Nipping impulsivity in the bud

[knackeredcat]

While I love that Equasym XL has made me a more productive and organised person who is now even winning awards at work for the first time ever (!), recently impulsivity has been rearing its ugly head in other areas. I've found myself spending more money on things I don't need, and I really don't want this to get out of hand for obvious reasons. Pre-meds the impulsivity and overindulgence was food, and I was seriously overweight. The meds have killed this off and I'm just over 4 stone down in a year, which is great. But it's almost as if I'm seeking something to replace it, in this case buying stuff. 😳

My usual stims and distractions are not having the same effects, and I don't fancy any more meds. Interested to hear of any tips and tricks to rein in impulsive urges before they get out of hand.

If it's not an essential purchase, I tell myself to see if I still want it in a week's time. If it's online I will save it or add it to my wish-list/watch-list etc.

It can help to separate the idea and the reality of the item. E.g. I might have a sudden vision of myself doing loads of healthy winter walks in the country, and start looking at walking boots, a new winter coat etc. (because the 20 coats I already have don't quite match my vision). But really, I could do the walks quite well with what I already have and it's the motivation I lack, not the equipment.

Ask yourself if it is an item you are trying to buy, or a future vision, and look at ways you can make the future vision happen without the item.

I like your ideas, @BoardLikeAMirror, with "vision" being the key word. As you rightly stated, put them on a wish list and come back (I've had a bit of success here). Maybe I need to resurrect Pinterest and start putting various things on there so I'm distracted by organising the items there rather than the items themselves, if you see what I mean. It's probably a better way to fill the empty space that was taken up with mental clutter in my pre-meds days. (Although I definitely don't want to go back to how I was then with every minor task and setback a catastrophe.)

I'm always going to be a work in progress...