anne. I too have had some lovely experiences of being a patient and also some less than lovely experiences being an impatient when I have tried to fit medical appointments into a busy day on a tight timeline. Allowing the space to be a patient feels like another way to care for oneself and support our own health.

     1. A beautiful comment Lee, I too have had both experiences of being a great patient and an impatient one. You are right that by allowing the space to be a patient, patient… it is another way to care for oneself.

518. Thank You Anne, waiting rooms have always been a little bête noir of mine, most likely an arrogant hangover from my alternative medicine days, with a residual resentment to the ‘medical machine’ that took no apparent notice of time, bookings, and kept its own schedule, and it is great to take a breath and have the opportunity to reconfigure my experience. I will henceforth go prepared and patient, unto the waiting room ☺

     1. Thank you Chris. You may be interested to know that I have played a great deal of different styles of music in my waiting rooms over the years.
        I now only play one, and that is The Music Suite by Chris James – http://www.chrisjames.net/cds-products.html
        It is absolutely amazing, and allows everyone to just be themselves, and drop more deeply into their bodies – including my staff and me. I highly recommend it.
        You have already reconfigured the waiting room experience for many, many people.

519. I had no idea or even thought about the clear defference between the two – client and patient. I like how you’ve pointed out how you are when you are waiting (all prepared for it).. Now when we go to the doctors we can go ‘yep I’m a patient and I’m just going to have to be patient’ haha

520. Wow! Anne – I so enjoyed reading your article -so many little truths and ah ha moments and I could not keep the smile from my face while reading it. Thank You.

521. Hi Anne, thank you for another awesome blog. I am very inspired by the loving and deeply caring way you support yourself when you are in a situation where you may have to wait. I also love the insight and understanding you have presented on the doctors role and that they care for each of their patients equally.

522. Very insightful Anne, and i wonder whether these wonderful insights came to you whilst you were waiting patiently?!! If so, then just shows what pearls can come through and grace when we give ourselves a moment to just stop, and be. And enjoy being patient – as a patient. Ha ha.

523. I love what you are offering here Anne – the opportunity to appreciate the space that ‘waiting’ affords. What we do with this space says a lot of where we are at with ourselves. Do we fill it with frustration or fill it with our full selves, making use of this pocket of quiet? I feel this is not even a matter of developing tolerance but more a case of allowing a full and resounding acceptance to what is being offered when we let ourselves be with ourselves and be able to wait patiently. Gold.

     1. This is gold Liane…’the opportunity to appreciate the space that ‘waiting’ affords. What we do with this space says a lot of where we are at with ourselves.’
        And what are we missing out on when we sit in our ‘stuff’ as opposed to accepting how it is in those moments of patiently waiting. What if the time that we are waiting is the perfect constellation for us to see and feel whatever is there to be with? And what would happen if we took the focus away from ourselves to look & feel a bit wider in the room, we may see a whole new perspective?

524. When you explain the difference meaning between client and patients it makes so much sense why the doctors refer to us as their patients. Thank-you for sharing this from a Doctors point of view. I agree if I accept when going to an appointment to allow plenty of time and not try to squeeze it in between other things that I want to do then there is no undue pressure I have put on myself and it gives me the opportunity to just be or I can use that time to do something which can be done while sitting in the waiting room. I know when I go in to see my Doctor or other health care practitioner that I appreciate not feeling rushed in and out and the time that they take to attend to my needs.

525. Doctors and nurses do a really amazing job and yes they must be patient to, I am sure they have many different types of personalities to deal with. What I also felt reading your blog was how it is really important for all of us to know how to truly care for ourselves, so yes see a doctor or nurse to check a sign or symptom or to get medication but don’t leave our self-love and self-care at the door (so to speak!). If we take care of ourselves it makes life so much easier … and helps with our patience to. : )

526. Anne I have experienced both sides of the spectrum from being frustrated having to wait despite the appointment to enjoying the time having nothing to do for a while. Recently I needed clarification from my dentist before starting a treatment and she offered me time between patients although I was not scheduled. I appreciated her care and time while conscious that someone was waiting for their turn. It put the patient-doctor relationship in a new perspective.

527. Thanks for a sharing on both parties Anne. I’ve always felt it is an important part of caring and service to another that we receive the same treatment/conditions as our clients, customers, patients and passengers.
     It is true that being prepared for a wait to see a professional can be integrated into the day. Mostly I enjoy taking all of me and being with me in this time, (as I wouldn’t just sit down at home and spend time with me and nothing else, mmm… I need to ponder on why I don’t do this). The funny thing is the more relaxed I am about being a patient patient the waiting time is much shorter. I love this!

528. You crack me up Anne! Bout time you wrote another article! So light and yet straight down to business. I’m getting so much better at preparing myself to be anywhere at any time for any length of time. What I have taken on board to add another layer is allowing for delay. It’s no surprise that by living to the dot of a timeline I have lost my license for 3 months. I now have public transport to contend with on a daily basis which at times feels like a never ending waiting room. Learning to allow more time or rather accept that things may not fall into my boxed out schedule is my absolute learning for this next period. It’s only been 2 weeks of not having my car, but I have to say I’m enjoying it for the most part. This new circumstance is requiring me to be even more organised and more prepared for surprises, which is helping me learn patience and understanding, something I have been a little slow to get…

529. Interesting to now know the meaning of these words and I know over the years of visiting the hospital I learnt that the best way is to go prepared to wait. I treat it as a date with myself and go with food, drink, cushion and anything else that will support me. I have understood that if I am dealing with a doctor or consultant who is responsive to all my needs and offers a personal service, which I hugely appreciate, then this will be the case for every other person they see resulting in appointment times often going a little squiffy. Therefore what is necessary for a stress free wait is patience. Thank you Anne for a light blog.

530. That is such a great way to look at it Anne. These days I too enjoy waiting although I don’t get the opportunity to do too much of it. The enjoyment is in the preparation, taking refreshments and little tasks one usually might not get a chance to attend to. I love how you have reminded us that we are not the only ones waiting to see the doctor and we have no idea of what their day has been like, who or what they may have had to wait for. I know my appreciation of the medical service has greatly increased knowing that here in the U.K especially doctors are faced with huge workloads, tight budgets and a great deal of responsibility. I too would much rather be a patient than a client. Waiting can be fun and restful, obeying seems rather lack luster and hard work!

531. I loved reading this blog Anne. I used to stress myself out waiting in the doctors surgery and often had to wait for an hour or more, running late for work or feeling plain sick and miserable. Now I rarely have to wait for a doctor and if I do it is always an enjoyable experience because I appreciate the time I have to reflect while I wait.

     Stress is cited as a contributing factor in many illnesses and being patient as a patient is a great medicine.

532. Beautiful article Anne, I totally agree, it’s how we approach the appointment, and knowing that waiting is part of the picture, appreciating what the doctor is doing while you wait – not filing their nails, but tending to other patients with often complex health issues and worries.

533. Anne, I love how you have shared the difference between patient and client. Yes, I now agree with you, I would rather be referred to as a patient. It actually now feels like a really lovely word, particularly as I have now come to be quite a patient person. I used to be upset if I had to wait a very long time at a doctor’s surgery, but I came to realise that the doctor has no real control over being late. Emergencies do happen, and the doctor has to deal with those when they occur. If it was an emergency with me, I would expect to be seen quickly, so why should I not be understanding that that is what can occur with others. Over the years I have learned to be quite prepared for the possibility that I may have to wait for some time, and may take something with me such as a little book to read as I wait ‘patiently’.

534. HI Anne, the beauty of this is amazing. I love the grace unto which it is written. So often we expect or even demand the doctor to be on time because we are usually always so pushed for time ourselves. Time is something that many people are fighting against because of how much we try and fit into a day. I really love how you have shared your perspective of being a doctor and the insight I now have from what’s going on behind that door of the doctor’s room. I can feel a deeper level of appreciation for doctors that has happened from reading your blog. Thank you

535. Yes Anne, it helps to be prepared for the possible wait, knowing I may wait some time, and not having too tight a schedule that day so as to allow flexibility. The stop gives us a chance to be with ourselves, it is then our choice to be patient and harmonious and so leave an energy of harmony for subsequent patients.

536. Love this Anne and you have inspired me to have a different approach to future appointments. Thank you.

537. Well this has given me a new understanding. Despite the reference that may be used in regards to ourselves, I feel there is always a choice as to whether I am the patient or client.

538. What an interesting blog Anne, I had never really considered the difference between the two but it is true…I am not very good at obeying either. I love the understanding you brought to the doctor role… “The doctor is caring for a whole community of people, of which we are a part, and when our turn comes, she will devote the same level of care and attention to us.” This has definitely been my experience and it has been wonderful. My doctor and the reception staff at the surgery are amazing people who work for us, their community, juggling a myriad of issues both mental and physical. Thank you for the reminder.

539. I love your angle Anne on being “a patent” … “So I shall continue to be a patient, and to wait patiently for the great care my doctors and all the medical staff provide.” Amen to that!

540. I love this blog Anne and your presentation of the word patient, as in waiting patiently as a doctors patient. The differences in meaning of Patient and Client are most thought provoking and maybe in my own clinic it is time clients are referred to as patients.
     My husband has just come out of hospital from quite major surgery and is now having to learn to be a ‘patient patient’ with his healing at home as much as he had to be in the hospital!

541. Hello Anne and a topic well worth discussing. It is great to have a Doctor be on the other end of the ‘waiting room’ as it brings an understanding to you and everyone of how this can affect people. It is great that you have opened up our ‘waiting rooms’ to consider others and bring understanding. A Doctor maybe late but they are caring for others, so more understanding there needed. You have introduced another interesting thing for me, in that I am similar to you when I know I will need to wait for an appointment I go prepared and in that way, no frustration, no rush, no problems. So if we are frustrated in someones ‘waiting rooms’ are we frustrated at them or does the frustration come for us to see that we knew something prior but didn’t prepare ourselves? There is a lot of self responsibility in this article and next time I am a patient I will be patient. Thank you Anne.

542. Waiting can be a time out from the normal day routine, extra time so to speak we otherwise wouldn´t have or take. We can choose to be annoyed and under pressure as it is just another point on our to do list or we can enjoy the space it provides to be with ourselves, let go of other obligations for however long it may last. Besides the time factor I like the acceptance aspect of patient/suffering as it is in acceptance of what is that we can open up to what is needed to heal and willingly and actively participate in the process instead of being a moody victim expecting someone or something to just take away the discomfort we have created in the first place.

543. Anne, I love your ponderings on the difference between ‘patients’ and ‘clients’. Yes we do indeed need to be patient when waiting to see a doctor. I love this play on words and the fact that it is true!

544. I’ve never really seen the whole ‘patient’ and ‘client’ thing in this way before. But it makes a lot of sense to remain patient as if we are going to the Doctors in the first place, chances are getting more worked up, annoyed and stressed about waiting isn’t going to help matters much, for ourselves or the Doctor trying to help us. If anything it may extend our time with them as we try to calm down once again, making the next person wait. Thank you Anne for this take on being a patient.

545. What you have shared , Anne , is fabulous and thought provoking. I have tended to call the people we visit at home “clients” as have always felt the word patient indicates a form of helplessness. I am going to rethink this and will share your blog with the team I work with for discussion.
     Thank you

546. This is such a beautiful blog and next time I am in a waiting room, I will think of these words and enjoy myself in full. We have made waiting into something negative and stressful, while it is such a loving opportunity to just be with ourselves and have a moment. Something quite rare in how we live at the moment…

     1. It is interesting that while waiting we often feel like our time is wasted. We know we are going to wait, that’s why there are waiting rooms, so why do we not prepare to wait? In the internet age of iPads and laptops if we are really so busy we can bring work with us to do while we wait, or alternatively, take the time to rest and relax.

     2. Very true Mariette. We have definitely made ‘waiting’ into something we want to avoid, whereas it’s a perfect opportunity to simply stop and be with ourselves. Waiting can actually be a big blessing.

547. Thank you an for sharing this so very different view on being a patient. This is truly inspirational. Having worked as a secretary at a hospital for many years, I often had to mediate between doctors and patients: the only way to honor both is for all involved to bring understanding and respect for the other – as you have outlined so well.

     1. It is so important Michael, to bring understanding for both the patients and the doctor which Anne has related in this beautiful article. She also brings responsibility to the situation as well and makes it very practical and real and above all about people first. Very Beautiful, than you Anne!

548. That felt like a bed time story Anne. You should write small books for the patients to read while waiting for your awaiting care.

     1. Wow Matts now that is a cool suggestion.

549. This is a great observation, and description of how being patient all has to do with the presence in the moment. Taking enough time to wait makes a beautiful time to be with yourself.

     1. And I feel that it brings a better resonance to the word patient as well. In my world the word patient is not considered a good word to those in need of care but this sharing brings another aspect to it.

550. How beautiful Anne – to hear about you as a patient with patience. It is really lovely to take that extra time off and not be stressed whilst waiting for your appointment – I love the spaciousness of it.

551. It’s true what you say Anne, at my local doctor’s clinic, appointment times are never met. I can see how having a different perspective to waiting and preparing for it would make such a difference to the experience, making it purposeful and even enjoyable. Thank you for giving us greater insight into the doctor’s perspective.

552. I really enjoyed learning the origins of the words ‘patient’ and ‘client’ and the chance to ponder on the meaning of being a patient and being patient and how this can be prepared for so as to reduce suffering. Thank you for the great blog.

553. What I feel is that many doctors surgeries are not set up to be this way, they are often uncomfortable places that don’t feel welcoming, wouldn’t it be great if they could be made to feel more supporting for all people who are waiting to be cared for and supported and the staff who work there. I feel it’s important we all reflect this to one another, allowing ourself time and space, in all walks of life, not just doctors surgeries.

     1. This is the realisation that I had Gyl after reading Anne’s blog. Emergency departments and many doctors surgeries are not set up to support us to wait. Imagine a beautifully supportive waiting room where when you are called to be seen you may offer someone else to go before you because you are enjoying the wait so much.

554. I have often pondered on the word ‘patience’ and have thoroughly enjoyed reading your blog Anne. When I don’t put myself under pressure I can be patient and my body opens up and I feel at one with the world.

555. I agree Anne it feels great to be prepared for the inevitable wait at the doctors or dentists, whether we chose to catch up on things or simply sit and just wait. I suppose we could see it as one of those moments that we could schedule in for ourselves every now and again – but all too often consider ourselves too busy to do so! In which case it’s rather ironic to think that we should get upset if there is a wait.

556. I love your playful exploration of the Patient Client conundrum as it is one that has caught my attention and left me wondering what the difference is. I feel that I would also prefer to be a patient and will heed your tips on preparing for the waiting room. Thank you for sharing.

     1. I agree Beverley- her playful expression was lovely and a joy to read.

557. Thank you Anne for sharing how being a patient can be without reaction and you have practiced yourself to be a patient patient. For my control could get in the way. I wanted to be out the waiting room at specific times and found it difficult to accept if things went different. Accepting more what is there really helped as did the loving preparing choices you also made.

558. I am a doctor, and I have not been a patient person. This line really stood out for me and could easily relate. In the past I have been most put out and impatient for having to wait more than 15 mins at the hospital, always focused on the next thing after the appointment. But just like you, I changed that and now prepare for having to wait, and enjoy just being with myself, and the stop moment it creates.

559. I love your light and witty blog Anne and i agree completely. I used to be rushed and therefore impatient on having to wait for longer then 15 minutes. But I now come prepared, keep my schedule open and take the time to read up on something or to just take some time to be still and present with myself. I have a deep respect for the hard work and caring service doctors provide and am always appreciating when a docter takes the time to listen and be with me instead of trying to get me out the door asap! I wish this for every patient and therefore do not become impatient anymore 🙂

560. What I felt reading your blog was the understanding we also have to have for the patients that often when they go to the doctor there has been already so much suffering that there is little to enjoy and everything is turned against it. So we should understand medicine to be a support for our wellbeing, maintaining us healthy and vital instead of the fixing institution for a dysfunctional body. Then it will be even more fun and joy to be in the waiting room connecting with other people.

561. I love your blog Anne, so much fun to read. I’d rather be a patient too, but not from the suffering but from the deep love I have for myself and seeing a doctor is part of my self-caring support for my body. I go to the doctor not because I suffer, but because I appreciate the support offered to me and my body to be in good health and live with true vitality.

562. Beautifully expressed Anne. Not to be flippant here but the irony in this is amusing, we can spend a really long time making ill choices that eventually leads us to the doctors chair and then we get impatient not wanting to wait, wanting a quick fix so that we get to ignore what go us there.

     1. Brilliant observation Caroline! So true. Many accidents and subsequent injuries are the result of being in a rush, which we then need the help of a doctor to heal. But if we are getting impatient as a patient are we not missing the point and just further adding to the harm that we created in the first place? Perhaps the gift on offer in the wait is the pause that it affords.

     2. Good point Caroline, I would add that not only, as you stated, “wanting a quick fix so that we get to ignore what got us there.” but also wanting to rush back to the choices that got us there in the first place.

     3. Spot on Caroline! A ‘waiting room’ is also a ‘reflecting room’…

563. A patient patient is the best kind of patient. When I see some of the medications list of some of the clients I work with it makes me realise the challenge that is there for Doctors to treat patients to the best of their ability. The multi symptomatic patient is becoming quite common and can only increase the stress placed on the doctors in an overburdened health care system. When I attend the Doctors now I go from a place where I consider how well I have looked after myself that may have caused me to need the Doctors support in the first place, this certainly makes me feel more appreciative of the great care I am offered whether I have to wait or not.

564. Anne, as always I really enjoy your writings and the perspective that you bring. In particular I love the very real reminder that you have given us that when we have to wait or there are delays in our visits to the drs or hospital, there is often a just reason for it. And so if we use the time wisely to sit back, not kick against it and wait patiently we are more likely to have an easier and less frustrated experience and our dr gets to see a patient patient in the end ;0)

565. So gorgeous Anne. As a patient – I have had many many times where the waiting process is a gift, a moment (however ‘long’) to be with me, have nowhere to go, no schedule, a time of quiet repose, and a timeless lovely quality of surrender that I appreciate deeply (to the extent that I really must reflect why I am not so present or ‘patient’ the rest of the day and so often at the next thing before I left the one before!!). Our local GP is a gem and offers his presence and open skill to each ‘patient’ – so sitting (patiently enjoying just being) in the waiting room, it is quite lovely to know that the level of care and space being offered to each person is what is needed and no less, no rush or push, very steady and diligent. Definitely worth waiting for. Thank you to all our amazing Doctors for their dedicated service to our communities.

566. Awesome Anne. It is so true what you say about ‘railing’ against waiting, instead of accepting it as part of life. It would be so wonderful if medical clinics could run to appointment times exactly, but this is simply just not the case as people’s medical (and life) problems do not run to a time schedule. I love what you point out about the doctor caring for a community. Perhaps if we all did feel ourselves as part of community more then we would be able to appreciate this fact more – the interconnectedness we all actually have and how one person’s problem really isn’t just one person’s problem. A return to a more community way of living would help society on many counts, including this one.

     1. Well said Amelia. The problems in the world would probably no longer be problems if we considered them to be not just one persons problem. We would then have a much more unified and group/community way of dealing with situations or moments that need addressing. The truth is we do all get affected and this is shown with the many that get affected when offices, schools, surgeries etc run late in their schedules for a variety of reasons.

567. Ha, this is great Anne. My father is in hospital at the moment recuperating after surgery and he has been reminded by a nurse to be patient with himself as his body has been through major bowel surgery. I find it intriguing that the meaning for patient is “able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious” – Im going to send him this blog! : )

568. Thank you Anne for sharing this and bringing understanding of what Drs may be dealing with on a daily basis. When we become impatient and annoyed because a Dr is not running to schedule, we are not seeing the bigger picture and are making it about us rather than seeing how the Dr serves the community as a whole, and that may not fit into 10-15 minute segments of time.

569. This is a great wake up call for us as patients. So often I feel that we see the doctor as just a machine to fix us, and not another human being, worthy of our respect and appreciation. As you rightly said, it is not as though our doctors are in there purposely wasting time. Our doctors need support as much as we do as patients, and something as simple as having patience in the waiting room is the least we can do in this regard.

570. This is lovely Anne, I have always gone to doctors appointments knowing I was going to wait and then got frustrated at waiting! I can see another way here. This would be a great read for anyone waiting impatiently in a waiting room. Have you already sent a copy of this to all your patients?

571. Thank you Anne for such an interesting blog. It actually raises some deeper points about what it means to visit the doctors. The entire process of visiting a medical professional (well before actually getting into the Doctor’s room) can be made to be a very honouring and self-caring process by giving ourselves the time and space to prepare for the medical appointment. I am certain that this supports our healing process.

572. Great article and I love the word patient too. Recently when admitted to hospital I waited patiently for 2 days before being taken to surgery. This time allowed me to simply be with myself, I couldn’t eat or drink, so there where minimal distractions as I lay and wait for what was needed. I was very patient and I am sure the hospital staff appreciated this.

573. This might be a good blog to post in waiting rooms Anne :). I always allow ample time to ‘be patient’ when I go to medical appointments and if the Doctor or Specialist is on time well it’s a welcomed surprise. It is a great point you make though to consider why a Doctor may be running late, and it isn’t going to help our health, or theirs to get annoyed or anxious about something we cannot control. I feel Medical practitioners are doing a remarkable job of keeping up with the increasing numbers of people suffering from illness and diseases. Thank you.

574. Such beautiful insight Anne. When we bring understanding to people and to the true meaning of words we see things in a whole new light.

575. Well that’s a revelation Anne, being a patient patient! How often do we want to get the procedure over and done with even if it is a routine visit to a medical practitioner and get back to lives we have been living instead of welcoming the stop the waiting room gives us. I always intend to get to my appointments early, a first for me if anyone knows me, when I go to the Universal Medicine clinic so I have time to sit and wait in the waiting room. It is an absolute joy to sit in the stillness the space offers me and to feel the harmony, flow and rhythm that exists in this beautiful workplace. Waiting in this waiting room actually becomes part of my treatment and makes me realise that being early for all my appointments is the kind of loving treatment I can give myself everyday.

     1. I like that Suzanne that the waiting is something you can allow and enjoy as part of the process of being the patient. I have an excellent doctors surgery and never get annoyed about waiting as I know all the doctors are top notch professionals and as Anne describes working and will be with me when they can! It is an amazing profession and one that needs to be appreciated.

576. Thanks Anne, some great insight into the meaning and use of those words and how they translate in life. As a complementary health practitioner I used to always use the term patients, but in later years thought it was in some way disempowering, suggestive of an ‘I tell you what to do’ sort of r’ship, and reverted to clients. I will now reconsider as after reading your blog, I would much rather be a patient than a client when you put it the way you have.

577. Great perspective you have shared Anne, the responsibility we can bring as patients, not always at the front of patients’ minds when they are unwell. It is, afterall, not the sole responsibility of the doctor to ‘fix’ or ‘cure’ us from a way of living we have chosen in the first place.

578. That was lovely Anne, a lesson that when we are waiting to see a doctor, at the surgery or in a hospital, there are more of our brothers in humanity, also waiting, and some need more time. It’s such a fine balance between the time allowed, and the number of patients needed to be seen, and we are all equally important. It was beautiful to read how you approach waiting time and appreciate those extra moments when you can just be, rather than do. Thank you for sharing.

579. What a beautiful description of what it means to be a patient, so honouring of the patient. I love it, Anne.

580. Hi Anne, I love the playful nature of this article. I agree that waiting rooms at the doctors surgery are usually full of frustrated, annoyed people, many also not feeling so great which can add to or build on these feelings. I definitely feel patience and understanding is key in making these spaces more harmonious (something your article has offered), and not only that, but in supporting us to feel more harmonious within ourselves – who knows, if this were the case maybe we wouldn’t need to spend so much time visiting the doctor in the first place.

     1. I agree Anna, Anne has set the tone on how waiting rooms can be, playful and harmonious.

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