Every day, I make probably hundreds of decisions without even realizing it, leaving me with decision fatigue at the end of the day. The decisions start from the moment I wake up: which tasks to prioritize, uppercase or lowercase (when my copy editor hat is on), if a text warrants a response now or later, how to respond when my kids ask for screen time or snacks, what to make for dinner and whether or not I need to go to the grocery store, whether or not I have time for a run or a 20-minute nap before picking up my kids, and so on.
When I’m finally in bed and my husband asks me about weekend plans, I just shut my eyes and pretend I’m asleep.
Once in a while, we’re faced with more monumental decisions that require us to consider the choices with intense deliberation and reflection. We might even feel hopeless, discouraged, or lost when none of the choices bring peace. But we consider the options, consequences, intentions, desires, and try to make the best decision — because giving up and walking away is not an option.
Some of us are great at making snap decisions; others (like myself) can go back and forth for days. (If you ask me to choose a restaurant, I’ll spend an embarrassing amount of time comparing reviews on Yelp.) My tendency to overly consider the needs of other people also leaves me paralyzed. Will I disappoint or inconvenience others? Will they judge me? How will this impact my family?
In Mochi’s summer issue, we talk about choices we’ve made and what we learned through the decision-making process. Some of these decisions are easily relatable, like choosing a major, leaving a solid career without next steps in place, or moving back in with our parents after having lived on our own. Others are drastic, risky, and seemingly unreal, such as escaping Communist China by swimming several miles to Hong Kong. And then we have decisions made after internal exploration and self-discovery, like choosing self-care (and not seeing it as…
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