How to Be Less Impulsive
4:36:0 2023-10-20 414

1- Develop a daily exercise routine.

Exercise, particularly aerobic exercise, will help you be less impulsive. Exercise lifts your mood, and decreases feelings of stress and anxiety.

  • In addition, exercise keeps a person’s attention actively engaged. If you’re more likely to act impulsively out of boredom or frustration, you can put this energy to better use through exercise.
  • Research suggests that 40 minutes per day of aerobic activity improved executive functioning in overweight kids.
  • All ages will benefit from increased exercise.

 

2- Learn more about mindfulness practices.

Becoming aware of your feelings and learn to connect with your impulsive thoughts. Mindfulness helps by allowing you some distance from your impulses, offering you the opportunity to choose to act upon your impulses or not.

  • When you notice an urge, articulate that urge mentally to yourself before acting on it. For example, “I am angry that my partner just said that, and I want to criticize her.” Follow this with a more constructive response, such as, “I can try to calm down.”
  • Mindfulness means to focus on what’s going on inside yourself, and it may take time to notice what’s going on in your body before you act impulsively rather than afterwards.

 

3-Talk to people you trust.

Surround yourself with people you can go to for help. When your impulsivity is based in anxiety, you can help yourself by spending time with people you trust. Making sure to have people in your life with whom you can share things you’re concerned about may help ease your anxiety, and decrease your impulsiveness.

  • You might consider talking with a professional, such as a counselor, life coach, or professional organizer, about your difficulties with impulsivity.
  • Just spending time talking with trusted friends can help address your anxiety, even if you’re not having a serious conversation.

 

4- Ask a friend to hold you accountable

A friend can help you stay accountable for the goals you've set for yourself. Find a friend who is reliable and nonjudgmental, and share with her what your goal is for yourself. You can decide how you'd like to be held accountable for your goal.

  • For example, do you want your friend to call you to check on your progress? Or do you want to schedule regular meetings so that she can check in on your commitment to your goal?
  • You'll also need to have a plan for what your friend might do to support you if you're not staying focused on your goal, and acting impulsively instead.
  • You might offer to help your friend stay accountable for something she's struggling with. This way, you'll be accountability partners.

 

5- Engage in activities that will calm you down

Guided meditations and calming music can help you relax. Getting more relaxed can help you avoid acting impulsively.

  • Do a body scan to locate any areas of your body which are holding tension, then intentionally focus on relaxing these areas.
  • Set a timer for 5 minutes, and allow yourself to focus on your breath for this limited period of time. This short break will help you relax, and prevent any hasty reactive actions.

 

6- Make it harder to act impulsively.

Putting limits on yourself can protect you from impulsive acts and decisions. For example, if you have trouble preventing yourself from blurting out everything you think, consider writing down all your comments and questions before saying them out loud. By taking the time to write them down, you may be able to avoid inappropriate impulsive remarks.

  • If you have difficulty overspending, leave your credit card at home when shopping, and pay with cash.
  • Putting items on hold for 24 hours will help prevent impulsive purchases, and give you a chance to decide whether you really need to buy the items.

 

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