How To Stop Being Impulsive: 6 Powerful Tips

Impulsivity can be a minor nuisance but sometimes it can also have far-reaching consequences. While recovering from some mistakes is possible, acting too impulsively carries with it the risk that one may find themselves in trouble, with a hurt relationship or even in danger. If you struggle with impulsivity, it is important to get it under control in order to minimize the risk of finding yourself in a dangerous situation.

What does it mean to be impulsive?

Being impulsive means acting quickly without proper planning and assessment beforehand. Impulsive people tend to act without fully considering the potential consequences of their actions. Typically, impulsive behavior is emotionally driven and can lead to reckless, risky or dangerous thoughts or actions.

Ways to control impulsive tendencies or behavior

Poor impulse control can be caused by anything including lack of experience in life, lacking care, ADHD or a plethora of other things. Regardless of the cause, the problem itself is the same and that is acting with little regard for consequences. It is possible to stop being impulsive and get this under control.

So if you struggle with being impulsive, consider these tips to help you recover or cope with this.

1. Regulate your emotions

If you are often an impulsive person then the cause is most likely your emotional reactivity. If you struggle with being overly emotional you are likely to act quickly and recklessly, as well. The flood of emotions may be hard to control, but it is paramount to keep your emotions in check – regulate them. If you don’t let your emotions control you, you increase your chances of controlling impulsivity.

What can be done here is implementing calming strategies. Try breathing calmly (doesn’t have to be deep, but just relaxing your chest muscles and being calm). Direct your attention to something else. Maybe focus on the clothes on your skin. Try repeating a phrase in your head like “calm down” or “relax”. You can even imagine yourself physically taking your emotions in your hand, taking ownership over them, then throwing them away.

2. Act only when calm

Learning to control emotions is doable although it may take time and practice. What is important is, even if you are feeling emotional, you do not act rashly. You shouldn’t expect yourself to never feel emotion but you should expect yourself to react maturely in the midst of an emotionally charged situation. Ergo, if ever you feel a flood of emotions coming on then you should know it is absolutely not the right time to act. Make a point of reacting to situations only when calm.

It’s understandable that some situations may require quick thinking and reacting. In those situations you can practice calming down in the moment. However, walking away and settling down before acting is a possibility many times for most of us. This brings us to number 3.

3. Take time before acting

The most reckless decisions and actions can play out if you act quickly, as soon as an idea pops up in your head. Taking time should allow you to think the idea through and really assess if it is a bad plan. You might take 2 minutes or you might take a few days. Regardless, put more time between when an impulse or desire comes up in your head and when you act on it.

4. Imagine the consequences before acting

One of the most important things to consider before doing something is the consequences of it. Ask yourself what could happen if you behave in a certain way. Imagine yourself acting however you impulsively want to. How will this occur? What could go wrong? What are the possible consequences on your life or well-being? How would you be perceived by others? You very well may answer these questions and find yourself changing your mind about acting a certain way. Putting it into perspective can help you before you act.

5. Consider how other people might feel

Acting impulsively could give rise to emotions or reactions from other people. Your reckless actions may anger others and escalate a tense situation. You may upset someone and be responsible for hurting their feelings. You could destroy relationships or make enemies all because you did not consider the other side. Consider how you would feel if someone actually did what you plan on doing to you. Make efforts to empathize with others so you can more fully understand how they might react emotionally.

6. Use your willpower

Sometimes the desire for an impulsive action is simply there. Sometimes it presents as a feeling to act a certain way that just enters the mind. It might be difficult but this is probably one of the best ways to control impulsive behavior: use your will to control yourself and forbid yourself from reacting how you feel you should. You might find that as you do this more it becomes easier. Willpower may require mental strength and determination, however it can prove very useful for abating impulsiveness if implemented correctly.