The Mental Toll of Constant Choices: Recognizing and Healing Decision Fatigue
Exhaustion, procrastination and increased anxiety are just a few signs of “Decision Fatigue.” Many of us experience these symptoms from time to time, but are you noticing yourself living in a constant state of this exhaustion? If so, it might be something more serious than the typical stress.
Decision fatigue is when a person’s energy has become depleted due to an overwhelming amount of decisions that must be made on the daily basis. It leads to poorer decision making, procrastination, and impulsivity which in return can lead to burnout, anxiety and depression.
One might say “but isn’t it freeing to make choices in your life? Isn’t it an honor to be in charge and have all the say?” Well in short, sometimes this is true but everyone needs some degree of balance.
While it can be empowering to have the opportunity to make impactful choices, whether it be in the home or in your career, decisions can start to pile up in ways that may seem small at first but eventually lead to mental exhaustion.
Are certain people at higher risk for developing decision fatigue?
Yes! There are life circumstances and certain professions that show high rates of decision fatigue as well as overall burnout so it is especially important to take notice if you are in one of these positions. According studies conducted with the American Medical Association, healthcare and medical professionals, legal professionals, entrepreneurs and business owners, parents, and teachers are some of the professions with highest rates of decision fatigue. **Note, this does not mean that individuals outside of these occupations can not struggle with decision fatigue!**
Do you notice any commonalities among these professions? In order to make sense of this, let’s explore how exactly decision fatigue develops:
Little things accumulate: Every decision, no matter how small, uses some degree of mental energy. From deciding what to wear, what to eat, what to do with your kid’s messy hair or what to say in yet another email, the brain energy adds up. Just think about how many choices you make before you even hop onto your first call of the day and imagine your brain energy like fuel. We all have a certain amount of brain fuel each day so even lots of small decisions can start to deplete someone.
Complex Decisions: Along with small decisions, these previously mentioned professions are often obligated to engage in more complex or high-stakes and fast-pasted a decisions, often involving the livelihood of another person.
The mother who has to assess if her child has a cold or something more serious that requires urgent attention.
The business owner who has to make cuts and potentially let go of an employee who is the sole provider for their family.
The lawyer who holds the pressure of defending an innocent individual and influence the rest of their life.
The nurse or doctor who’s decisions can be life or death.
As you can imagine, there is a great amount of mental resources that must be used to come to these decisions as well as emotional weight which can be especially draining.
However, the double edge sword here is, when a person has to make complex decisions often, there becomes less room for smaller choices which might be the more “self-care” type choices. Some of these might include where to go for dinner, what workout to do or what to say when hanging out with a friend. This sense of exhaustion can easily and quickly spillover to personal life with negative impacts.
It is common for those who experience this spillover to begin experiencing avoidance of decisions completely. After a long day of making high-stakes choices, the brain may resist further decision-making resulting in procrastination or simply defaulting to the easiest options, which might not be the healthiest option, like fast food instead of cooking or isolating instead of socializing.
Unfortunately, it is common for those with severe decision fatigue to experience strained relationships. The exhaustion can make it hard to connect with others in many ways. For one, the emotional toll can leave someone feeling irritable or detached which in itself makes it hard to connect with loved ones. However, even if someone experiencing decision fatigue is not exactly feeling irritable, it can still be difficult to engage in meaningful conversations when the brain is running on empty.
So what can a person possibly do if they are experiencing decision fatigue?
Every person’s needs are unique to them and their situation. While one person might need to say no to some social activities, another person might benefit from saying yes and pushing themselves to attend a social outing. This said, there is no one size fits all answer to heal decision fatigue as well as overall burnout. However, I do have four key recommendations that you can start with.
Pre-Plan What you can: Simplifying life when possible can begin to significantly reduce decision fatigue. In the modern world, there is temptation to either buy or engage with things almost everywhere. There will always be a new trend; you do not have to keep up with them all. Finding a breakfast or a few meal plans that work for you and rotating them can reduce stress by providing less decisions and reliable expectations. Other examples might be planning outfits ahead of time, booking workout classes ahead of time and having a chores schedule.
Delegate When Possible: Communicate with family members, loved ones and colleagues to see where you can reduce your load. Remember, sharing is caring!
Set Boundaries: Create a clear separation between your work or main stressor and your personal life. Don’t worry, I can hear you from here, “I can’t have boundaries, I’m an XYZ.” I completely understand that not everyone can have the same kind of boundaries. Boundaries in your life or profession might be very small and minimal, but anything counts. (Boundaries are much different and more difficult when the main stressor is parenting. In these cases, explore delegating more and focus on recommendations 1,2, & 4.)
Practice Mindfulness and Self-Compassion:
Acknowledge that it is okay to feel overwhelmed and feelings do not dictate your value as a person. Practice giving yourself credit for everything that you accomplish and practice speaking to yourself the same way that you would to a friend or a young child. Last, try to practice mindful awareness with monitoring your “brain fuel” and prioritize rest and recovery when you can before you reach empty!
Although decision fatigue can lead to serious consequences like burnout, anxiety and depression, catching and addressing it early on can prevent escalation as well as help heal these consequences once they have already begun. With practice of tools like pre-planning where you can, delegating, setting boundaries, mindfulness and self-compassion, it is possible to reclaim your energy for both personal and professional life to maintain a healthy balance. In addition, please always remember that you are not alone and professional help is within reach.