Here are 5 examples of (many different) impulsive behaviors that could be destroying your mental health.
Excessive Drinking
Excessive drinkingand binge drinking are dangerous, asalcohol alters chemicals in the brainand affects how neurotransmitters function, which is crucial for good mental health.
We all know that drinking has a way of making us release our inhibitions…and that isn’t necessarily a good thing. For example, the impulsiveness of excessive drinking can lead to even more regrettable impulsive behaviors, like starting a fight or having unprotected sex. Alcohol is a depressant, and excessivedrinking can make a depressed person more depressed, as well as more likely to contemplate suicide or self harm.
Taking Drugs
There’s a slew of dangerous drugs out there that can cause both long- and short-term negative effects on the mind. Many drugs are highly addictive, so what started as an impulsive decision (to try a certain drug) can result in full blown dependency, especially in someone already predisposed toaddiction.
Drugs create changes in the brain, ranging fromparanoia to hallucinations— and those effects might not stop when your trip is over. For example, using methamphetamine can increase therisk of schizophrenia symptoms, andusing cocaine long term alters the brainin a way that makes it harder to feel pleasure and happiness without using drugs.
Becoming Violent & Aggressive
Everyone gets angry from time to time, but most people are able to resist actual violence. However, some folks have trouble containing their rage and impulsively end up physically fighting someone, punching objects, breaking things, or yelling.
In the long run, resorting to violence and aggression when angry will result in an inability process anger in a healthy way. Plus, people who lash out are likely to experience guilt and shame after their violent episode.
Domestic violenceis also a problem for those with impulse control issues, making a healthy relationship unsustainable, and traumatizing your partner. Not to mention, there are financial and legal implications if you damage somebody’s property, or worse, physically injure someone.
Gambling
When a gambling habit gets out of hand, it can cause a multitude of problems in someone’s personal life. Gambling can eat up your time, leave you in debt, or cause you to pay more attention to the habit instead of important things in life, like relationships or work.
Overall mood andhappiness may become dependent on gambling wins, anddepressionis likely to occur when a gambler takes big losses. Gambling can also become a means of escapism. Due to a lack of coping skills, escapists can’t sit with their problems and emotions in a healthy way.
Binge Eating
When impulse control is lacking,binge eatingcan turn into a serious problem. People who binge might become reliant on food to help them deal with stress or negative emotions. If they’re having a bad day and food is in front of them, they might not be able to stop eating — even past the point of feeling full. Oftentimes, binge eating results in a vicious cycle that perpetuatespoor self esteem.
A Professional Can Help Curb Impulsive Behaviors
To stop making dangerous, impulsive decisions, you have to make a conscious effort to change your ways and get help.And there’s no better time to turn things around than now.
Impulsive behaviors can have long term effects on both physical and mental wellbeing. If you’re not sure if you have a serious problem with these behaviors, chat with a doctor or mental health professional to get some feedback.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.
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