How Do the Impulsive Thoughts and Actions Happen and How to Dissolve it?

An example of impulsive thought and action would be checking Facebook or Instagram in split second from thinking about it to unlock the phone to open Facebook app and reading posts.

I used to feel guilty of checking social media such as Facebook and Instagram too often too many times per day.

For example, I would check it after I woke up. I would check it while eating lunch. I would check it while lying on bed before going to sleep. And somewhere in between during the day many times.

I don’t think I am alone. I am pretty sure most of us are addicted to checking facebook feeds and instagram photos. We probably don’t call that an addiction. Maybe it is something else. I see the urge to check facebook to check news as an “impulse” of the mind. What does that mean?

Impulse is when a thought pops up in our head and an action is taken immediately. For example, if suddenly you think of Facebook or Instagram, and you immediately take your phone out of your pocket, unlock it right away with your face or hand print, fire Facebook or Instagram app, and check what is going on. That is what I call impulse, an impulse that is so fast, so quick that the mind doesn’t have a chance to stop it from happening. It just happens as soon as the mind has a thought of it.

At first it was just an innocent impulse to check what is on Facebook, but soon later it becomes a guilty feeling after you had spent 1-2 hours on Facebook looking at friend’s and strangers’ posts, photos, new articles, or videos that have nothing to do with your life, except that you watch it while you are not conscious about it. In the process, you have wasted 1-2 hours of your life that you cannot take back and didn’t do the things that you need to do to make your life better, or your family’s life better. Your time has been stolen by social media.

Now you ask how do you fix this impulse from happening and how to stop before doing what the impulse wants to do?

This impulse can be dissolved but not without difficulty. Why? Because the way the mind has been operating, developing for hundred and thousand of years has let human being to be here, this way.

So really, will human beings be a victim of this impulse to act for the rest of time or is there a way to dissolve the impulse?

Well if we say there is not way to dissolve the impulse then we are doomed here; there is no discussion since we believe there is no solution anyway.

But if we have even a slightest doubt that there might be a way to get rid of the impulse to act, we can look further, and deeper to investigate.

So let’s investigate.

First, why does impulse happen? Impulse happens because the mind wasn’t aware that impulse is about to happen. If the mind can see an impulsive thought and an action is about to happen, then the mind should be able to stop it or let it happen if it chooses to. Being able to see it coming is the reason one can stop an impulsive action from happening. If the mind doesn’t see it coming, there is no way impulse can be stopped, no way!

But how can we be aware of the impulsive thought before it takes over the mind and before action from the impulsive thought takes place? how?

It’s a tough question to answer.

Let’s look at awareness/observation.

To be aware is to not attach to a thought when it arises. To be aware is to be able to see thoughts. If one is not able to see thought, that means there is no separation between the thought and the seeing. It’s one! Thought is not seeing itself. Though is not seeing its images. That is when suddenly a thought arises or pops up in the head, an action is taken immediately because there is no awareness of the thought. There is no seeing of the thought. Therefore an action or actions take place right away without awareness. This is how impulse is so powerful and almost impossible to stop!

Many people have committed terrible acts because of the impulsive thoughts and actions at the moment.

Awareness or the seeing of thoughts is not the natural quality of the human mind. Most of us can see our thoughts for very short period of time and, then we go back to being thought therefore not seeing thoughts at all, most of the time.

Here are a few ways to help one aware of what is happening in our head and can see thoughts:

• pay attention and watch the sensation you feel on your bare skin when wind is blowing on it.
• pay attention and listen to the quite sound or relaxing sound of nature such as tree leaves, flowing water, bird chirping etc.
• pay attention and watch the sensation of the body when you are sitting quietly.
• watch the movement of thoughts in your head. Just watch. You will see thoughts moving, they come and go, thoughts are alway moving, appears, and disappear. There is no warning as when a thought or idea will come, but it will come and go as it pleases. As long as we are not aware of when it comes and when it goes, thoughts will cause so much trouble in our life and the life of other people around us. Just watch and you will see what thoughts have done.

Since naturally thoughts are the driver of actions, and when we are not aware of them, they will do all sort of unreasonable, illogical actions that are not always good or beneficial to you, your family, society or the world.

To be a more aware and watching mind, it might take generations. Biologically the brain might need to go through some evolution before it becomes a more aware organism.

However, time is also an illusion that probably stops the mind from become an aware organism faster, because thoughts think that it will take time, so it takes time.

An insight or a new perspective do not take time, it happens immediately. Once a new perspective is changed, it is almost impossible to undone.

Hope you have a new insight from this article.