Please help, decision paralysis!

[sunnyday2025]

After divorcing last year I have been renting but looking to buy.
i have so many questions and worries
flying round my head it’s barring me from making a decision. I thought as I am a cash buyer the perfect house would be waiting for me - most definitely is not! I reluctantly accepted I will need to take some sort of mortgage.

Everything I look at is out of budget, too old, too new, too far away from support network, too close to people I only knew when married. 🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

I am mid 50s, 1 DC away at uni, another still at home. currently renting in a village, close to friends and family but very little on the market here.

i have seen a couple of possibilities but then my brain takes over and talks me out of it. Since divorcing I have no faith in my decision making abilities 😔

How can I clear the noise in my brain and rationally consider what it is I really need?

Make lists. What are the absolute essentials? E.g. two bedrooms for the people living at home. What are the would be nice to haves e.g. spare rooms for visitors. And what would be ideal e.g. off street parking. And then do property searches for each to see what budget you'd need. At that point you can work out if you can afford your essentials and just need to wait, or if you need more money/to change location.