With endless decisions to be made every day, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with decision fatigue. Here are 3 simple tips to help.
It should have been so simple.
All I needed was to figure out what to eat for breakfast. I stood in my kitchen, one hand holding the fridge open and the other on the pantry door. I stared at the contents of both, eyes scanning back and forth, hoping something would magically stand out with arrows and neon signs.
It wasn’t that there wasn’t food, I simply couldn’t decide what to eat.
It wasn’t even nine in the morning and I felt like I had already made too many decisions. I simply couldn’t figure out one more thing.
Have you been there?
Maybe not in front of the fridge, but deciding on something for your kids or standing in front of your closet. Maybe it’s been a work decision or what book to read.
The size of the decision doesn’t matter. It’s the cumulative weight of the quantity that wears us down.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed by making one more decision, try these simple tips:
Stop, Breathe & Move
I say this in my head like the stop-drop-and-roll of my elementary school years. (I’ve never actually needed that, by the way, but it’s ingrained deep.)
When decisions are overwhelming, the first thing I try to do is stop the decision making process. Just stop.
Next, breathe. Deep, slow breaths that go all the way to the bottom of your belly work wonders for stress levels.
Follow that up with moving, and I’m not talking exercise (although that is a great option.) Simply move your body to a different location. For my example above, that meant I needed to stop staring at the fridge. I had to leave the kitchen and come back in a bit when I wasn’t spiraling in indecision.
Smile
Yes, it can seem a bit cheesy and forced. But sometimes I need to boss my feelings around. Purposely smiling (even when I don’t feel like it) begins shifting my feelings to happier places.
Pray and Do Something
Taking just a moment for a breath prayer — a simple “HELP ME, GOD” with a deep inhale followed by a long, quiet exhale reminds me I’m not making the decision on my own.
Follow that simple breath prayer up with action. Just do something. Choose yogurt, pick the shirt, set the date for the meeting, pick the daycare. Your decision doesn’t have to be permanent. It just needs to be a decision.
You can always change a decision, but indecision gets you nowhere.
We’re facing a lot of unknown, hard things in the world right now. And they all seem to require some sort of decision on our part. Try these tips to help you feel less overwhelmed and more free to move forward.
If you need some help facing these things, check out this free journal you can download today!
I get frozen up sometimes too, with even the most simple decisions. And many decisions that I used to make easily are coming so much harder during the time of coronavirus. I love this advice: “Just do something.” Anything. Just making a move of some sort can make a lot of difference!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one! Coronavirus has take every decision and added a little exponent next to it. One decision becomes 15!
This is such helpful advice, especially right now. Thank you for sharing!
So glad you’re here!
Thanks Rebecca, this is great. I can relate!! I know if I struggle to decide what to wear in the morning I am too stressed and need to do something intentional to settle myself. I love your simple and practical steps.
Struggling with what to wear is the worst feeling for me. It feeds all the little (and not so little) insecurities I have. Choosing ahead of time makes a big difference for me!
Rebecca, hi!
Yes, this is the year of brain freeze and other assorted stress related ailments. You’re right … a smile recalibrates me. So does bursting into song.
And praying outloud.
We need to be purposeful in all this, don’t we. Good to chat with you this morning.
Yes, being purposeful instead of perfect in these makes all the difference!
Wise advice! When people agonize over and over about a decision and complain that God hasn’t made it clear to them, I want to shake them and say, “Maybe God is trying to tell you that either decision is a good one!” Some houses have many windows and doors ;).
This.Is.So.Good!
Thank you – that was good, such practical tips for when we feel overwhelmed. Sometimes we make every decision so BIG but many are options that we can change and take the weight off decision making!
A less weighty decision making process sounds perfect!
yes, this year has brought more fatigue than every before, weariness in decision making is a big one! whew! thank you for this encouragement in the midst of it all.
Thanks for being here!
Thanks for these simple steps we can take to deal with overwhelm. Such easy things to implement when we have too many decisions all at once!
There have been so many decisions lately!