5 Tips to Deal With Decision-Making Anxiety
Many of us with anxiety struggle with being decisive. It could be decisions about school, such as deciding what classes to take. For a lot of high school seniors, the decision about what college to attend can feel paralyzing. For young adults, it might be the decision to take a job, make a move, or decide if it’s time to end a relationship. Whatever the decision, there are ways to approach it that can reduce anxiety and increase your confidence and trust in yourself.
Here are some ways to cope with anxiety around decisions:
Get out of your head and into your body:
Staying inside your head, constantly weighing each option usually leads to more overwhelm. One of the quickest ways to get clear about next steps is to tune into your body. This could mean taking a walk, dancing, or doing something more grounding like yoga and connecting with your breath. The key is connecting to the emotions in your body that come up around each choice. That’s where you’ll find the clarity you’re looking for.
Recognize that the most anxiety comes leading up to making a decision:
Anticipatory anxiety is the worst kind! Recognizing that making the decision, whatever it is, will most likely lead to feeling less anxiety. There’s relief in no longer being in the space of the unknown and having the decision-making process behind you.
Let go of making the perfect choice:
There is no such thing as a perfect choice. There’s only the choice you make. Reminding yourself of this helps relieve the pressure of making the “right choice” and rather the choice that feels right to me right now.
Notice people-pleasing tendencies:
Often when we feel indecisive it’s because we’re focused on making a choice that pleases others. You can ask yourself the question, am I letting myself be influenced by the expectations of others? Ask yourself what you truly want and give yourself permission to set aside the opinions of others. This will help you feel more confidence in making a choice that feels best to you. Of course, it is helpful to get support and feedback and support from you people you trust. But ultimately, you are the one who live with whichever decision you make. So make it a decision that works best for you.
Recognize your ability to pivot and be flexible:
We often look at choices in a very black and white way and assume we can’t our minds once the decision is made. Question this assumption. Yes, some decisions can’t be undone. But there are many times you can adjust or change after making a choice. For example: when I was a high school senior making a decision about which college to choose, I agonized over doing this wrong. An eye-opening conversation with a close relative completely changed the process for me when she said, “you know, you can change your mind.” I assumed that this decision would determine the rest of my life and if I made the wrong one, my life would be ruined. One bachelors degree, 2 masters degrees and many jobs later, I can assure you that it’s okay to change your mind! It’s a part of being human to evolve and change.
Learning to trust yourself and listen to your needs is a practice. It is possible to move through anxiety and find what you truly want. You can do it! If you’re living in Massachusetts and need more help learning to overcome anxiety and trust yourself, reach out to me to schedule a consultation.
