IMPATIENCE DEFINITION:Feeling restless or short-tempered; having a desire for immediate change, relief, or gratification PHYSICAL SIGNALS AND BEHAVIORS: Raising one’s eyebrows Placing the hands on the hips Scowling Tilting the head back and looking upward Crossing the arms Standing or sitting stiffly A tapping foot Folding the hands Pursing one’s lips Fiddling with cuffs or jewelry Glancing repeatedly at the clock Pacing A hard jaw line (clenched teeth) A jutting chin Clicking one’s fingernails against a table Fidgeting instead of sitting or standing still Narrowing the eyes; having an intense focus Talking over others Compressing the lips while someone else speaks Being unnerved by annoying stimuli, such as loud breathing or the clicking of a pen Frowning A sharp tone Massaging the temples, as if weary Pinching the bridge of the nose and squeezing the eyes tight Attention that snaps toward sound or movement Door-watching (or clock-watching, email-watching, etc.) Complaining under the breath:Where is he?orThis is taking too long! Whining, grumbling, or pouting (small children) Letting out a loud breath Moving about (sitting and then standing, choosing a different chair, etc.) Toying with items (turning a cup, mangling a paperclip, etc.) Shaking the head and muttering Pushing sleeves up or down (and repeating) Tilting the head to the ceiling and letting out a heavy sigh Uncrossing and re-crossing the legs Tension in the face, shoulders, and neck Using the body to nudge, push, or block (line jumpers) Repeatedly running the hands through the hair Veiled anger or light sarcasm INTERNAL SENSATIONS: Breathing that grows heavier, louder Rising body temperature Feeling exhausted or strained to the limits Headaches MENTAL RESPONSES: Mentally berating a time-waster Wishing time would speed up Running through how to do something faster or more efficiently One’s attention straying to other things Asserting mental restraint to avoid snapping ACUTE OR LONG-TERM RESPONSES FOR THIS EMOTION: Slapping a hand against the table Yelling or barking orders Cutting people off Taking over a project or duty Telling the speaker to move on and get to the point Redirecting the focus to allow things to proceed better Setting a time limit Making demands Resorting to the physical (pushing, shoving, etc.) SIGNS THAT THIS EMOTION IS BEING SUPPRESSED: A frozen smile Going for a walk Using the time to run an errand or complete a task Attempting to distract oneself to maintain patience Rooting in a purse or pocket as a distraction Checking and rechecking a phone for messages Fussing with one’s appearance (brushing away lint, checking one’s fingernails, etc.) MAY ESCALATE TO:Irritation,Frustration,Anger,Scorn MAY DE-ESCALATE TO:Resignation,Acceptance,Satisfaction ASSOCIATED POWER VERBS: Bemoan, complain, distract, fiddle fidget, fret, gripe, grumble hover, interrupt, jiggle, manipulate mumble, pace, sigh, start take over, wince WRITER’S TIP:Never let the reader notice the writing. Overusing metaphors, similes, descriptive terms, and repeated body language can pull the reader out of the story.