Do you find that you are really quick to react to things? Perhaps you are a little too quick, don’t always make the most logical decisions, and regret your reactions later.
Nonetheless, there are ways to be less impulsive.
Understand the Connection
There is the stimulus and the response in any given situation – be it at your job, working out, playing online casino with Betsquare.com, and so on. And in between the stimulus and the response, there is a little moment.
For instance, you are driving on the road, and somebody cuts you off. In this situation, the stimulus is the cut-off, and then your response will most likely be something that includes loads of swearing and gesticulating.
The response is typically linked with the urge to give in to the outburst of emotions coming up within you, and you will want nothing less but to let it all out and express it. Mind you – there is absolutely nothing wrong with expressing your emotions.
It is natural to feel and go through the full spectrum of emotion from sadness to anger and rage – but joy, bliss, and happiness. All these emotions are essential to being human – so you can express yourself.
But in order to be less impulsive, you need to realize that when you are in a certain situation or interaction, there are other people too getting affected by things – most likely- they are on the receiving end.
This way, your reaction does have an unintentional impact on everything and everyone else around you.
Suppose that you are looking for the best online casino websites, such as Neosurf casinos, and then you sign up and start gambling.
Naturally, you will want to continue playing with the ambition of hitting the jackpot. But – if you don’t stop your impulsive behavior, you will lose money, you won’t be able to spend quality time with your loved ones, and you will be overly consumed and obsessed with just one thing.
So, the key to being less impulsive is firstly about understanding the connection between stimulus and response and then aiming at establishing a balance.
Take 6 Deep Breaths
If you are looking for ways to control your impulses, you will want to try to be calm. Going back to the stimulus, the response, and the moment in between, you will want to breathe during that moment. This is an inbuilt tool that all humans have and can make effective use of.
Yes – you read this right – you need to breathe. You don’t necessarily have to become a slave to your impulses – pause for a second when something happens and sets up a trigger within you, prompting you to get annoyed.
At this moment – it is very tempting to just go right into the line of fire and let it all out. That said, breathing is important because we are humans, and we can control our emotions. It is crucial to develop the skill of more emotional self-control.
And since emotional control isn’t something you might learn at school, you will want to train yourself to be better and more in line with the person you want to be.
Even if someone has cut you off, it is not fair to attack them – even if you feel like you were wronged and hence have the right to tell them off. As mentioned before, you can express yourself – but – when you are triggered and just before you proceed to go out and set everything on fire, you might want to take six deep breaths.
At this point, you might be wondering why you have to take six deep breaths – the answer is that, according to studies, it takes six deep breaths to induce that parasympathetic nervous system response. In case you don’t know, the parasympathetic nervous system response is the exact opposite of your flight-or-fight response.
After you have taken six breaths, you will have calmed down, and you will be able to think rationally and address the situation in a better and calmer manner. You will find the situation improves too because when you are calm, the other person is calm too as they will want to match your level – if not transcend.
Try it out next time you find yourself in a tough situation.
