The reality is that at any point in time you might have an impulse that others don’t like or one that in the moment, you don’t like but that doesn’t mean you have to get anxious about this happening. To get rid of this trigger you have to realize that it exists because you think getting or having an impulse you or others dislike is unacceptable. Rather than view impulses you dislike or don’t want to have as unacceptable–which creates an anxiety trigger–you can just note and recognize that you dislike the impulse.
An impulse in itself doesn’t mean anything, it’s just an impulse but some people are raised to think that certain impulses are “bad” and if they ever have them, that means something, typically negative about them. What is often overlooked is that these views on what is bad or acceptable are from other human beings. This suggests that these human beings are speaking as if their opinion is supreme and should govern all other humans. The critical insight to remember is that these are human beings just like yourself and other people are not always right. We suggest you determine what takes priority: what other people say or your internal peace.
Also, keep in mind that an impulse typically doesn’t have any impact unless acted upon. If you have an impulse you dislike, you can recognize that reality and decide not to act on the impulse. Impulses may occur for one or more reasons and with self-reflection you can find out what those reasons are. This will lead to an increase in self-awareness. Ultimately, you get to choose what you do, not your impulses. You can use you short-term and long-term goals to decide what impulses you act on and which ones we ignore.
To understand why you don’t have to feel bad if others do or would think negatively about an impulse you have, we suggest you read, “What others think isn’t always right.”
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