Anyone else find making decisions really, really difficult?

[Candiedwalnuts]

Just that, really. Ever since I was young I find that I agonise over making decisions, even seemingly insignificant ones. This is made even worse when I have a combination of decisions to make and there aren't clear options like Yes or No. What tends to happen is I get overwhelmed and often do nothing at all, so something that starts off being no big deal can easily escalate because I let it build up. I agonise and agonise and look into so many different options that I confuse myself about what I actually wanted in the first place. A simple, fairly benign example is choosing where to go on holiday - I'll read up for hours and hours on every possible place to the point where I don't actually know what kind of holiday I wanted. But serious life decisions are far worse - sometimes I make impulsive and rash choices just because I want to avoid the other extreme (i.e my agonising).

Does anyone else have this problem? How do you get better at making decisions and sorting through what can seem like overwhelming amounts of options/information?

Yeah. No. Maybe. I dunno.

Yes I have exactly the same problem ...it's not so much making the decision as the fear of making the wrong decision. Anticipated regret.

I will drive my friend crazy with simple things like what nail varnish colour should i get at the salon.

But then I make massive decisions... Or think I do, without a second glance.

Having said that, I thinkm I delegate to my husband on it... Change in hours? DH - what do you think? Yes - OK I'll do it. ETC

I suppose it's affirming I am making the right choice

Another example... holiday.. We booked one within 30 mins a few weeks ago. Having never looked at that destination at all before. But it was for DH to make the final decision. That way if there's an issue it wasn't me that gave it the OK

Have you seen The Good Place? Netflix.

The character of Chidi has this problem!

I think holidays is actually a difficult one, in my case because DH and I often disagree. In that instance we usually start with budget, how far we ideally want to travel, and what sort of holiday (eg beach, citybreak).

For major life decisions I might do some written analysis!

Yes me! Deliberate for ages over simple choices like what to have for lunch, make snap decisions on life changing things like leaving jobs / moving house. And second guess decisions I've made - eg reading reviews for items I've already got to see what other people's opinions are. Drives my DH mad!

Where you allowed to make decisions as a child?

I do this when I genuinely don’t mind what the outcome is. As an example, a holiday. If I don’t have a burning desire to go somewhere, I can’t make a decusion because I honestly don’t mind as long as we go somewhere.
When I do have a burning desire then I can make the decision easily.
So my tip would be get to know yourself.
What do you like and don’t like?
Develop your own interests and likes and dislikes then make decisions.
Practice every day with something small like choosing a dessert or film to watch then the bigger decisions will come easily too.

I do. It's part of my anxiety and I get so stressed with big and small decisions.
When I try to eat out, my friends have to choose for me because I get so anxious that I end up feeling sick and not wanting to eat at all, completely withdrawing into myself and not being able to talk to even my best friends. It's awful and so embarrassing. I'm lucky that my friends are so understanding and helpful or I'd never make any decisions and probably end up starving to death!

I did get to make decisions as a child. In fact I made a fairly big decision just after I'd turned 18 which in hindsight was very rash and I wish my parents had put their foot down and prevent me from doing it.

I think it's partly not actually knowing what I want, and partly a fear of closing my options off. I feel like I always want to leave my options open out of fear I've made the wrong decision.

Yes me. I go round and round in circles looking for somewhere to stay for a few days in the uk, get irritated and leave it, try again next day, same story. Buying gifts can take forever, clothes too. Life decisions like jobs, i talk myself out of.