Unable to Decide

When I need to decide on something, from what to eat today to what profession to study, I find myself hesitating a lot and struggling to make a decision. Is there a way to help me?

We all hesitate from time to time, especially before making significant decisions. But for some people, the difficulty in making decisions is accompanied by real anxiety, which makes life difficult.

The main difficulty in decision-making is primarily avoidance: avoiding making decisions in any matter related to family, relationships, and even work. Avoiding any matter that would cause us to make a decision.

First, it is important to check whether this is a normative difficulty, something that most of us experience, or if it is an obsessive-anxiety disorder.

First, check with yourself how long it takes you to make a decision, and if after making a decision you regretted it. If the decision takes an unusually long time, and even after making the decision you have recurring doubts and regrets, there may be a difficulty stemming from anxiety, and treatment may be needed.

And how do you treat this type of anxiety?

CBT therapy can assist in the thought process, including identifying difficulties and cognitive distortions that cause us to fear making decisions. After that, try to replace these thoughts with calming and effective ones. Techniques for relaxation can also be used when thoughts prevent us from making a decision. (Yafa Ifergan, MA, Educator and CBT Therapist in the "Emotional at My Inquiry" Department)