Overcoming Decision-Making Anxiety: Tips from a Psychologist

Do you ever feel totally stuck picking dinner or outfits or even which email to answer first? Listen, it's not laziness, but it might be anxiety.

Hi, I'm Dr. Andrea Zorbas, i'm a psychologist at Therapy Now SF. Decision-making anxiety is when even simple choices feel mentally exhausting. It's especially common if you're already feeling overwhelmed, anxious. If you're perfectionistic or you're constantly under pressure to get it right.

Let's talk about the main pieces around this.Anxiety will make the brain treat small decisions like their big threats. So when you're anxious, your nervous system can't always distinguish between true danger and emotional discomfort. So even low stakes decisions can trigger this fight or flight in your body.

The next one is there's a fear of making the wrong choice, and it's often rooted in self-doubt or past negative experiences. So if you've ever been criticized for mistakes, which is true for most of us, or you've been raised to avoid failure, you might freeze up in the face of options.

Lastly, trying to find the perfect choice will keep you stuck. So perfectionism turns decisions into pressure cookers often good enough is actually good enough, and action reduces anxiety more than overthinking ever can.

So if you struggle with decision making and it's negatively impacting your life, you're not alone. Therapy can help you feel more grounded and confident in your choices. Learn more at Therapy Now SF