Counselor's Corner: Do You Suffer from Decision Fatigue?

Unlike physical fatigue which you are aware of, decision fatigue often happens without you knowing it. You are just tired from the many decisions that you have been making or even thinking about making.

Every decision you make requires time and energy-even ones that may seem harmless.

Roy F. Baumeister, a social psychologist coined the term “decision fatigue” in reference to the decline in the quality of decisions that are made by a person after many decisions have been made in a row.

Decision fatigue will decrease your productivity and motivation.

The enemy will use the strategy by presenting you with several difficult decisions that need to be made, many which you cannot figure out or feel confused about making. This scheme is done covertly by presenting you with many decisions all at once and often times coming from many different directions, in the hopes that eventually you will be so worn-out by all the presented decisions to be made that you’ll start agreeing to things you should not.

Being forced to make multiple complex decisions will deplete your energy. There are times at work or in your family life that this will occur, and other times the enemy sends a barrage of multiple complex decisions with the goal of wearing you down.

If I am presented with too many decisions and especially multiple complex decisions, I tend to just “shut down.” I start to feel sluggish and in need of a nap. This month I had several decisions that needed to be made, some were complex decisions. I noticed that for the last week I have been especially fatigued, and I believe this was a result of being faced with too many complex decisions that I needed to make, and many of the decisions I still have not come to any conclusions about.

I believe the enemy will deploy this scheme to mentally wear you at, especially when you cannot find a solution to the decision in front of you and you go over and over in your mind what to do.

Tips on how you can overcome decision fatigue:

1.     Limit and simplify your choices of where to eat, what to do and what to wear.

2.     Have a routine and plan your day the night before or early in the morning. Spontaneity can be fun, but not when you trying to recover from decision fatigue.

3.     If you cannot figure out the complex multiple decisions in your life, and feel confused by them, recognize who is likely behind this trap and ask the Holy Spirit to give you His wisdom and guidance concerning those decisions. 

4.     Practice self-care. Get the rest and replenish that you need. Put off making decisions that can wait.

5.     Getting a good night’s sleep can recharge your batteries, so opt to get at least 7-8 hours nightly.

If you feel overwhelmed by the many decisions that need to be made in your life, step back for a while until you can get a clearer picture. Many times, decisions in our lives don’t need to be made immediately, and if you do feel the pressure to make an immediate decision you can be rest assured that the enemy is behind it.