Decision making can be stressful. As we look around today’s world, we see that there is still turmoil with the mask mandates. With mothers needing to return to work. With parents concerned about their children returning to schools. Here are 7 stress situations to overcome by recognizing and overcoming the roadblocks and staying on the path you think is best.
- Panic: Accept panic as a natural feeling when you are about to do something that you have not been able to do before. Sleep on your panic and, if you do not feel better in the morning, review your goals and strategies until you feel confident enough to proceed.
- Fear of Change: Once you realize that you have embarked on a new pattern of decision making, you might find yourself falling into past habits such as deferring to authority, succumbing to defeatism, and fear of making the wrong decision. Embrace your new found ability and replace fear with determination to achieve your goal
- Lack of Sleep: Research shows that lack of sleep negatively impacts decision making. Researchers tell us that sleep is so important that even losing an hour or two a night can interfere with a person’s judgment and attitude.
- Inability to Address Priorities: If those you trust tell you that you are wearing blinders and are missing the solution to a problem, go back to the drawing board. Clarify the problem and then go forward.
- Confidence Crisis: Decision making is about having the courage of your conviction, not necessarily about others agreeing with you. If you wither and stress out when someone says, “I don’t agree with you” — Take a minute to review your process; make a pros and cons list; and then proceed with confidence.
- Fear of Success: Sometimes when one is close to success, the realization hits. Your plan will take a long time to implement. And so you decide on a Plan B which will give you an immediate solution, but may not be as beneficial in the long run. Step back a minute. Talk with a trusted friend or colleague. Never let time sabotage your own victory for the sake of pleasing your ego.
- Watch for the Secrets Backlash: In some families and situations, the need for secrecy is imperative. Telling others of your plans can result in reactions such as, “You must be kidding.” Or “That’s an impossible task.” However, keeping the secret can result in an uprising when the truth comes out. People will say, “You never gave us a clue.” Or, “What didn’t you tell us?” Keep in mind that you don’t need to give clues. What you owe yourself is to make a thoughtful, honest decision in your own best interest and/or in the interests of those you love.
The responsibility for following through is yours alone. A decision that is important to you may not be as important to others. If you want your decisions to come to fruition, you must take the responsibility to make them happen.
Copyright 2022 Rita Watson
Adapted from my PsychologyToday.com blog, and The Art of Decision Making: 20 Winning Strategies for Women, (Rita E Watson) Lowell House. Photo by Rita Watson, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston
-
Share -
Tweet -
