OH NOOO! WHAT HAVE I DONE?

OH NOOO! WHAT HAVE I DONE?

Chocolate Impulse

Yesterday, finally, I could spend some time at home.  I got comfortable and put on the T.V., five minutes later I got up and went to the kitchen, I wasn’t hungry but I wanted to munch on something.  So I made some cheese toast and sat back on the sofa. Once I finished my toast, I thought “ok, now what?”  I needed something more to munch on so I got off the sofa for the second time. I looked around the kitchen for something interesting to eat; I saw a packet of    m & m’s. Who can resist such a sweet temptation? I sat on the sofa popping chocolates into my mouth until they were over. I started to feel pretty full, but I needed to do something while I was watching T.V.  I got up once more and I picked a packet of crisps… -Well, I’ll work out later to lose these few calories-…

Why is this happening to me?

The tendency to act without thinking or pre planning is what you call an impulse. The emotions are the source of your impulses. - Hmmmm. I’m having an impulse to eat junk food.-

Aghhh… I need to learn how to control myself!

Could I control those late night calls to my ex?, The fights?, The crazy night out?, Those silly things I may say or do and repent them later?

Yes! They can be controlled! At the prefrontal cortex in our brain we have a center that controls our behavior. This center delays the tendency of immediate satisfaction. Impulses exist on a day to day basis and we all have them. Most of them are satisfied for a short spam of time, they are instantaneous, but they do not help you in a long run. I’m not saying that impulses are bad, if they happen once or twice its fine, though we should know and learn how to control them – I hope this article helps you-. There are some people who can’t control impulses making them into kleptomaniacs, pyromaniacs etc.

8 ways to control impulses

    1. Identify them. Once you have done this, you will know what impulse you have to control. Identifying the emotions is one of the hardest part but they are ones that make you behave in such way. You should ask yourself:

a.       Are you bored?

b.      Are you angry

c.       Do you feel ignored?

d.      Do you feel that you are out of control?

2. Breathe deeply for a few minutes or count till 10. This exercise works amazingly.

3. Distract yourself! If you go to the kitchen and you want to eat something, even though you are not hungry, it is because you are an anxious or nervous. You could find something else to do while you are sitting relaxed. For example, you could use your laptop, chat, knit, stitch etc.  Find a substitute! (This works well with smokers too)

4. Go out for some air. You are calling this boy / girl over and over again. He does not pick up your call and your anger is increasing. Put the phone off and distract yourself, something you like to do. It could be exercise, go out with your friends, listen to music etc. 

5. Memorize something to repeat. It could be a sentence like “I will regret this later”. If you are a compulsive buyer you could use this “I have all that I need”.  It could be a name to repeat, a song or the alphabet.

 6. Think about the consequences of your actions. What you sow you reap.

7. What are my objectives? Ask yourself “What do I really need”. Work towards these objectives and goals. Do not let your emotions come in between.

 8. DO NOT GIVE UP! Your friends and your family are there to support you, help you and love you. 

Don’t let your emotions distract you from what needs to be done. Control your emotions or your emotions will control you.                                                                                     - Anonymous -