Thread 33549628

How do I get better impulse control? I do very poorly in terms of eating healthy, saving money, and using my time effectively because I just can't control myself.

>>33549628 (OP)
Start small. Pick a few simple things you want to do, or not do, and make it happen. Tell someone else you know that you're doing it to make it "real."

For me it was to stop eating fast food and to start doing household chores on a more regular basis instead of just when I felt like it + noticed it needed done.

>>33549937
Okay yeah makes sense, I've already started a pledge log for three different things:
>no fast food
>no sweets
>no binge eating at night
It's been helping

>>33549628 (OP)
Is it possible that you might have ADHD? If so, you should look into getting that treated.

>>33550665
Impulsivity can be a sign of a lot of things. ADHD, CPTSD, BPD, BD, and some other smaller disorders. Most likely ADHD and/or BPD.

>>33549937
>Tell someone else you know that you're doing it to make it "real."
Don't. There are studies that telling your goals to people reduces motivation because the external validation takes place of the internal validation.

>>33550665
>>33550675
I do have ADHD actually. No medication I've been on has worked, they've either not had any effect or made me anxious

>>33551278
Oh yeah there's one that does work but it's originally a blood-thinner, it makes me feel weak when walking around and stuff

>>33551278
I also have ADHD, and it seems like everyone with ADHD has problems with impulse control.

>using my time effectively because I just can't control myself
Basically the problem every ADHDer has.

Thing is, the adhd brain craves stimulation aka dopamine. I find that you have to stay constantly engaged in something productive that your brain finds interesting. Even if that means tricking your brain into thinking you're interested in something boring. When you're engaged, you'll find your impulses show up less and less and eventually you can drop the habit.

Mostly it's about manually overriding your limbic system. Not easy, but necessary.

At least that's what I've been trying. Not always succeeding, but making small progress.

And yeah, I've found medication either doesn't work, or creates some other problem. Some ppl apparently have had miraculous results. I envy those people.

>>33549628 (OP)
You already mentioned you got adhd ITT I got it too. You can do all of those things you want if you just use adhd itself to sort it out. Let's face it we're obsessively lazy yet impulsive bastards lol this can be used productively tho. Saving money for example, guess what happens if you just let yourself be lazy and not bother spending money? It gets saved. Using time effectively is a hard one. What helps though is tapping into adhds impulsivity specifically in crisis. Doing shit last minute with a flame under your ass. So get a flame under your ass OP find and obtain a responsibility over something or someone, like a dog or an activity that has deadlines. This will force you to act in crucial timelines, get enough crucial timelines = you now have a routine and a structure = you will be forced to use time effectively

Eating healthy is again tricky because adhd laziness and impulsivity means you will opt for junk food because it's quick and easy. Get a slow cooker, you just throw shit in and let it cook by itself for hours and it's ready for you whenever, also food prep if you can manage pre-prepare meals for the next day. Make shit that lasts even a few days that you fridge and heat up later.

>>33550675
>Impulsivity can be a sign of a lot of things.
Yes, it can. ADHD is one of them. But it it's associated with a condition, that might give OP a way forward.