We’ve All Been There

Do you ever feel like you can not control your impulses?  You get on your phone to answer one text message and before you know it you’ve been scrolling through your news feed for an hour?  For many who struggle with ADHD, this can sound very familiar.  There is usually that initial pause before one gives into an impulse, where they have time to think over whether or not what they are doing will benefit them.  However many, not only those with ADHD, struggle to use this pause to direct their attention away from the action.  

Tips to Control Those Urges

There are many tips that one can use in order to try to control the impulses that get them distracted from their task at hand, or their future goals. A critical step to being able to stop your impulses is being accurately aware of them and making a list of things that easily draw you in.  It is then when you are aware, that you can obtain control.  On my own particular list, my phone and computer are right at the top.   I know that when I am studying, if some device is sending me notifications, whether that is my laptop or my phone, I will give in to checking those notifications most of the time.  Therefore I need to take that initial step of being aware of the situation I am going into, and control the variables around me, such as turning off my phone.  Another variable that you can control is the setting that you are in.  For example, if you know that when studying in your room, you are easily tempted to take a quick nap if you are feeling bored of your work, changing that study location is essential to not getting distracted by the idea of sleep.  You can then do something like take all of your study materials with you when you leave your home and go to a quiet study spot right after your days activities.  These tips do not only pertain to people who are getting distracted from studying.  The same tips can be helpful in any situation where you want to be productive, but know that there is a large chance that you will be impulsively drawn into something else.

Going Above and Beyond in Prevention

But what if no matter how aware of your impulses you are, you just can’t stop yourself from giving in?  Sometimes we need to go above and beyond in prevention.  For example, taking the time to leave notes reminding you not to impulsively do something.  But these can’t just be any notes, these notes need to be in places conducive to actually stopping your impulse.  For example, if you want to stop impulsively watching more and more Netflix after you turn your light off, put a note on your lamp! So when it’s time to relax in bed, you can’t ignore the hint to cool it on the Netflix.  As well as taking the time to write out notes and helpful hints to stop those impulses, there are also many programs for your phone or computer that can help you go above and beyond as well.  For example, Freedom and Cold Turkey are very helpful website blockers that can help distract you from certain sites for a certain amount of time, at certain times.  Netsanity is also a very good app blocker for your phone.  Not all strategies will work, but the time and effort in figuring it out is worth the productivity and goal-achievement!  After a while, these productive behaviors will become simple habits.

Unplanned Situations

So what about those situations that you can’t plan for?  How will you know that you won’t blurt out that story at a party, because you just can’t help but get some attention.  How will you know that you won’t say yes to that other drink?  We can not always control these situations, but we can control our mindset.  If you are generally in a stress free state, you are less distracted, and less likely to give in to these situations.  For example, if your mind is running in circles thinking about all of the relationships in your life and things you need to get done, you are more likely to give into those friends who are distracting you, in order to distract yourself from those stressful thoughts.  If you are in a good place psychologically, you are more likely to have the power to pull out that list of triggers and decide whether or not what you are doing is right. Therefore things such as yoga, therapy, meditation, etc. can be very helpful.  If you feel like this is not something that you can deal with on your own, studies have shown that cognitive behavioral therapy as well as coaching can be very helpful to those that struggle with impulse control issues as well.  

Impulse Control is something that many people struggle with, and slip up on sometimes.  But the main goal is to be more aware of your triggers, and find ways to counteract them.  

Resources:

Grant, J. E., Odlaug, B. L., & Potenza, M. N. (2015). Treatments for gambling disorder and impulse control disorders.     In P. E. Nathan, J. M. Gorman, P. E. Nathan, J. M. Gorman (Eds.) , A guide to treatments that work, 4th ed (pp. 801-826). New York, NY, US: Oxford University Press.

J. (n.d.). How to Improve Impulse Control for More Success with Simple Tips. Retrieved February 20, 2017, from http://www.lifehack.org/articles/productivity/how-to-improve-impulse-control-for-more-success-with-simple-tips.html