It's what I do whenever something gets my attention and feels like an itch to make a quick response. You count 10 seconds then reevaluate whether something is worth your time.
See an online post you'd want to react because of it being controversial? someone's hot take on a subject not to your liking? get annoyed by someone's rude remark? feeling happy but you know you can make impulsive decisions with the feeling?
Hold it in 10 seconds and just decide thereafter. Your alarm signals in the brain gets stimulated first for threats before the executive parts take over. That's just how our survival instincts were wired.
There's 5 second rule by Mel Robbins where count 5 seconds backward then start the action intended to combat procrastination. But I like to procrastinate so I'm using the 10 second rule for everything else.
It's a habit. Even if you "know" how to do it, you have to practice it consciously that it becomes second nature. Pausing to think is a power in a world where quick responses don't necessarily mean substance.
How I practiced? talking to people, and seeing controversial spaces online where I know I'm going to get tempted to make a response. That's training. If you can scroll past reels or posts that trigger this each after 10 seconds, you're doing well. If you had to say something, at least let those 10 seconds happen before you commit to pressing send.
A lot of people waste their time interacting with things that doesn't serve any purpose but to waste time. You can have a point, probably even right, but if the outcome will just get you in the crosshairs of someone else without any reward for doing so, probably best not to engage in the first place.
Scroll past the bad stuff post 10 seconds.
Thanks for your time.
Is this what u learned from deepstash and decided it's worth sharing with us FREEMIUM newbies too?
Although I am well aware your mental health professional field teached u far more but it's a good taunting joke 😆