ADHD Adults usually fall into two camps. Those who make decisions very quickly and those who can’t make a decision without lots of stress and mental anguish. If you fall into the latter group, here are five tips to help make decisions easily and with confidence.
1) Build up your decision-making muscle. Having a hard time making decisions can be due to low self esteem. However the more you make decisions, the easier it will be for you to make them. Start with the small things (chicken or fish for dinner?) and then medium sized decisions (where to go on vacation) and before you know it the big decisions won’t be hard anymore. You will be decisive and confident in the decisions you make.
2) You can only make a decision based on the knowledge that you have at this time. It is not helpful to say two months or two years later, “Well, if I had known X then I wouldn’t have done Y.” That is the power of hindsight. If you have a tendency to second guess yourself, then write down in a safe place (journal, computer document) all the reasons why you reached your decision, and the decision making process.
3) For bigger decisions, like moving homes, use this technique. Project yourself a year from now and picture yourself in either scenario. Picture yourself in your new home or in exactly the same place as you are now. Which feels better? That is your answer!
4) Listen to your gut. Before you start to analyze every option in your head, using your traditional mind, listen to what your body is saying. Some people call this their intuition. Others a message from their gut, but that little voice or feeling is very accurate and the more you listen to it, the stronger the feelings or voice will get.
5) Whatever decision you do make, it is not “wrong.” Don’t beat yourself up and put yourself through mental torture if you made a decision and wish you had made a making much easier. So what if you think the fish looks better than the chicken you ordered? It might look nicer but it could taste horrible, and you can always order the fish next time.
What happens to me, is I rather give my Husband the options that I have and let him choose, I let him make the final decision because I feel panicked and then I don’t know what to do, other days I know what I want, but put on the spot, I find it difficult to decide then I rather give the decision away. When in bad situation I can make good decisions, to get us out of the situation, because my body automatically know what to do, it’s like I’m not even thinking just doing. It’s tough beucase it’s not all the time, but it does happen more often then I think. Sometimes I want to do something then I change my mind but I don’t know what I want to do then and then do nothing. SO I am going to work on these points and being more confident in myself, I think it’s becuase I don’t believe in myself enough.
I fall into the makes decisions too quickly category. I feel that maybe we need to say give me a day and then I’ll get back to you.