How Impulsivity Hurts Us
Are there benefits to being impulsive? In impulsivity, both us and those around us harm. Worst of all, it’s an unconscious thing. It causes us to regret our words or actions, but we cannot go back in time.
Therefore, it is very important to learn to control our impulses and think a little more before we act.
Someone just said something to you and you react and respond incorrectly. If someone asks you something and you say the first thing that comes to mind. You are always the one who starts a quarrel. If something goes wrong and you throw things on the floor or you shout and create yourself like a child. If you recognize the above, then you may have a problem with impulsivity.
You should not feel bad about it. Everything in life has a solution (except death, as they say). To begin with, it helps to understand that being impulsive once in a while is not a bad thing. It can help us to be less shy and withdrawn. It can also help us achieve our desires and be heard. But the problem arises when impulsivity is the rule rather than the exception.
Impulsivity helps us to express our emotions
There are different kinds of impulsive or compulsive people. Among the latter are those who excessively buy and collect clothes and things in their homes. It’s a topic for another article, but both coercion and impulsivity are a way to channel or react to emotions. We use anger, rage, nervousness or crying when something does not develop as we want or expect. Or if we do not know how to solve a problem.
Our way of expressing ourselves can lead to many things. And we do not always present our words or behavior in the best way. Maybe we do not intend to annoy or hurt the other person, but that’s how it ends.
If you are such a person who throws the first stone and responds before analyzing the situation. Or if your first reaction is to get angry and fight. If you feel dizzy with anger and react by getting revenge or shouting, be careful. In impulsivity can really take the fuse on you.
To control impulsivity
Do not make excuses such as: “I am stressed”, “I did not think about”, “I have many problems”, “I am impulsive by nature”, “I have menstruation”, etc. To realize the situation and accept that you have a problem with impulsivity is the first step.
After that, it’s time for action, not reaction. This means that if your first reflex at a stimulus is a counterattack, then it is better to wait. You could count to ten (or twenty, thirty or one hundred…), or take a deep breath. This will help you not to answer or shout until the other person has finished speaking.
What will this help? Yes, it helps you not to say the first thing that comes to mind, which is often not the most appropriate or correct.
Sometimes pressing pause for two seconds does not mean that the conversation cannot continue. Nor does it mean you did not understand anything. This means that you need time to review information. It may be that you give your mind a lot of praise for functioning at the speed of light, but that is not always a good thing.
By putting things in perspective, everything gets a lot better. Take the time to analyze the words of others and your own so that you can get better results.
When you do not let the impulses be the first thing that comes out of your mouth or your body, then you react in a different way. Think about and consider your words before you speak, then you will succeed as a person.
Finally, I want to leave you with this fine reflection: Always think about what you want to do before you act. Do not let impulsivity dominate you, for then your path will be dark.
