Collaborative post. Those that have ADHD may find themselves giving into unhealthy impulses. This affects children greatly and obviously if not identified and managed can affect adult life. Impulsive behavior can be devastating for your professional life and overall health. Fortunately, there are a few things you can do to mitigate the impact of rash decisions, These can range from over the counter calming medicine to cognitive behavioral therapy. Here are ways to slow down impulsive behaviour.
Ways To Slow Down Impulsive Behaviour
Use A Planner
A planner can be a very useful tool for those with ADHD. This can help serve as a reminder for various things, help you stay organised as well as help you manage your time. Using a planner has been shown to help to reduce impulsive behaviour as well and help keep you focused and promote effective time management. A daily planner is ideal. You don’t need to spend a long time preparing each week. Focus on addressing priorities and not having to worry about remembering everything yourself. Mark off tasks as they are completed. A small reward from a little break or doing something you enjoy can be a good way to ease yourself into the next task.
List Impulsive Behaviors
The first step to preventing impulsivity is to figure out exactly what you tend to do without thinking. Are you a habitual shopper? Do you have a hard time turning down drinks when you’re with your friends?
Try to pinpoint all of the situations in which you lose control. This can help you identify areas where you need to focus. It can also help you recognize when you’re acting rashly. While you probably understand you’ve overindulged in retrospect, being able to recognize that you’re about to overindulge is critical for changing your behavior.
Practice Daily Mindfulness
Mindfulness and meditation are useful for almost every common mental health problem, including impulsivity. What is impulsivity? All problematic behaviors that result from a lack of discretion or forethought are impulsive. Angry outbursts, substance use, reactivity, and fidgeting all fit the criteria.
Mindfulness, or observing your thoughts and feelings, is great for preventing impulse problems because it trains you to view your thoughts objectively without identifying with them. To develop mindfulness, just focus on your breath for 10 to 20 minutes a day.
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Getting Outside
Being outdoors can have a number of positive health benefits. It’s been shown that taking part in outdoor activities in a natural environment (surrounded by nature as in grassy areas or woods etc), and also separately, sunlight exposure both help reduce ADHD symptoms. It can be extremely beneficial to arrange some regular outdoor activities to do. Outdoor football, walks, bird spotting, climbing trees, building a fort, there are plenty of activities suitable for children and adults.
Practice Active Listening
Active listening is not so easy to do for those with ADHD. But, with a little patience and practice, it is something you can learn to do. Practice with a family member or close friend. The key things to consider here are; waiting your turn, find a key point when the other person is speaking and when it’s your turn comment on that. It can help when you visualise what the other person is saying. It is also very important to breathe between sentences when you speak. This helps slow you down and allows the listener to take in what you are saying to them.
Have you every considered Ways To Slow Down Impulsive Behavior? Do you practice any particular techniques to help reduce impulsive behaviour?
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These are all great tips. Even if you don’t suffer from impulsiveness, these are powerful tools to help you stay centered in moments where decisions have to be made.
That’s very true. They will benefit us all.
I always try to think things over before I make a big decision. Being outside is a help. Or I’ll read a few chapters.
It sure is. Being outside helps you relax your mind and focus on what you need to do.
My oldest son struggled with impulsive behaviors. These tips are spot on.
Thanks Tara. It is something we need to keep on top of.
The only thing I may have a bit of an impulsive habit is buying things. But I’ve learned to step back and ask myself if I really need it. Works 99% of the time.
It’s good to hear you have it under control, that’s not always easy.
These are all really great and very helpful tips! Such a really informative post you have here!
Thanks Richelle, I’m glad you found the post interesting.
I think I snack impulsively, I will try some of these suggestions.
It can affect weight gain so might be something to work on x
This is a post that I can use as I can bee a bit impulsive and need to be better at saving…. I LOVE to shop 😉
Ha, so many do Melissa. You can cut down if you want to though. Good luck x
Daily mindfulness is great for achieving so many things.
It sure is Jennifer x
These are excellent ideas if you are the type that is impulsive or can’t stay on task. I do pretty good at staying on task but occasionally I need some guidance.
Some people do struggle more than others. It’s good to hear that you don’t have any major impulsive behaviours x
Great tips! I really need to work on it and improve it! I will start with practicing mindfulness!
It is something more people are working on these days.
I am so impulsive. I could really benefit from some of these tips lol.
I hope they help Kelli!
I was able to practice most of these when locked down at home (lol) but it’s really a good thing! Mindfulness and consideration works well for me. 🙂
They are beneficial for us all.
Having a routine definitely helps because you know what should be doing. But first I recommend sitting down with someone you trust to come up with the routine so they can support you through those impulsive moments
That can really help. Having others support can be of great benefit.
This is really good – not something I have tried to do but on reflection probably should!
Thanks Ashleigh, I’m so pleased you liked the post.
Great tips – need to cut down on impulsive snacking!
It can make a big difference to your health.
I will try some of these sugggestions with my son, as he is a very much an impulsive shopper.
I hope they help Siobhan.
My son is autistic and is incredibly impulsive, to the point of us not knowing what he is going to do sometimes! Being out in the open definitely helps him, he really enjoys being able to roam free and I think it really calms him.
Being outside can be beneficial in so many ways for children and adults.
Great article, something i have never thought about before and i am going to try some of the tips
Good luck Gemma, I hope they help.
Very informative article and some great tips to practice
Thanks so much Annette x
These sound great – I don’t think I am particularly impulsive but very helpful!
Thanks for visiting Katie. I’m glad you found the post interesting.
I have a child who is autistic and can be impulsive which can put him in dangerous situations. my middle child will be put in for assessment as soon as her 2yr review is done as they think she is too but too young yet. Mindfulness sort of helps my eldest from emotional outbursts if he is left alone before he gets too overwhelmed.
It’s important to get them used to practising mindfulness from a young age it can really be very beneficial.
what a great post, some very useful tips. i think daily mindfulness is good for every one
It really can be helpful for many.
Thank you for sharing these useful tips. I love the great outdoors and I try to get out there as much as I possibly can.
It can be so lovely and really relax the mind.