Are you someone that struggles to make even the smallest decisions? Do you know what you want?
If you are someone with anxiety, depression, or attention difficulties, making decisions can seem almost impossible. For some people, it is a fear that they won’t choose the right thing. For others, it’s the fear of leaving behind all of the other options. Whatever it is for you, you can learn to make decisions more effectively by listening to your body and your internal wisdom.
- Listen to the Lift
I want you to bring to mind a decision that you need to make, big or small. For a little while, put down the pros and cons lists and the endless opinions of other people or even the internet. Quiet the noise and just sit. Be gentle and kind with yourself in this silence, removing the pressure.
Hold the decision in your mind and just observe. What is happening in your body and spirit? Do you get the general sense of lightness and a rising sensation? Or do you feel your heart sinking like a weight?
Listen to the lift.
- Drop Into Wisdom
We have all made decisions based totally on our emotions before. Big feelings rise up, and impulse takes over. This is called the emotional mind.
On the other hand, some of our decisions are far more calculated. We write out our lists, compare the details, and definitively decide without all of the messiness of feelings involved. This is a logical mind.
Somewhere in between those extremes lives wisdom. The wise mind is the culmination of everything you are feeling and all of the facts.
Take a breath and close your eyes. Bring to mind the decision you need to make and then let it go. Imagine a big spiral staircase in your mind’s eye. Every time you breathe out, imagine descending the staircase, lower and lower and lower. With every step, you are dropping further within. When you get to a place that feels vast, open, and calm in your body and soul, be still.
In this stillness, ask the wise mind what you should do and simply listen. Don’t try to think your way to an answer. Maybe something will come, and maybe it won’t. Don’t force it. Just listen.
- Body Compass
We experience emotions as physical sensations in our bodies. Those sensations are stored as part of our memories and can give us important information about how to make decisions in the here and now.
Think of a time you made a decision because someone else wanted you to, that you knew you shouldn’t, or that didn’t feel right. Were there knots in your stomach? A constriction in your throat? A literal bad taste in your mouth? It may help to replay the memory in your head and scan your body from head to toe, noting the sensations.
Now, do the same for a decision that felt right and turned out well. What is happening in the body as you remember this story? A lift? A release of tension? A smile that reaches your eyes?
Let these cues be your compass. As you consider your options, notice if any of those body cues are present and follow them.
- Try It!
I am a licensed therapist in Dallas who offers a range of services, including spiritual awakening counseling in Dallas, emotional massage therapy, yoga therapy for mental health, and many more.
Do you have a decision you need to make? Tell us about it and what skill you are going to try in the comments!
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