There are different degrees of impulsivity. If you usually reflect on the consequences of those actions that have been marked by impulsiveness, and you regret having acted in this way when once calm the emotion you consider other forms of action, remember that becoming aware of a certain limit is a good first step to be able to influence it in a way significant.
¿How to stop being impulsive? In Psychology-Online we give you ideas of effective techniques and strategies.
What are the common traits that can occur in an impulsive person? Here we offer you the meaning of impulsive according to psychology:
1. They feel the urgency of immediacy
It is true that the present is the real time in which a person is, however, learning to wait is one of the necessary learning on a human level. An impulsive person does not focus so much on reflecting on the importance of choosing an opportune moment for a certain purpose, they are determined by immediate gratification. The urgency of immediacy is the manifestation of the inner world reinforced by the stream of impatience.
2. Humor changes
One of the consequences of impulsivity is that the person may suffer sudden mood swings without the interlocutor of the conversation having anticipated that script twist in advance. This irascibility erupts, apparently, in an unpredictable way. Episodes that may occur, for example, in the face of Low tolerance to frustration after an event that breaks with the expectations placed on a specific purpose.
3. Difficulties in complying with the management of the agenda
An impulsive person is victim of his own impulses. Turning points that can break with the rhythm of the day in relation to the tasks planned for that moment, simply because time can be measured not only in terms of the clock, but also in terms emotional An impulsive person feels that his internal rhythm is altered with relative frequency due to his own disorganization.
4. Not measuring the consequences of actions or words
The force of impulsivity breaks into the spirit of the protagonist who acts in a certain way, without having stopped to think with the desired calm on that specific issue. Thus, it has not anticipated possible risks of that action. The impulsiveness, moreover, is manifested in the fact that the protagonist does not experience this episode on specific occasions but periodically.
What can you do, from now on, to prevent impulsivity? ¿How can you stop being so impulsive? Take note of the following techniques:
1. Count to five
This idea begins to be effective when it is applied in practice, that is, when you really exercise it in experience. Try to give yourself a certain time, even if it is brief, to break with that repeated sequence that impulsivity produces in your life by turning the situation around by remembering that you have the control. To increase your personal empowerment, identify a repeated situation in your life in which impulsivity is common. By contextualizing this information, you can begin to work on your own inner growth by focusing on a specific point.
2. Go for a walk
Perhaps not whenever you experience a situation of this type you have the ideal weather conditions to go out to walking, however, you can probably take a few minutes to change rooms, open the window and let air in new. Sometimes changing places can help you positively influence emotion from which you start.
3. Create a mantra
Try to connect this mantra with the idea that actions have consequences for which you are responsible when you act in this way. From the effect of repeating a phrase that you can assimilate little by little, it is recommended that when the emotion of impulsivity takes you in the short term, you try take your gaze to the immediate future to realize that this way of acting is going to produce an effect that you may not want.
4. Look for long-term activities
For example, if you sign up for a quarterly course, make the commitment to attend all classes and fulfill this purpose since in each act of improvement you are educating your own perseverance as therapy against impulsivity. Think of an award that you will give to yourself when you have achieved this goal, but that award is only valuable if you really wait for the right moment. If you anticipate this emotional pleasure, then you are feeding your own impulsiveness. To motivate yourself, start with simple challenges.
5. Psychological help
In some cases, it may be necessary to request the help of an expert since, in addition to impulsiveness, it is also advisable to consider the particularities of each case.
Becoming aware of a certain issue is the most significant step to be able to change it, therefore, if you want to know how to stop being so impulsive, we offer you these final thoughts:
- Impulsiveness affects your personal relationships because sometimes others don't understand your behavior in certain situations. And this confusion affects the quality of the link.
- Impulsiveness affects your relationship with yourself and produces a tension that robs you of energy that you could use for a more constructive purpose in your life.
- When you justify your impulsiveness, you don't take responsibility for your own life. While you act in this way, the same pattern is repeated.
- exist alternative thoughts; you just have to look for them. Although when you live in a situation of impulsiveness, the linear interpretation of reality seems the only possible speech, in reality, there are alternatives. You just have to look for them and take them into account.
- The emotional management It is a possible learning that can give you tools to manage situations that now overwhelm you. Therefore, training in emotional intelligence it is also a positive investment.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
