How to Stop Overthinking Decisions and Overcome Analysis Paralysis
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- When you get overwhelmed by making a choice, when you can’t decide between A and B, you often settle for C or you end up paralyzed, procrastinating, or making no decision at all. In this video you’ll learn the 3 underlying causes of decision paralysis, and 2 keys to overcoming it. And I'll give you a hint, it has to do with emotion regulation and executive functioning.
Frieda’s story is the epitome of decision paralysis. Decision paralysis is when you get overwhelmed with a complicated decision, or a simple one. Deciding “What should I major in at college?” or “Where should we eat tonight?” might make you freeze up, you might avoid it, overthink it, delay it, or constantly second guess your choice. This can lead to choice fatigue, you might feel exhausted or just give up on college or eating out that night.
Or you might procrastinate, instead of just picking the topic for that one huge assignment, you do a ton of little tasks that aren’t important. Or you spend time watching shows or on social media- anything you can to avoid dealing with that overwhelming decision.
00:00 What causes analysis paralysis?
00:37 Promo for The emotion processing course
00:58 Story about overthinking decisions
02:08 What is decision paralysis?
03:19 3 Causes of Overthinking Decisions
04:12 How to stop overthinking decisions
06:40 Learn to regulate the fear of making a decision
10:17 3 Mantras to overcome overthinking decisions
11:02 Back to Frieda's story about overcoming decision paralysis
11:40 Summary of how to stop overthinking decisions
Looking for affordable online therapy? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: betterhelp.com/therapyinanuts...
Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: courses.therapyinanutshell.co...
Support my mission on Patreon: / therapyinanutshell
Sign up for my newsletter: courses.therapyinanutshell.co...
Check out my favorite self-help books: kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes...
Check out my podcast, Therapy in a Nutshell: tinpodcast.podbean.com/
Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.
In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.
And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...
If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services.
Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
My wife of 51 years and I flip a quarter if we can't decide. Heads we do, tails we don't. Never fight over decisions. If it doesn't work out we blame the quarter.
I LOVE this
😂😂😂 Sometime we want to flip it again. Like Im more into the second choice. Let's try again!
that's adorable😭
I don't think you can apply this for big decisions
When we want to reflip the coin then we know it’s the other side we really wanted.
"Done is better than perfect" is what I repeated to myself over and over again, every week last year when I went back to school and finished my degree. It was only one class, but it's been almost 20 years and I felt like I wasn't doing a good job on my papers. So I had to tell myself that as long as I turned them in, I wouldn't fail and that was all that counted.
Love it, i Will borrow this!
This is what I'm telling myself
But still be aware of consequences of your acts
All you can do is your best. I have had teachers who failed everyone but min allowed. Luckily one of those classes, Engr Physics 1 & 2 I had to take at a community College & transfer credits. I got 2 C grades. But credits, not grades transferred. Whew.
Would the ‘done is better than perfect ‘philosophy work out for choosing a degree?
I understand most people know what they want to study but I was very good at school, chose a major in college because I had no idea what I wanted to do and I listened to what my parents said. Now I’ve worked 4 years in the field but I can’t quite shake the feeling of wanting to do something else but I still don’t know what to do. I want to pursue a masters but i’m torn between choosing something related to my existing degree or something completely new.
"If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice"
-Rush, 'Freewill'
Your contents are really better than going to any psychologist and therapist. It's clear, crisp, to the point and without any drama. Thank you for your efforts to make us feel better.
That's kind of you dude
What do you mean by "without any drama?" What kind of drama do you usually experience?
@@somehuman6300 Some podcast tend to motivate it's viewers by shouting and yelling in annoying tones, with really loud background track. It's hurtful to hear them.
@@jumanji9869 Thanks for explaining this. Are you saying one of the reasons you like this channel is because her voice is calming?
I can’t access the class
"Life will choose for you. if you don't" - sometimes these insightful harsh realities are what you need to hear, to start taking those decisive first steps. Beautiful content :)
But isnt the decision made then? I believe the Most important Thing to learn about decisions is that we Put too much significance in Them.
You always come in a perfect time of need. Thank you for your help. It always makes me feel better and confident🙏
Agreed
I'm so glad!
@@TherapyinaNutshell thank u😊😇
I'm 33 and this has destroyed my life the past 10 years, I even went to a school therapist and they said I needed to see a career councilor... that didn't help. I wish I knew I needed help sooner, and that it could be fixed.
I feel the same. My entire life (im 31) i have been unable to make any important decisions, so i just dont make decisions and let life kinda decide for me.. I postpone things untill i no longer have the choice. I boiled it down to mainly being afraid of making the wrong choice and then hating myself for making a wrong choice. Im trying to change this but its very difficult..
@@Kevin97587exactly on the same boat here. it's very difficult to change... and i'm turning 32 this year...
Hi Emma, I saw this quote and thought of you.
"Just as the acorn contains the mighty oak tree, the Self has everything it needs to fulfill its destiny. When the inner conditions are right, it naturally emerges."
What i find hardest is when i all options seem equally good or bad and people say 'just pick one, it doesn't matter which.' I need CRITERIA! I don't know how to handle it when there is no wrong or right answer.
Thanks so much for this. As a single mom I struggle with this a lot and whether I am capable of making the best decisions for my daughter.
Glad it was helpful!
This video could not have come at a more perfect time! I have been completely emotionally paralyzed which is starting to cause me to be physically paralyzed because I'm so overwhelmed about making decisions. Today, I could barely move and all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. I rarely take naps anymore because I suffer from insomnia (whole other issue). I thought the nap might reboot my brain, which it sometimes does, but the nap made me feel worse 😫 I feel like I've made the wrong decisions in the past so I'm terrified of making more bad decisions. Lately I have been procrastinating and giving my mind a "brain break" by watching shows that make me laugh. However, I've also been educating myself on the project I want to start. I have so many ideas in my head but I find it difficult to put those ideas into practice. I'm definitely an over thinker but I want to be a doer. I'm not lazy. I just want to do something that has meaning. But sometimes I can barely get out of bed and I'm not even 40 years old yet 😞 Thank you for making these videos to help me feel a little less alone.
Early trauma makes decision making later in life more difficult.
"A finished PhD is a good PhD", this is similar to the done is better than perfect mantra and is what got me through finishing my thesis. Thanks a lot for this. Cant wait to hear about executive functioning as I struggle with prioritization and identifying what is important during decision-making!
OMG! I am going through the same dilemma. My defense is in 2 weeks!
@@afrinakhanam4696 I wish you all the best. I know how you must be feeling. Just know that your the expert in your work, and this is was the work you could do given the time and resources you had. Be upfront about any limitations or weakness and say future research can examine them further. You’ve got this ☺️
“There is no perfect decision” really hit me. That’s… so true.
there should be with enough data
just woke up, so much things ramping on my mind, don't know where and when to start my day, and you pop up in my yt homepage. " imperfect decisions is greater than doing nothing" "its picking anything and being resilient of the outcome" ❤❤
After putting this all together it sounds like I need to work on my self confidence and self esteem!
Thank you! "Avoiding risk can mean that you end up disappointed and lonely" really, really hit me at the point! Thanks for your effort of explaining it! :)
This video hit me right in the feels. I'm a chronic overthinker and this is just what I needed to hear. Thanks for the great content!
I've been overthinking for all 4 years of my high school career. Now starting out as a Freshman in college next week, I hope this video will be a clear crisp reminder that any decision is better than no decision, and there will always be some risk with it, because that is what life is all about! I find it very inspirational!
Heck Ulysses S. Grant took chances as General and Union Head Commander in the Civil War! Not every one was perfect, but making a decision definitely showed a better outcome!
All of this time I was thinking like George McClellan whom which Lincoln fired for being so cautious. Not anymore!
So good to remind ourselves that we are more capable and and smarter than we think! There's so much value in the habit of affirming yourself and being aware of how you function, so that you can support yourself as best as you can.
I wish I'd known this in HS. Some choices, I don't regret, evasion has helped skip bad scenarios. But I feel that, missing out on good job opps., not being able to climb higher. Still, I'm 26, so it's not the end of the world, no regrets, not in a bad place at all. I know what I want to do now... Much love to this channel.
How to heal abandonment issues? Feeling stuck in this affecting my relationships with people, Feeling lonely and sad.
That is a deep pain indeed. I was given up for adoption, lost my whole family (parents, grandparents, cousins, and so on and 2.5+ yrs) and had subsequent foster homes. Deep abandonment issues.
Unseen trauma by adoptive parents, who provided physically, but were mostly very emotionally unavailable.
A key to my healing has been to learn how to not abandon myself. Learning to take my needs and boundaries into consideration, learn how to stand up for what I want, having my own back.
I often would contort in ways to not be abandoned, people please...but that leads to loneliness because you aren't showing up as you, therefore abandoning yourself.
Healing the core wounds and limiting beliefs is huge.
It is possible.
Once you deeply connect with YOU, it is life changing. You can only connect to others at the level you are connected to, and accept, yourself.
Sending wishes for deep connection💛💫
I’ve watched this twice already. This video continues to be helpful. It makes me realize how spoiled we are. Trying to make a decision about what car to buy. Adding options adds a lot of money. I’m worried about silly things like well I regret every day if I don’t have a sunroof. If you’re going to pay tens of thousands of dollars for something you should get exactly what you want. But the price just keeps going up and the decision making has paralyzed me as always. This video definitely helps. Thanks!
Done is better than perfect is a phrase that is literally changing my life. I use it almost everyday.
You have done more for me than any therapist has ever done. I hope you realise the power you have. Thankyou so much for saving my life on many occasions ♥️
Exactly what I needed today! Huge love!! 🥰 Thanks beautiful!!
Thanks so much for this video! It showed up on my feed right when I'm stuck on a big project that I've been putting off for way too long. Done is better than perfect!!
Really perfect timing, having some huge decisions to make and problems taking them 😉
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson
Thanks for the video Emma, great point on overcoming analysis paralysis by processing the emotions that are truly causing it!
Thank you so much for this information, you're very helpful and inspiring 🥰
Perfect timing now. I am struggling with that for years...
This is great! Great quick overview of the background. My favorite part is the need to address the underlying emotions fueling our thoughts. As a therapist myself, this is a crucial thing I teach most if not all my clients. I have them first STOP to take time to reflect, get in touch with their bodily response, and identify their thoughts and emotions. From there often we can find some emotional need, oftentimes a fear that needs to be addressed. This often comes from a younger part of us that might have been wounded in the past. Once we give a voice to that part, once we allow that part to be seen, to be heard, it often has a positive change and impact in the present.
Omg could this be the advice I've always needed??
I was going threw that but I started to pray on it and I felt better after.
Thank you for this!! Currently struggling so much with choosing a education for this fall, between London and Stockholm. I already live in sweden and love most parts of it, but i was so excited when i got accepted to london, i’ve thought about every single detail and it’s just soo hard to make a choice. My fear is for sure regret, that i would have made the ’wrong’ choice.
I’m gonna watch this video everyday to remind and help myself😂😭
I love and appreciate the hell out of you for all your videos. You have no idea how much they've helped and how much I value them. ❤️
I like that you summarize and put a visual up on the video with the main points. So helpful.
I am grateful to have stumbled upon your series of videos. They are fantastic & right on the money!
I will be checking out all of them!!!
As a toxic perfectionist and a psychology student, I feel like I got a lot out of this video. Thank you so much !
I got adhd so I struggle to maintain executive function and working memory. It's not impossible just more work.
for sure it's totally possible to maintain that ❤
You are a blessing. The time and devotion to this channel is so appreciated. You manage to put out consistently excellent content along with raising a family and being a great wife.
We. Appreciate. You.
❤❤❤❤
Emma, your videos are awesome. Thank you for educating us so well on mental health and emotional wellness topics. You are my favorite educator on RUclips.
I love that she talks about fear. When I read the book who moved my cheese mini years ago, there was a one page in there that says what would you do if you weren’t afraid? I think that one page changed my life. I started being able to make decisions once I just said quit being afraid and just try it.
Great timing I'm doing this right now!x
thank u soo much for delivering all psychology contents in a very detailed yet easy-to-understand way! u helped when time gets hardest. thank you
What if you can't remind yourself that you're resilient because you're not? I have made so many decisions that had a terrible outcome that I feel paralyzed every time I have to make a new one. I'm always going back in my mind and making another decision; the one I should have made. I can't think of a good decision I can give myself credit for. I'm stuck in a constant loop of regret. If you don't feel you can trust yourself to make decisions anymore, you're way beyond these steps. I'm still glad this subject is getting more attention lately because it really is a huge roadblock for many.
Santana, I can relate pretty well with what you described. If I may share what I have discovered about my
"uneducated choice making" life....
no one was there for me as a child when I needed support, so my child-brain, to help me thru the hurt and fear, established me as the only one to trust. Spent 55 years trying my best to get thru life without "needing"
anyone for guidance on life decisions
etc. now I am 68yo, and have lost
every dime I worked for to poor choices. I finally got clear that I have set myself up for a miserable old age
and hired a financial consultant.
Humbling and embarrassing, her job is not to judge my past, but to help me move forward. The pain of shame (of needing help)
was MUCH LESS than the joy of hope that I can ask for help, and use other people's knowledge. Wow, what a freeing revelation!
I wish you the ah ha moment where
your search for hope trumps the fear
of your decision making process!!
I feel this immensely. For me, regret is what becomes paralyzing. I look back, see all the "should have gone that way" moments, that making a wrong decision now carries so much more weight because of the pain of regret. Does this make sense? I feel like I cannot afford any more regret. I would love for some hope to be shined on situations like ours. It is truly so painful, and as time goes on, it becomes heavier. I can only say that sometimes making a wrong decision helps to illuminate the places where maybe our energy belongs. For instance, I jumped into a master's program, am halfway in, and am not sure it is the right fit for me... yet another painful wrong decision, but it is shedding light on where I feel I do belong a little bit more.
That's precisely what I needed a day before visiting my once-upon-a-time love promising myself for the 50th time it's the last time.
You got this!
Thank you Emma 💖 I've been torn between leaving my job or not for past couple of months! I even turned in my resignation, but was being lured back with an offer of a small favour! Your video, helped me clear up my head! Thanks again! Be blessed!
👏
Love ❤ the way you explaining, understandable, very clear and crisp ... thank you so much for the video 🙏
😢This… this video explained my entire life and the constant perfectionism that I’ve failed to obtain. Thank you for this message. It was so timely!!!
Ur really making a difference, keep uploading videos, we need more help and therapy in this stressed times!
Im having the same troubles deciding for jobs, but in my case I have trauma associated with it, specially in my career, so I was thinking in choosing other work for my mental peace over my "specialty"
Thank you so much for this video. I rarely comment on videos but this one really helped with an issue I'm confronted with since...ever. I hope I can apply quickly what I just learned !
This video is right in time! Thank you!!! 😊🙏
Many thanks from Argentina. My life it's frozen for not making decisions. Thanks again
i feel so better after these videos
i was introduced to this channel today and i loved ur vids
thankss
Exactly what I needed today❤
Thank you for this one. Great advice and very applicable for me and my life right now. Much appreciated!
dang... one of the last statements you said sums me in a nutshell.... "let go of regret..." ahh my perfectionism, overanalyzing, unforgiving [to myself mainly - is the pattern i recognize], elephant memory self hahaha..... this is something i struggle with. but thank you for the reminder that i need to keep working on letting go of regret... if i make mistakes, and wrong decisions... there can either be a solution, a way, a person, some sort of help or aid to progress that situation in some way...
Thanks for this! I’ve recently realized everything I’ve experienced, the trauma that’s played a part in me making decisions. I suppose cognitive dissonance and a dysregulated nervous system plays a part too. I tend not to trust self though my intuition seems strong so I seek support typically in my unsupportive mother. I believe being overwhelmed with emotion causes me to react with trauma responses, I shutdown from feeling unheard and probably the process of feeling that I don’t know what to do. Additionally, another issue I believe is not even knowing the emotions I’m experiencing due to that decision making is more difficult because I don’t think in depth or what’s in front of my face. It makes me mad I experience extreme difficulty in decisions that are automatic for others. I’ve started to see I should consider current circumstance and the changes whatever would cause. I think remembering that first feeling and if I went from happy to unhappy when an issue arises. If I’m unhappy in what way would whatever make me happy and decide to do that, stop going with what’s simple that tends to tie into unhappiness because I’m basically avoiding a decision. Through everything I’ve experienced on my own, especially after basically being unsupportive it’s clear to me I’m capable without doubting myself.
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for what you do! yet another great and practical video, looking forward to the video on executive functioning!
I have attempted to meditate many times in my life and prior to this CD the only success I've experienced is with live guided meditation. ruclips.net/user/postUgkxzpa8CIfZcihW4Z0F_ja0QF3W9KIatrsq This is the first CD I've used that cuts through my unmedicated ADHD and enables me to truly relax and experience a quiet and energizing interval. The instructors voice is very soothing and pleasant to listen to. I am easily able to sit successfully through the entire CD, and for quite some time after. I cannot adequately express how tremendously helpful this CD has been on my spiritual journey!! Two thumbs up and 10 stars!
Excellent advise! I so needed to hear everything you had to say. I have been experiencing analysis paralysis big time. Thank you, thank you, thank you! So appreciated!😊
Glad it was helpful!
Freidas case is quite similar to mine...god in a way you really helped me with the exact scenario i was facing. Thankyou so much Emma! Your videos are so so so incredibly helpful. Thankyou for making it easier to handle things, much love to you❤
Thank you. This seems really helpful. I just spent a whole day trying to choose a rainjacket and didn’t even finish. I’ll put this in practice and see what happens.
Thank you! Your videos are a delight!
Thank you! I'm stuck between dating someone I had before, or moving on with someone new, this video will help me make a decision.
Jc- go with your gut feeling. Write out on a peice of paper the pros and cons of each one you’re trying to make a decision.
If con’s weigh out the pros…. Then that’s a red flag.
This was very helpful actually. Thank you for this video.
This is beautiful advice thanks 😊
Thank you so much for your videos, Emma!
one main reason that causes this is growing up in a toxic family background where ur family they didnt let u stick to ur decisions and enforced their options on u when u were a child or even early 20s (if in south asia). at leaat this is what happened to me. now im 26 and i really sont have the confidence to meet new people scared and im literally wasting my life. hopefully i set myself free from this mess.
I love this channel, It's helping me getting to know myself better.
❤
You literaly described me word to word...
Thank you for this! I needed to hear it.
Glad it was helpful!
Such a great video. Thank you!
Great talk I needed that.
as frida's case is exactly mine, overthinker, procrastinator, black n white thinking pattern. bt you have to take decisions with uncertainty and risks factor, its the point where you grow.
I don't have trouble deciding when I decide to eat out 😏
Wow the best and cutest therapist online 🎉❤
Very very good! I suffer from serious depression. I have a big problem deciding what I want to eat. I have plenty of money and I am very blessed I don't eat much. I snack a lot. Thank you for that information! GoD bless!
One of your best videos . Thank you sooo much
Wow! You make so much sense! Thank you.
I really needed this video today!
Bless you. Thank you for this video.
I'm good at making decisions for ME, but I really struggle with making decisions when other people are involved ... will they be happy with my choice? I guess I'm afraid of dealing with their disappointment or criticism. Maybe I should go back and watch a people pleasing video. Thanks for another great video! You are so fun to be with.
Great tips. I am stuck in analysis paralysis, so eventually I avoid making certain decisions. Sometimes it is so exhausting, that I prefer to abandon the idea completely, instead of pushing forward. The reason is mostly that I don't want to make bad decisions😢
Thank you for the video.
Or decisions can be difficult because you will be blamed and shamed for the decisions you make: ex if you chose a restaurant which is disappointing you hear msgs that you don't know how to choose, you have bad tastes, because of you they had a bad experience.
Or if you choose something different from the group you will be called selfish.
Or fear that your choice can lead to something bad like inviting someone to a party and they get involved in an accident on their way to the party.
For these reasons decisions can be really hard.
spot-on-timing for here too ! The LIght Of Heaven to You !
Emma is golden , thx for the valuable information, you give the time ,,everyone best appreciate,,,,, thx E
thank you so much for this Emma!
Thank you so much for this! I really needed it! I've had so many experiences where I've waited too long in making a choice and missed out.
Also, Bombay House is always a great choice. 😉
Thank you so much. Your videos are so helpful
Thank you so much. Your truly appreciated x
Thank you. Very timely and helpful. The reference to making decisions about jeans caught my attention. And that confident people aren’t necessarily more right- and finally- considering that One has the resilience to live well with some less pleasant consequences 😂
Excellent video, excellent advice.
Thank you, I really need it ❤️
great video as always!!
I'm watching this at work instead of doing what I'm supposed to.
Talk about executive function issues
Great video! Thanks.
I like the phrase “analysis paralysis”
Your videos always help, you are great! And I like your plant/ design style 😆Looks like a nicely designed clean space to relax