We’re constantly making decisions throughout the day. They’re not all necessarily major decisions, but having to make a series of minor choices can weigh on us. Let’s take a closer look at decision fatigue, including what causes it, the signs you’re dealing with it, and how to manage it. Simply put, decision fatigue is the mental exhaustion someone experiences after making a lot of decisions. “That means, the more decisions you make, the harder it becomes to make additional decisions,” says Rashmi Parmar, MD, a psychiatrist with Community Psychiatry + MindPath Care Centers. “More often than not, it leads to one of two endpoints: You either give up and stop making decisions completely, or you’ll make impulsive or irrational choices.” Or being overwhelmed by too many options. In addition to facing periods of making decisions one after the other, decision fatigue can also set in when you have an abundance of options, explains Carla Marie Manly, PhD, a clinical psychologist in Sonoma County, California, and author of Joy From Fear and Date Smart. “Although humans tend to enjoy having a variety of choices, too many choices can lead to mental and emotional exhaustion,” says Manly. “For example, having too many options—whether in the grocery store, catalog, or online retailer—can lead to feelings of confusion and dissatisfaction.” More specifically, someone who is habitually indecisive often fears making the wrong decision, Manly noted, adding that their ongoing avoidance of decision-making often leads to routine procrastination. “Although a person who is characteristically indecisive may also suffer from decision fatigue, fearful avoidance is generally at the root of most decision-making issues for the chronically indecisive person,” she says. “On the other hand, decision fatigue can affect anyone, even those who tend to be extremely decisive.” The good news, according to Dr. Parmar, is that it’s possible to recover from both decision fatigue and indecisiveness. “However, decision fatigue can autocorrect itself within a span of a few hours to a few days, whereas indecisiveness can take longer and significantly more effort to recover [from],” she adds. Why does this happen? According to Dr. Parmar, conditions like depression and anxiety can cause significant mental strain and impair one’s ability to fully focus on something, which can contribute to decision-making fatigue over time. “A depressed person is often overwhelmed with negative thoughts, low self-esteem, and low motivation; which makes decision fatigue set in faster than usual,” she explains. “An anxious person tends to worry about every decision they make—even smaller decisions get exaggerated into bigger issues, which induces decision fatigue.” There’s a good chance that if you’re managing decision fatigue, you’re already pretty stressed. Reducing the anxiety and frustration caused by your inability to make decisions—starting with identifying the signs of decision fatigue—can go a long way toward improving your mental well-being.
