How to Stop Overthinking Decisions and Overcome Analysis Paralysis

Therapy in a Nutshell

Therapy in a Nutshell -Emma McAdam

Mental Health, Education, Health & Fitness:mental Health, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 658 Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2023

⏱️ 14 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

When you get overwhelmed by making a choice, when you can’t decide between A and B, you often settle for C or you end up paralyzed, procrastinating, or making no decision at all. In this video you’ll learn the 3 underlying causes of decision paralysis, and 2 keys to overcoming it. And I'll give you a hint, it has to do with emotion regulation and executive functioning. Want help to stop beating yourself up? My sponsor, BetterHelp, connects you to a licensed professional from the comfort of your own home. Try it now for 10% off your first month: https://betterhelp.com/therapyinanutshell Learn more in one of my in-depth mental health courses: https://courses.therapyinanutshell.co... Support my mission on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/therapyinanut... Sign up for my newsletter: https://www.therapyinanutshell.com?utm_medium=YTDescription&utm_source=YouTube Check out my favorite self-help books: https://kit.co/TherapyinaNutshell/bes... Therapy in a Nutshell and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health. In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction. And deeper than all of that, the Gospel of Jesus Christ orients my personal worldview and sense of security, peace, hope, and love https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c... If you are in crisis, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ or 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or your local emergency services. Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, I'm Emma, a licensed marriage and family therapist, and you're listening to the Therapy in a
0:04.5	Natchel podcast. It's my mission to create easy to understand educational content about therapeutic
0:10.4	skills and topics that anyone can use in their daily life. I hope these episodes bring you more
0:15.7	insight into how your mind works and what actions you can take to improve your mental health. Each podcast episode
0:21.7	comes from a corresponding video you can find on the Therapy in a Nutshell YouTube channel. Also,
0:28.0	these podcasts are educational and don't replace the advice or direction you may be receiving
0:32.8	from a therapist or other health professional. Now let's jump into today's skill.
0:38.3	When you get overwhelmed by making a choice, when you can't decide between A and B, you
0:43.8	often settle for C, or you end up paralyzed, procrastinating, or making no decision at all.
0:50.6	In this video, you'll learn the three underlying causes of decision paralysis and two keys to overcoming it.
0:56.5	And I'll give you a hint. It has to do with emotion regulation and executive functioning.
1:01.5	Hey, if you want to learn more about how to work through intense emotions and how to get better at tolerating those big, scary emotions,
1:09.0	check out my How to Process Your Emotions course. It's about 10 hours
1:13.6	of content taking you through the step-by-step process of working through big emotions,
1:18.6	resolving them, and coming to a greater sense of peace and self-control. The link is in the
1:24.0	description if you'd like to learn more. Now there once was a woman named Frida who struggled with making decisions.
1:29.7	She was a perfectionist and she always worried about making the wrong choice.
1:33.7	Whether it was what to wear or what to watch or where to eat, she would spend hours,
1:37.7	if not days, weighing the pros and cons of every option before finally making a choice. Now, the tendency to overthink things became a real problem for Frida as she got older.
1:50.0	Decision paralysis was holding her back in life.
1:52.0	She couldn't commit to a career, a relationship, or even a simple outing with her friends,
1:57.0	because she couldn't decide what to do.
	...

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