Strategies to apply if you have difficulty making decisions
Many people struggle to make decisions because they wait for others' approval. How to fix it?
Problems making decisions: causes and solutions
We make decisions more often than we realise. It happens constantly, minute-by-minute. However, these judgements can be tough.
It's natural, especially for complex and life-changing matters. It's best to ponder and weigh options before acting. But not getting an answer or not getting it on time is a problem.
Decision making requires deciding between two or more possibilities. It involves weighing the benefits and cons of a path.
It implies a future-oriented outlook. Resigning and accepting the consequences is also deciding. Both affect and stall a movement.
This indecision leads to endless ruminating about what to do. This starts a dead-end loop.
Making a decision includes deciding between options. The work is not always easy.
Reasons and effects of decision-making problems
A issue is driven by different sources, hence psychologists emphasise this when discussing causes. Perhaps some are more decisive or weighty than others, but there is no single circumstance that generates or maintains it.
Perfectionism: A perfectionist never has enough. Everything can be improved, thus conditions are never perfect. Many aspects can be improved, but the worst struggle is the one that doesn't happen. This prevents pragmatism in execution and prevents growth and improvement.
Not making a decision often means delaying it indefinitely. The issue goes unaddressed because other priorities arise. Thus, indecision is predicted.
Insecurity and fear of making mistakes paralyse decision-making.
Overreliance on others' opinions: We often delay decisions because we wait for others' approval. This is related to the preceding point because it indicates a lack of self-confidence.
We may have to make a big decision but don't know how.
Certain effects of decision-making difficulty should be highlighted:
The back-and-forth in decision-making means we miss opportunities to identify ourselves in a scenario.
Not making a decision affects mood: the person becomes frustrated, anxious, or ruminates about their interest. This uses a lot of energy.
How to handle decision-making issues?
We can try various methods to overcome our decision-making block. Some hints are:
If you overanalyze a situation, ask yourself questions, repeat scenarios, and refine possibilities. After making a decision, consider the options and restrict them to one or two. I go to B or lean towards C if A passes. This could provide you piece of mind knowing you can act if something unexpected arises.
However, if you are overwhelmed by future uncertainty, you should analyse many situations.
Respect and listening: you must start listening to yourself, recognising your requirements, and trusting your intuition and experience.
Learn to control your emotions to handle irritation.
While mistakes are seldom life-threatening, it is crucial to identify the underlying attitudes or values that impede decision-making. Sometimes we lose sight of reality and think of catastrophic, extreme, or one-sided results.
Disaggregating the decision: Making a decision sometimes feel impossible. If feasible, think about this topic in smaller units and take minimal measures.