Your life is a series of decisions. The moment you are born, your future is an endless maze of forking paths, but with each choice you make, the options in front of you start to narrow. Some of the decisions you make along the way will be minor, such as which dress to wear or what to make for dinner. But other choices are much more critical and will have an enormous impact on the rest of your life. Your career path, your home, and whether or not you are going to get married or have children are major life steps, and a great deal of thinking has to go into them.
But some people are much better at making decisions than others. These individuals have the uncanny ability to simply weigh up the pros and cons before selecting a course of action and never looking back. But others are hindered by decision anxiety. Perhaps you constantly find yourself going back and forth between different options, or feeling regretful when you have picked a certain path. This is a common phenomenon, and it can make it difficult for you to feel truly happy and content with your life journey.
Fortunately, there are many ways to overcome decision anxiety. By following these tips, you will find it easier to make important choices and feel more confident and satisfied with the course of action you take.
Visualize
If you are in the midst of an important milestone in life, such as selecting which college you’re going to attend, or finding a house to buy, it can be hard to see the wood for the trees. There are so many possible futures lying ahead of you, how can you know which is the best one for you? It can help to put yourself in the shoes of the future you. Imagine what your life will be like when you go down a certain path and try to consider all the consequences. By weighing up different options in this way, it will be a lot easier to determine which college campus you can see yourself enjoying, or which house you will feel more at home in.
Ask an expert
When you’re struggling to make up your mind, it can help to ask someone with expertise in this area. If you’re looking at colleges, talk to people who have been there and can give you insider information. And if you’re hunting for a used car but know nothing about motors, use a company like Edmunds, who can help you find great deals and understand your options.
Ease yourself in
For people with anxiety, taking a leap of faith is an overwhelming prospect. Just packing up and moving to a new city may be unthinkable. What if you don’t like your new home or you struggle to find new friends? Instead of jumping straight into your new life, find ways to ease yourself in slowly. This way you can decide for yourself whether it is the right choice for you without making a huge commitment. For example, you could spend a couple of weeks in the city and work remotely, exploring your new surroundings and getting a feel for what it’s like to live there.