( CNN ) -- Saint Augustine is thought to have claimed that patience is the companion of wisdom . Increase your store of both virtues by following this advice from a truck driver , a world traveler and others who know a thing or two about serenity-threatening situations . Stop imagining the ideal . I often grow impatient when I want to be in control of a situation . To avoid getting antsy when I am writing and ca n't find specific words for my thoughts , I try to practice self-compassion . I tell myself that I 'm not going to quit even if I become frustrated . I 'll say out loud , `` You 're not perfect , but that 's OK . Writing can be a messy process , and it 's not ideal , but you can handle it . '' Real Simple : How to make positive changes in your life . Talking to yourself may feel awkward and goofy , but it quells that feeling of impatience . And it certainly beats foraging for carbs , which I 'm also apt to do when I 'm agitated and have writer 's block . -- BrenÃ© Brown . Brown is a research professor at the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work and the author of the best-selling book `` Daring Greatly . '' She has given one of the top 10 most-viewed talks on TED.com . Experience different cultures . When you travel the world , you find out that many cultures are n't as punctual and perfectionistic as ours , and encountering those perspectives can mellow you . To work on your patience closer to home , try visiting an area populated by people of a different culture ( such as a city 's Chinatown ) or take part in a festival held by an immigrant community . Real Simple : What to say in awkward social situations . I recently visited a Vietnamese farmers ' market in New Orleans . I was annoyed that it was open only between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. and I wanted to know why . The answer ? I learned that often in cultures dependent on fishing , much of the work is done before daybreak . It was good to remind myself that simply because people do something differently does n't mean that they 're wrong . -- Seth Kugel . Kugel writes the Frugal Traveler column for The New York Times . He lives in New York City and SÃ£o Paulo , Brazil.. Find a distraction . Being out on the road for weeks on end can certainly test your patience . My wife and I -- we drive as a team -- have to deal with other drivers and the annoyances of traffic jams , and it 's natural to be anxious in these moments . We overcome that feeling by giving each other something else to think about . Real Simple : 5 mistakes everyone should make . For example , my wife tells jokes and catches me up on the latest Facebook posts from friends . Or I 'll talk to my dogs ( they also travel with us ) , since they provide emotional support without offering any opinions . Those quick moments of distraction recharge me , and I can again focus on the road without being irritated . -- Wade Briggs . Briggs , based in Boise , Idaho , is a commercial truck driver for Mayflower , a nationwide full-service moving company . He has been driving a truck for 18 years . Chew your food slowly . People who consume food more slowly -- and ignore those `` I 'm hungry '' urges -- eat less overall than those who devour their meals . Research has found that impatient people are more likely to be overweight , possibly because of their inability to delay gratification at the dinner table . Real Simple : 5 great things about growing old . This practice can help you in other areas of life as well : By eating slowly , you can train yourself to be less impulsive and more patient in general . -- Charles Courtemanche . Courtemanche is an assistant professor of economics at Georgia State University in Atlanta . He has studied the relationship between obesity and patience . Laugh at yourself . I 'm a newspaper columnist and my husband is a politician , so both of us must be willing to converse with strangers when we 're eating out or shopping for groceries . In the rare moments when people are obnoxious ( like the time a woman told me that I needed to get Botox ) , I can get impatient . But instead of being rude to the person , I formulate an internal joke , usually at my own expense . Real Simple : 5 ways to win people over . Knowing that I can laugh with a friend later on about , say , my deep wrinkles , calms any irritation . -- Connie Schultz . Schultz is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of `` ... and His Lovely Wife , '' which chronicles her experience as the wife of U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio . She lives in Cleveland . Get a FREE TRIAL issue of Real Simple - CLICK HERE ! Copyright © 2011 Time Inc. All rights reserved .
Writer BrenÃ© Brown squelches her impatience by talking to herself . A travel writers suggests experiencing a new , different culture . Try something small like chewing food slowly , an economics professor suggests .