When we get to a point where we can’t even make the simplest decision, it can feel like the world is closing in on us. We’re so overwhelmed by the prospect of having to make a decision that we just stop trying to decide.
It’s a trap that’s easy to fall into but also possible to escape.
6 Reasons Why You Find It Hard to Make Simple Decisions
1. You Try to Make Too Many Decisions
We’ve all been there: you’re in a restaurant, and you stare at the menu for what feels like hours, but you still can’t decide what to order. Or it’s a friend’s birthday party, and you’ve no idea what to get them. Or maybe it’s just another day at work, and you’re wondering if it makes sense to go home early.
It’s hard to make decisions when you’re feeling good and energized, but it can be downright impossible when you feel stressed or anxious. If you have a lot of more significant decisions to make, it can lead to decision fatigue when even the more minor decisions are challenging.
Decision fatigue does exist, and it can affect your ability to make good decisions when you’re faced with many options. When we have too much stress, our brains can shut down! That’s why we tend to buy the same things repeatedly – we’ve already made all the decisions we need to make in our daily lives, so we don’t have to think about them anymore and reduce our chances of decision fatigue.
Don’t Try to Make All Your Decisions at Once. Just Choose One Thing and Do It!
Make sure there’s a good reason to make the decision in the first place. If not, don’t worry about it – just let it go!
If you have to make a small decision, like what laundry detergent to buy, and you’re not sure what the best choice is, pick something that seems good enough for now, and allow yourself to make mistakes. In any case, it’s not the small decisions that will affect the rest of your life.
2. Your Brain Is Exhausted
If you’ve ever felt like you couldn’t make a simple decision, you’re not alone. When we’re tired, we have a hard time making decisions.
This is because our decision-making patterns are less logical and more emotional when we feel overwhelmed. We can’t make rational decisions when we’re tired because our brain doesn’t have enough energy to process all the information presented to it at once fully.
If you want to do your best work and make smart decisions that keep you on track, you need to get enough sleep every night.
- Rest your brain by taking breaks throughout the day. This means making time for things you enjoy (reading, watching series, cooking, sports, etc.). Hobbies help clear our minds and give us a break from all the decisions!
- Take a walk outside. The fresh air will do you good! It’ll clear your head and make it easier to think clearly about what you need to do next.
- Don’t get overwhelmed by choices; decide one thing at a time! If you’ve too many options, you’ll have a hard time deciding – so choose one thing from each category instead of all categories at once!
- Listen to music that calms your nerves and helps you make a good decision! Don’t listen to anything that distracts you or is too emotional, but only something that calms your mind and body enough that you’ll be ready for another round of decision-making after your break!
- Set boundaries for yourself. Stay away from vampires and toxic people! We don’t always realize how much one person can take up our time and energy, but we do when we start setting boundaries. Setting boundaries can be as simple as not taking a phone call or answering an email.
It’s essential to take care of our health and our mental health. I retreat to recharge my batteries when I’m so exhausted that I can’t even make the simplest decisions. I find that a week without cell phones and daily meditation helps!
3. Your Self-Esteem Is Low
Lack of self-confidence can have a significant impact on big and simple decisions. This can be because you’ve made a bad decision before and now feel like you’re not good enough to make the right decision.
This can make it hard for you to trust yourself and your instincts, especially when it comes to small things like buying a new pair of shoes or choosing which movie to see tonight.
But there’s no need to worry! Here are some tips that will help you take back control of your life:
- Realize that everyone makes the wrong decision sometimes – even people who seem very confident and self-assured. Nobody knows everything, so don’t beat yourself up over every little thing.
- Stop comparing yourself to other people! Comparing yourself to others is a waste of time because everyone has different strengths and weaknesses, and it’s impossible for anyone to be perfect in every way! Instead of comparing yourself to others, focus on finding your path to success by trying new things and learning from your experiences.
- Take care of yourself. Eating healthy and exercising will give you more energy and improve your mood, making you feel better.
4. You Think Too Much About Everything
One of the most common problems people have when making decisions is thinking too much about everything. This can be a real problem, especially when you’ve to decide between two things that are both pretty good options.
When you think too much, you often come up with all kinds of reasons one option is good, and then you find all kinds of reasons why the other isn’t so great. You might even start thinking about how the other option would be a better decision- and then you might even imagine what it would be like if you chose that option instead.
This is called analysis paralysis, and it’s very easy to fall into this trap when you’re just trying to make an essential decision in your life.
But not every decision has to be a big decision. Many everyday decisions are mundane, such as what you eat, when you call your friends, or what show you watch. With a small decision, you can rely on your intuition and have nothing to fear if you don’t make the right choice because more significant decisions are much more critical.
Here are a few tips to help you get unstuck from your indecisiveness:
- Ask yourself what would happen if you didn’t make a simple decision. In other words, imagine that your decision doesn’t go through – what would that look like? What would happen then? Think about both the worst-case scenario and the best-case scenario. This way, it can help you make a quick decision because after asking yourself these questions, you’ll probably realize that you’re dealing with a minor decision.
- Don’t let fear guide your decision-making! If one of the options scares you, try to look at it from a different angle: What would likely happen if this option didn’t work out? How might it have a positive impact? By looking at things from different angles and trying to see them differently, we can overcome our fears and make better decisions (and feel less stressed).
5. You Worry Too Much About What Others Think
This is another common problem in our society, but with the right attitude, you can overcome it. The first step is to realize that you aren’t alone. Millions of people have the same problem, and that’s okay!
One thing that makes us human is our ability to think about our actions and how they affect others. We try to be considerate of the feelings and needs of others because we want to live in a world where everyone feels safe, respected, and loved.
But there’s a fine line between being considerate and being overly sensitive to the criticism or judgment of others. When you care too much about what others think, you have difficulty making decisions that are best for you because you worry about how other people will perceive those decisions.
If this has been happening in your life lately, here are some tips on how to overcome the problem:
- Think about the benefits and consequences before you make a decision – but don’t overthink it if it’s a small decision
- Trust your gut. Making the wrong choice isn’t a nice feeling, but the wrong decision because we tried to please others is even worse. Whatever final decision you make, make sure it’s your own!
6. You’re Used to Someone Else Making Daily Decisions for You
Maybe one of your parents has always tried to control all of your daily decisions. Maybe you feel like you’ve never had the opportunity to make decisions for yourself, even minor decisions.
It can be hard to make decisions when someone else has been doing it for you for so long. Here are some tips that might help you:
- Be honest about what you want and what’s important to you.
- Make sure your decision isn’t based on peer pressure or feelings of obligation.
- Remember that it’s okay if things don’t go how they’re supposed to – they never do, just do your best!
You Aren’t Alone!
Whatever the reason, it can be easily fixed. If you’re still struggling, plenty of resources can help you. There are books and other educational materials on the subject, and therapists specialize in decision-making and can help you with the process.
Making decisions is an important part of life, and it’s important that we humans have good decision-making skills so that we can make good decisions for ourselves and our families.
I hope this article has helped you understand why it’s so easy to get stuck when making simple daily decisions and gives you some tips on how to break free from indecisiveness!