Overcoming The Impulsivity Impediment
For anyone and everyone, with neurodivergent folks in mind
What is impulsivity?
Simply put, impulsivity is acting without thinking.
This can include behaviours such as aggression, impulsive spending, eating, gambling, etc. It can also impact our thoughts and words in the form of impulsive or intrusive thoughts, as well as impulsive statements.
Impulsivity is a natural part of being a living being. We have reflexes, the ability to think and act quickly, and these are often important responses which help keep us safe.
We’ve likely all seen videos of a person acting quickly to save themselves or someone else from imminent danger, such as an oncoming vehicle. Quite often when those folks process the event, they say they “didn’t even think”, or “it all happened so fast”.
In instances like these, acting without thinking turns out to be very valuable. Unfortunately there are also many times in life when impulsivity is not so helpful.
Inimical impulsivity
Sometimes we say or do things without thinking which end up biting us in the ass. The expression “putting your foot in your mouth” is a common utterance because it’s such a human thing to do.
