when you get the urge to act on your impulses, do this one thing first —
pause.
pray + ponder.
proceed.
impulses are awesome at pointing out what’s important to us in the moment.
they are also very raw, authentic, + provide honest insight of our thoughts, our fears, + our feelings.
however, because we process our impulses so quickly, we often overlook the consequences associated with pursuing them.
this is why it’s important for me to pause, pray + ponder, + proceed when dealing with my impulses + here’s what it looks like in practice:
pause:
take a few deep breaths (4 minimum) before you do anything!
pray + ponder:
meditation is acceptable here, too. the purpose of prayer is to call on God, a higher power, to help you navigate through the impulsive feeling + accept the decision you make in regards to dealing with it. the purpose of pondering is to carefully think about the consequences of your actions — what is this feeling telling me about what i need, who i am, + what i’d like to see right now?
proceed:
once you’ve figured out the message, the purpose, behind the impulse, decide in which way you’ll proceed. during this time, you’ll decide what action you’ll take — what you’ll do on purpose with purpose. sometimes, proceeding looks like doing absolutely nothing.
now — will the practice of pause, pray + ponder, + proceed happen all of the time, fam?
naa. at times you’ll find it’s best to act on a hunch + follow through with the impulse as it presents itself.
however, this is a good practice to put into place when impulsive behaviors arise.
the power to proceed lies in your hands, fam.
when the spirit of impulsiveness arises, whatchu gonna do to control it?
be you, be dope!
Phylicia Sadsarin
Mindset Coach
journal prompt(s) for today:
| what do you notice about yourself before indulging in impulsive behavior? what time of day is it? where are you in terms of location? who are you typically around during times of impulsiveness? what do you do to curve the urge of acting impulsively? |