The overwhelming exhaustion of indecision

So...you’ve got to make a decision. And...you kind of notice that you really don’t want to.Most of us have a ton of freedom, and with that, a ton of privilege. We could make decisions, very strong ones, every day--and we don't want to.

We don’t want to make decisions for one tiny-big reason: Decisions feel final. Never mind if it’s not actually the truth, and most decisions have some degree of reversal to them.

Decisions feel final, and when something feels final, we fear dealing with its consequences.

This causes major overwhelm.

All that time and energy spent in a space of, “Well, I’d really like to do that,” followed by “Ugh, but I don’t want to deal with [some part of doing that],” creates a tug o’ war effect, the tension getting tighter. 

Tug of War

The back-and-forth tug of war around decision making causes far more stress than actually dealing with the consequences of having chosen a particular course of action.

Meanwhile, all of that self-doubt erodes your confidence.

Here's the thing: you can get overwhelmed, you can get exhausted, you can have trouble making decisions.

The back and forth of it all doesn't save you. If you want to stop feeling overwhelmed, then you need to just pick something.

Pick a course of action.

Any action.

See it through.

I know, I know. "Easier said, than done, Kate!" That's what you're thinking.

But you aren't saving yourself anything by waffling in indecision. You're causing yourself more stress with the delays.

Ending Overwhelm, Practicing Courage

These moments? This is the heart of practicing courage.

Your overwhelm won't end because you made the “right” choice. It ends when you make a choice.

The more you put off making decisions, the more overwhelmed you are. It’s less overwhelming to simply make a choice and deal with the consequences, than it is to continue to hang out in that place where you’re constantly debating for yourself, “What do I do?”

It's not about which choice you make, if you know how to make the choice your own.

That’s the bottom line. That’s personal power: knowing that whatever choice of action you decide upon, you can handle the consequences or challenges that arise. That, right there, is practicing courage in the face of fear.