This year has been full of decisions that we don't normally make. From the constant media battle and the uncertainty all around, it made it very difficult to decide to homeschool our kids or send them to school!
What did you choose?
Did you choose to go to school or home school?
Well, whatever you chose, it was the right choice! Why? Because the right choice is what is best for you. Despite all the noise! Good job for doing what you need to do for you family.
Making choices when you don't have a lot of reliable information (and the other hand, too much inaccurate information!) for the future is very uncertain. Everybody has their own opinion, there can be a lot of external pressure, and it's tough. Sometimes no choice seems really great, and that can also cause anxiety and a feeling of being stuck.. Sometimes we get caught up in making the "right decisions" and we want an answer from professionals, doctors or even our higher power. Sometimes those answers just don't come.
In the end, often, decisions are just decisions that are not right or wrong. They are just whatever works best for you, in your situation at this time. But no matter what choice you make, it will be okay because there isn't a wrong choice!
Making big decision can often bring on a lot of stress and even making small decisions when we are overwhelmed or our bodies are already overburdened can feel impossible. We get so caught up in making the "right" decision that we just stay in limbo, and the longer we stay there the more anxiety we feel. While rushing into a decision can have consequences, so can staying in the state of indecision.
So how do you make the decision?
Effective decision making takes mindfulness, flexibility, and usually some courage. Fear often holds us back, fear of making the wrong decision or fear of the unknown. Fear doesn't mean it's the wrong decision even though sometimes that can really confuse us, it just means that there is something new and uncomfortable and your brain is trying to protect you. Your logical brain is telling you it will be okay but your emotional brain is yelling that this COULD BE bad.
A few tips for making tough decision are:
- Asking yourself questions: "What information do I have to make the best decision?", "What has to be decided now and what can wait for later?"
- Try shifting your perspective, step outside of yourself with question like: "What would I tell someone I loved if they were in the same situation?"
- Look for alternatives...so often we don't see another choice and feeling stuck can be so stressful. Get creative, BE FLEXIBLE. This takes practice. What options have you not yet considered or don't know are available yet. Who can you ask?
When making a decision remember, you do have choices, you are in control, and you can also be flexible with choices. They are not always black and white, or all or nothing.
Also, we will make mistakes or have regrets because we are human! It's part of life. The best we can do is make choices with the information we have and continue to learn and grow.
We can do hard things, we can make tough decisions. Keep going!
Click below to download my free guide to making decisions. I won't even make you enter your email for it!