The Trouble with Impulsivity
Impulsivity is a hallmark of ADHD. Those of us with ADHD have trouble saying no to the random ideas that pop into our heads. It can be troublesome for us and lead to unpleasant consequences.
Speaking
The filter that tells you not to say something stupid, mean, or unnecessary does not operate as well when you have ADHD. This leads to saying something you later regret. I remember one time in the 7th grade, I was desperately looking for my homework from the night before. I was digging through my folder, trying to find it. My teacher was talking about the assignment, and I could tell it was getting close to where I needed to prove I had done it. Finally, my teacher reminded us that we should have just left it in our notebook, and I shouted, “Oh, that’s where I put it!” My teacher, who had just warned us about talking out of turn, immediately punished me by giving me an infraction. I got in trouble because of my proclivity to speak impulsively and the stress I was under, thinking I had lost my homework assignment. There have been other instances where I impulsively said something, but that was just the first one that came to my mind.
Eating
As I mentioned in the introductory paragraph, saying no is difficult for those of us with ADHD. When faced with delicious food, that becomes even more challenging. This is the reason I try not to keep ice cream in my house. I know if I have ice cream in my house, it will not last long. My impulsivity takes over, and I eat all of it in just a few days. Ice cream has lots of sugar in it, and too much sugar is a bad thing. This leads to unintended health consequences like weight gain (among others).
Spending
Saying no is also difficult when your brain says, “I want that thing!” The next thing you know, the wallet is out, and you have to find a place in your already crowded home for your new purchase. I once thought I would see what the big craze of hammocking was all about, and I bought myself a hammock. Now, I had no place to hang said hammock, so I also had to buy a stand to hang it on. So, I made two purchases. In the two years since I bought the hammock and its stand, I have used it a grand total of once. This was an impulsive purchase, one that I kind of now regret.
What Can Be Done to Stop Impulsivity?
Impulsivity is a tricky thing to overcome. So, what can be done? Part of it is learning to pause and think before the impulse takes action. This is not easy, but with practice it can be more effective. The other thing you can do is harness your impulsivity. More on that next week!