Hi y'all.....just read an article with what I consider helpful advice. I'm gonna get my little notebook out and stick in my pocket. ;)

~gourmet~

"...impulsiveness can also be a positive trait. Leadership requires people to be able to make quick decisions and be able to think "on their feet." Emergency situations require people that are able to immediately survey a situation and determine what needs to be done. Impulsiveness can add spontaneity to your life and increase your ability to handle diverse situations.

It is a balance of impulsiveness that most people desire. They want there to be times when they can be spontaneous and free to enjoy whatever may come their way and yet be controlled enough to be successful and productive. They want to enjoy relationships and take things as they come yet be respectful and not offensive by blurting out an inappropriate remark.

To help develop a balance, keep a log of times when impulsiveness gets you into trouble. See where you need help in reducing your impulsiveness. Do you spend money without thinking and then not have enough left over to pay the bills, do you offend people around you by remarks you make or alienate people by constantly interrupting during conversations? Do you always need to scramble to "fix" your life because you impulsively made bad decisions? By keeping a log for a few weeks, you should be able to determine where you are having the most difficulty controlling your impulsiveness."

If you have more than one area, choose the one that is most important to you and work on that first.
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A few tips to help you get started:

*If you are an impulsive shopper, keep a notebook with you and write down what you want to buy. Decide if it is a "want" or a "need." For items that fall in the "want" column, give yourself a time limit, such as one week. Decide that you cannot buy it for that length of time. Many times, after the week you will decide that you really don't want it after all.

*If you impulsively interrupt during conversations, keep a small notebook and take notes of the conversation or just doodle. This will keep your mind focused more so that you interrupt less.

*If you find yourself always offering to help, even though you don't have the time, try to always give yourself one day to think about it. Let the person know you will get back to them the next day.

*If you continually make decisions without considering the consequences, keep paper with you and always write down two positives and two negatives of the decision. This will begin the process of thinking before making a decision.

Medication, although not an alternative for everyone, helps in decreasing impulsiveness.

i wonder if we could have a forum topic called Managing Impulsivity.

Another one i would like to read/discuss is Managing Low Frustration Tolerance.

This is a huge obstacle for me.

Today, Mom said to me, "you are so impatient. remember how you used to get so mad when i'd try to teach you to sew, or crochet".

Now this is affecting me in academic areas -- such as learning/passing courses in Statistics! (Which means my career is on hold.)

help!

-Emma

my goal in therapy is to assess the impulsiveness issue because i am a 25 y/o male w/ adhd and that seems to be the only thing that i feel i cannot control w/o medication and i personally do not want to be on dexedrine for the rest of my life so i am glad to hear that there are people who have had issues with impulsiveness and can assess skills to regulate it

I think you guys have been reading my brain...LOL

I believe it is not a matter of being impatience! It is the fact that my brain feels like a TV remote control that changes channels without my permission... That is why I will listen to my DW for a couple of minutes then I **** her off cause that is how long I can stand her details, then I loose her and then I loos interest in the conversation....


peace,

meadd

Hello everyone!

I have been keeping a log, but it didn't help me much...

i can be impulsives sometimes an do say things most time with out thinking dorm

What a good idea to keep a log-if I don't forget where I put it or can keep it up-don't forget to write in it, it would be ineteresting to find out what people discover about themselves that way. I do not want to be disciplined, you know, to do certain things at certain times, but in reality wouldn't that help my life be streamlined, and cut down on impulsiveness? Because it is already planned, or can you plan to be impulsive, like as a reward for not being impulsive-maybe keep track of things you really want, and reward yourself for sticking to a plan?

yes fuzzy a good idae to do that let me know hoe it gose dorm

yeah dorm,
I will let you know how it goes, but here goes my procrastination; not today hee hee