How to Battle Decision Fatigue as a Mom by Mia Barnes
Have you ever been in the grocery store trying to decide if you should pick up sweetened or unsweetened lemonade for your kid’s playdate tomorrow, and suddenly, you want to break down in tears? You’re likely experiencing decision fatigue. It occurs when you’re overwhelmed by the number of decisions you must make and the options and outcomes you must weigh. Decision-making uses our energy and can lead to quick tempers, hiding away, or just giving up and letting someone else decide.
Moms make thousands of decisions — big and small — every day. They can happen so fast that it’s hard to clock your brain’s lightning-speed processing. However, you’re not alone, and there are ways to combat it. Check out these seven tips for battling decision fatigue.
1. Create Routines
Creating a routine will automate some of your daily decisions. Try to wake up, go to bed, eat meals and exercise at the same time every day. Repetitive routines put us on autopilot, which is good if you need to save some of your power for other choices.
2. Make Decisions During Your Best Time of Day
The afternoon slump comes for all of us. Outsmart it by making big decisions during the time of day you have the most energy. For most people, this is the morning because you get a rush of cortisol when you wake up, which helps release the glucose that gives you the fuel to get up and going.
Others feel too tired in the morning and experience more energy midday. Your peak may coincide with your second cup of coffee. Whatever the case, it’s an opportunity to get to know yourself and tackle your body’s natural ebbs and flows.
3. Narrow Your Options
Your number of options directly correlates to decision fatigue, whether you’re making a big or small choice, so narrow them by playing the elimination game. You can even practice this hack with your kids. Instead of asking, “What do you want to do right now?” ask, “Would you like to draw or play with the soccer ball?”
4. Choose a Decision-Making Strategy
Figure out what decision-making strategy works best for you. Having a go-to reduces the fatigue of the “research and development” decision-making stage.
You could rely on feedback from parents in your social circle, or maybe you make the best decisions when you give yourself a night to sleep on it. Giving yourself time to weigh the alternatives is a good way of practicing delayed gratification and could lead to better decisions. Not to mention, if you model said behavior, your little ones are more likely to pick up on and repeat it.
5. Practice Self-Care
Making decisions or getting things done is hard if you’re not feeling your best. Remember to take care of yourself the way you do others — eat well, get a good night’s sleep, and maybe even find some time to practice yoga or meditation. Making space for “you time” is integral to rejuvenating a tired mind.
6. Approach Social Media with Intention
Social media can give you solutions, but it can also give you problems you didn’t know you had. Approach it intentionally by asking yourself what you’re looking for. Doing so can stop you from getting lost in a comment section with people arguing about the best way to tuck kids into bed, giving you so many options they overwhelm you.
7. Reach Out to Your Community
Lean on your community to talk about what you’re feeling. Whether you’re chatting with old friends or moms you met in a parenting class, chances are they can empathize.
One consequence of stress is losing your laughter, but swapping anecdotes with friends can help you find things to laugh at, even in difficult moments. Plus, getting a few opinions from people you trust can make it much easier to make a choice.
Making Decision-Making Less of a Chore
Decision-making day in and day out is not easy on your mind or your spirit. These tips for moms battling decision fatigue will give you the peace you deserve and help you offload some of your many decisions.
Mia Barnes is a professional freelance writer specializing in postpartum wellness and practical family health advice. She has over 5 years of experience working as Body+Mind magazine's Editor-in-Chief. You can follow Mia and Body+Mind on X and Instagram @bodymindmag.