It should have been so simple.
All I needed was to figure out what to eat for breakfast. I stood in my kitchen, one hand holding the fridge open and the other on the pantry door. I stared at the contents of both, eyes scanning back and forth, hoping something would magically stand out with arrows and neon signs.
It wasn’t that there wasn’t food, I simply couldn’t decide what to eat.
It wasn’t even nine in the morning and I felt like I had already made too many decisions. I simply couldn’t figure out one more thing.
Have you been there?
Maybe not in front of the fridge, but deciding on something for your kids or standing in front of your closet. Maybe it’s been a work decision or what book to read.
The size of the decision doesn’t matter. It’s the cumulative weight of the quantity that wears us down.
When you’re feeling overwhelmed by making one more decision, try these simple tips:
Stop, Breathe & Move
I say this in my head like the stop-drop-and-roll of my elementary school years. (I’ve never actually needed that, by the way, but it’s ingrained deep.)
When decisions are overwhelming, the first thing I try to do is stop the decision making process. Just stop.
Next, breathe. Deep, slow breaths that go all the way to the bottom of your belly work wonders for stress levels.
Follow that up with moving, and I’m not talking exercise (although that is a great option.) Simply move your body to a different location. For my example above, that meant I needed to stop staring at the fridge. I had to leave the kitchen and come back in a bit when I wasn’t spiraling in indecision.
Smile
Yes, it can seem a bit cheesy and forced. But sometimes I need to boss my feelings around. Purposely smiling (even when I don’t feel like it) begins shifting my feelings to happier places.
