Choosing what to eat, texting back, picking what to wear, or deciding what to do first at work may seem like small portions of our everyday lives. But when you’re depressed, even the easiest choices might seem unexpectedly complex.
You might find yourself looking at your phone, unsure whether to reply to a message. You can take an inordinate amount of time to decide what to eat, to make an appointment, or to start a task because you have no idea how to begin.
This is sometimes referred to as decision fatigue. Decision fatigue isn’t a diagnosis, but depression can make daily decisions feel more mentally draining. Knowing why it happens can help you tell when difficulties making decisions are more than just normal indecisiveness.
What Is Decision Fatigue?
Decision fatigue is a sort of mental depletion that can happen after making several choices.
Our everyday lives are full of decisions, some of relative importance and others which seem nearly natural and minor. If your mental energy is already low, having to make decisions can be too much.
Decision fatigue could appear like:
- Taking too long to make simple decisions
- Always second-guessing yourself
- Not making decisions at all
- Getting annoyed at questions that ordinarily wouldn’t bother you
- Choosing the easiest thing only to get it out of your mind
- Having decisions made for you by other people
- Procrastinating on tasks that have more than one option
Everyone has bouts of indecision or mental fatigue. However, if you have ongoing melancholy, lose interest in things, feel low on energy, have trouble sleeping or eating, or have other signs of depression, and also have trouble making decisions, you might want to talk to a mental health expert.
How Can Depression Make Decisions Feel Harder?
Depression can change the way a person thinks, focuses, reacts to difficulties, and engages in daily tasks. A common experience is trouble concentrating or thinking clearly.
When you are already depleted of mental energy, even a simple decision can take more effort than usual.
Imagine someone asks you, “What do you want for dinner?”
In normal conditions, you might want to pick a quick thing. If you are in a depressive episode, you may feel:
What do I desire? Nothing sounds right. Should I make supper? Shall I order something? What if I choose the wrong thing? I don’t have the energy to make a decision.
The decision itself has not necessarily become more complicated. You may have had a shift in your mental and emotional assets.
Depression can be a lack of motivation, too. If you’re already trying to get through a day, every single other chore can feel like just one more demand on limited energy.
Small Decisions Can Start Feeling Like Big Decisions
One aggravating aspect of the “difficult decisions” problem with depression is that other people may not regard the choices as important.
In your mind, you might know what shirt to wear isn’t a big life decision. But you still can’t seem to choose.
This can set up a cycle:
Decision leads to overthinking, which results in weariness, avoidance, guilt, and more stress.
For example, you may need to respond to an email. You read it over and over, are scared to say something wrong, decide to answer some other time, and then ponder it all day. That unanswered email by nightfall may feel even more burdensome.
Repeated events like these can, over time, have an effect on confidence. You may start to think, “Why can’t I handle something so simple?”
The issue is not always a lack of competence. Depression can cause very difficult feelings about normal mental tasks.
Why Overthinking Can Make Decision Fatigue Worse
Sometimes, too much rumination might be mistaken for depression and decision weariness. Instead of only picking, you can keep analyzing:
What if I get to regret this?
What if I make the wrong choice?
What are other people going to think?
Do I want to go the other way?
What if something better appears?
The more you review the same decision, the more it might be a mental drain.
That doesn’t imply you have to make all your decisions quickly. Decisions of importance require careful consideration. The aim is to identify when thinking things through has become a cycle of repetitive worry or self-doubt.
How to Make Everyday Decisions Easier During Depression
You don’t have to eliminate every option from your day. However, sometimes decreasing unneeded mental effort can help make regular duties more doable.
Create Simple Routines
Routines can decrease the number of decisions you need to make. Having a regular breakfast, laying out clothes the night before, or following a consistent daily routine might help reduce decision fatigue.
Give Yourself Fewer Options
Too many alternatives make choosing harder. Instead of ‘what should I eat?’ try to narrow it down to two practical choices.
You don’t need to get the perfect fit. You’ve got to make a workable one.
Set a Time Limit
Give yourself a decent amount of time for low-stakes decisions, and then go.
For example, you might say you will take five minutes to pick what to watch or what to order for supper. When the time is up, select one of the alternatives available.
Break Larger Decisions Into Smaller Steps
A big decision might be intimidating when seen all at once.
Instead of thinking “I have to organize my whole life,” figure out what the next manageable step is. It could be picking up the phone, jotting down three priorities, or setting up an appointment.
Avoid Expecting Yourself to Be Perfect
Depression can make mistakes seem especially big. Remind yourself that many day-to-day decisions don’t have a right answer.
Because you have chosen a decent alternative does not mean you have chosen the sole right one.
When Difficulty Making Decisions May Be a Sign to Seek Help
Sometimes indecisiveness is normal. But persistent trouble making judgments may need attention when it begins to interfere with employment, relationships, personal duties, or basic self-care.
If you also have low mood that persists, lack of interest in activities, major changes in sleep or eating, low motivation, problems concentrating, feelings of worthlessness, or other troubling changes, consider discussing it with a mental health expert.
You don’t have to wait for depression to make everyday life unbearable before you look for help.
Treatment Can Address More Than the Symptoms You Notice
Depression can influence all aspects of our daily lives, including motivation, concentration, energy, mood, and decision-making. This is why treatment could be about looking at the bigger picture instead of just one symptom.
Treasure Behavioral Health provides individual therapy and medication management, with the level of treatment adjusted to the client’s needs. The office provides behavioral health care to adolescents and adults, and is dedicated to helping patients understand their concerns and work toward better well-being.
Therapy offers a space to look at tendencies including avoidance, negative self-talk, rumination, and crushing expectations. As appropriate, medication management may be used as part of a larger treatment strategy.
When making choices for everyday life has become tiring, irritating, or impossible, it is worthwhile to pay attention to what your mind and body may be telling you.
You don’t have to have it all figured out. Seeking expert help can be a first step toward feeling like you can manage daily life again.
If you are experiencing depression or ongoing emotional challenges that are interfering with your day-to-day life, reach out to Treasure Behavioral Health to learn more about the therapy and medication-management services we offer.
Related Posts:
- Is Sleeping Too Much a Sign of Depression?
- What to Do When Depression Feels Overwhelming: Tips and Coping Strategies
FAQs
Can depression cause decision fatigue?
Indeed. Depression can decrease concentration, motivation, energy, and cognitive functioning, making ordinary decisions feel harder or more tiring.
Why is it hard to make decisions when depressed?
Depression can affect concentration, information processing, and motivation. Overthinking and self-doubt may make even the simplest of choices seem daunting.
Is decision fatigue a mental health condition?
No. Decision fatigue is the mental fatigue that occurs after making a lot of decisions. Sometimes disorders such as sadness or anxiety might be accompanied by persistent trouble making decisions.
When should I seek help for difficulty making decisions?
If trouble in making decisions is persistent or starts to interfere with work, relationships, self-care, or other aspects of daily life, and there are other signs of depression present, professional help should be sought.
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