Do You Have Decision Paralysis?

When making simple everyday decisions, do you end up stressed, exhausted and second-guessing yourself? You’re not just wishy-washy – there’s a reason for the anxiety.

- Clara How

There are indecisive people who mull over what to have for lunch, and then there’s my friend Kat*. When seconded to an office in another building, she found the sheer number of food choices so overwhelming that she ended up making a 10-minute hike back to her previous office for the tried-and-tested.

Kat gets anxious when making simple, everyday decisions. Grappling with them exhausts her. Weighing up whether to spend an evening doing yoga or grabbing drinks with friends can consume her entire day, as she bounces the merits of each option back and forth in her mind.

Sounds like a first-world problem? But Kat says: “I have a mandatory mental process, where I need to rationalise each possibility before deciding on the best course of action – I’m not willing to risk settling for a decision that’s second-best.”

Kat isn’t just indecisive, she has decision paralysis – the complete lack of ability to decide. She’s tried coping mechanisms like having go-to choices (for example, sets of clothes to wear to work), asking friends to decide on activities, or imposing a time frame for decisions. But the fact remains that when Kat is faced with too many options, she just can’t make a choice.