At the Orchard Gate — When technology tests our patience

Technology is wonderful—when it works! When you need to make a call, send a message or finish some work, that always seems to be the moment it decides to stop cooperating.

This week, my phone has certainly tested my patience. It has also reminded me that learning to manage frustration is a skill we need throughout life.

Feeling frustrated is normal. We all have moments when we want to shout, give up or tell a machine exactly what we think of it! But taking a breath, keeping calm and explaining the problem politely gives us a better chance of getting the help we need. The person helping us may not have caused the problem, and a little kindness can make a difficult situation easier for everyone.

This applies to our learning too. Whether a website will not load, an instruction seems confusing or a task feels too difficult, it is fine to say, “I’m stuck. Please could you help me?”

We cannot make everything work perfectly. We can practise how we respond when it doesn’t.