Re: Impulse and sound judgement

[Anonymous]

Well toofat … I sometimes just blurt what I am thinking out. It’s an impulse. It’s hard to give an example because it is a time/ place thing. Also, I babble at times when speaking.

To that end, I am learning the power of pausing, asking questions instead of making statements, and writing down my thoughts in a meeting.

For emails, I am on rapid fire. I mean — that is the way I am wired. I will often write a response without reading it often enough. I really like shutterbug’s suggestion of using a timer before sending an email.

A friend of mine who is an ADHD coach (a handy thing to have isn’t it) offered me the following advice:

“Impulsive responses — in person and even in email — can go awry pretty fast, can’t they? Breathing — both real and metaphorical — is very powerful with ADHD. Keep at it! Think about trying to create some self-talk to ‘cue’ you to (literally) breathe in and pause before responding in stressful or contentious situations. If you’ve ever done any yoga, think about the calming effect of slow, powerful deep breathing through the nose. Take some time when you’re just banging away at your keyboard to pay attention to your breath — note how it affects your level of mental and physical tension.

As one of my coach colleagues who’s fond of alliteration says, ‘the power of the pause is profound.’

I’m sure you’re capable of excellent judgement in things that are important to you. But with ADHD we’re wired for ‘snap’ judgement — even when it’s not expected of us. Be aware of this, and ensure you have the time you need to make sound decisions. Never be afraid to say ‘I need think about this; I’ll get back to you. “

Breathing. Pausing. Practicing mindfulness not just talking about it.

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