Decision Fatigue: Symptoms, Causes & How to Recover
The average American adult makes about 35,000 decisions every day.[1] Although many of these decisions seem automatic, they can eventually result in decision fatigue, which impairs someone’s ability to keep making decisions.[2]
Though often caused by stress and having to make significant or complex decisions, decision fatigue is also a recognized symptom of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The first step in effective treatment and support for decision fatigue is to identify the underlying cause of your symptoms.
In this article, we will discuss:
- What decision fatigue is.
- The most common decision fatigue symptoms.
- The challenges decision fatigue can cause.
- The causes of decision fatigue, including ADHD.
- How to recover from decision fatigue, in therapy or using self-care strategies.
What Is Decision Fatigue?
Just like our muscles, our decision-making abilities have a limit before they get fatigued. The act of processing information to make a decision eventually becomes harder as our internal resources are depleted. These resources, such as executive function and emotional regulation, need regular breaks but are often overloaded by our work and personal lives.[1][2]
When someone is experiencing decision fatigue, both their thoughts and actions are affected. Decision fatigue is typically accompanied by:[1]
- Mental exhaustion.
- An impaired ability to make decisions.
- Decreased control over behavior.
The symptoms of decision fatigue include:
- Indecision.
- Impulsivity.
- Avoidance.
- Procrastination.
You may notice that you’re putting off a decision until later, avoiding it altogether, battling between possible choices, or making a rash decision.[2]
Decision fatigue is sometimes given as a reason why athletes make unaccountable decisions at the end of a game or why shoppers tend to spend impulsively on the weekend, after a busy week at work.[3] In day-to-day life, decision fatigue symptoms can present as:[1][2]
- Preferring to be passive in decision-making.
- Making choices that seem irrational or impulsive.
- Being less able to make compromises.
- Being less able to recognize internal conflicts that would guide decisions.
- Feeling physically and mentally tired.
- Losing willpower and endurance.
- Experiencing brain fog.
- Being more angry with family members or colleagues.
- Buying things impulsively, such as unnecessary clothes or junk food.
Impacts of Decision Fatigue
Decision and cognitive fatigue are worthy of attention because many people are impacted by these preventable psychological experiences. In particular, half of adults have at least one chronic condition, whether physical, mental, or both, and decision-making is an unavoidable part of managing chronic conditions.[1]
Those with chronic conditions who experience decision fatigue are more likely to have trouble managing their own health. This can be made worse by decision-fatigued family members who may make decisions on their behalf that don’t align with their wishes.[1]
Furthermore, decision fatigue tends to be a precursor to burnout, a deeper and chronic sense of emotional, physical, and mental fatigue that’s often connected to overwork.[3]
The significance of decision fatigue can be seen in the healthcare sector. Breaks are rigorously enforced in many emergency departments as it’s understood that decision fatigue can lead to unsafe decisions.[3]
If a trained clinician’s judgment can be worn down by constant decision-making, it makes sense that an ordinary day of decisions can leave anyone depleted. That effect is a feature of how the brain works rather than a personal weakness.
Causes of Decision Fatigue
A very basic explanation for decision fatigue is simply burnout from making too many decisions, but it’s more complex than that.
The underlying causes of someone’s decision fatigue will depend on several factors. If there are other stressors at play, such as overwork, relationship conflict, or financial upheaval, someone might be more prone to decision fatigue.[4]
In addition, the actual decisions matter, too. If the decisions have important consequences, they may take more out of a person. For instance, weighing up two potential homes that you’re thinking of buying is weightier than deciding between cereal or toast for breakfast. Furthermore, if the decisions are new, such as those at a new job, they can take more mental effort than decisions you’re used to making.[4]
Some decisions are also more complex than others. If you’re moving, decisions relating to packing up all your belongings may be more complex than planning your meals during the move.
You might also be more at risk of decision fatigue if you have to make decisions that affect other people in a significant way. This is why healthcare workers are often at the center of conversations about decision fatigue.[4]
ADHD and Decision Paralysis
While everyone is likely to experience decision fatigue at some point, it’s also an often-overlooked symptom of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This is due to how ADHD impacts executive function (the brain’s ability to make choices, prioritize tasks, and organize information).[5]
For someone with ADHD, an ordinary choice can stall not because they don’t care about the outcome, but because starting, weighing options, and settling on one all draw on the skills the condition disrupts.
As a result, it may help to consider an ADHD assessment if you experience other ADHD symptoms and executive dysfunction.
Mission Connection is here to help you or your loved one take the next steps towards an improved mental well-being.
Recovering From Decision Fatigue
If you’re fed up with decision fatigue and want to increase your mental energy, there are several things you can do.
Many people with decision fatigue also experience stressful life events at the same time, whether they’re connected to work or relationships. Addressing your underlying stress levels is crucial to the decision fatigue recovery process, which can be done through various types of therapy.
We’ve selected three to discuss, but there are many therapeutic approaches you can choose from that can potentially be effective. There are also various self-care strategies to use alongside therapy to manage decision fatigue.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
The central aims of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for decision fatigue are stress reduction and letting go of control, as these are key contributors to mental exhaustion. If you choose this therapy option, one focus of the work will be becoming more mindful and accepting of symptoms of stress, overwhelm, and decision fatigue.
You’ll also be helped to notice the behaviors you carry out when you’re decision-fatigued (which can increase your levels of distress) and to challenge the unhelpful thoughts you have about decision-making. Your ACT therapist can then help you make action plans that align with your values and reduce decision fatigue in future.
These aspects of the work draw on the essential components of ACT, which include:[6]
- Developing acceptance (also known as non-judgmental awareness) of thoughts, emotions, and bodily sensations.
- Noticing how attempts to control or suppress distressing thoughts and sensations contribute to stress levels.
- Increasing awareness of metacognition (the thoughts we have about our thoughts) and challenging automatic assumptions. For example, challenging the belief in the thought, “I can’t make the wrong choice.”
- Practicing mindfulness to make contact with the present moment.
- Cultivating a wider perspective as the self that is observing the distressing experiences.
- Identifying your values, which can then guide directions and actions.
- Taking actions to move in valued directions.
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (M-BCT)
Initially created for managing stress levels, mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (M-BCT) is a type of therapy that draws on both cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and Buddhist mindfulness practices. It teaches people a new way of relating to their thoughts and feelings, but doesn’t emphasize challenging them as much as other approaches.[7]
M-BCT is an evidence-based approach shown to improve emotional regulation and attentional control.[7] It can help you manage stress and decision fatigue through:
- Increasing awareness of thoughts and feelings that arise when you’re stressed or finding decision-making hard.
- Strengthening your ability to control what you give your attention to.
- Learning grounding exercises for high-pressure situations.
First and foremost, M-BCT tends to the high stress levels that can contribute to decision fatigue. But it may also help you make better decisions in the future by increasing emotional regulation, attentional control, and resilience to pressurized situations.[7]
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Another type of therapy for people consistently dealing with decision fatigue is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). As the above two approaches are founded in CBT, you’ll find several parallels in this approach. A CBT therapist may also be able to draw on both acceptance and mindfulness, as well as traditional CBT techniques.
If you work with a CBT therapist for decision fatigue, you’ll likely explore:[8]
- Challenging perfectionist thoughts around decision making.
- Increasing tolerance of the fact that some decisions won’t work out and that you won’t always perform at your ‘best.’
- Identifying the thoughts and behaviors that lead to overwork, overwhelm, and decision fatigue in the first place.
- Addressing fears around decision fatigue, such as disappointing others or being judged as incompetent.
- New ways of responding to decision fatigue, such as taking a break or delegating decisions to other people.
Self-Care Adjustments
Alongside therapy, there are several lifestyle changes you can make to manage symptoms like emotional exhaustion and decision fatigue. In fact, making adjustments to your life is essential regardless of whether you access therapy or not.
These adjustments include:[2][3]
- Taking breaks is an essential part of managing decision fatigue. Though you may feel inclined to push harder, you’re only human, and early burnout symptoms indicate that a rest is much-needed.
- Making efforts to reduce future stress and decision-making is another way to overcome decision fatigue. For example, picking your clothes the day before and using GPS are easy ways to save your brain from overtaxing itself. Even something simple like making a shopping list can save you from making decisions once you’re at the grocery store.
- Allocating your mornings for bigger decisions and resting that part of your brain in the afternoon is a good idea. Research suggests that we tend to be more cautious and thoughtful in the morning, making this an ideal time for decision-making.[2]
- Delegating decisions to other people is another way you can avoid future cognitive overload. If you’re someone who’s prone to micromanaging or taking the lead, it can help to allow other people to take the reins. This can be something as small as letting your co-workers pick a restaurant for lunch.
Find Therapy Options for Decision Fatigue With Mission Connection
If you’re repeatedly feeling stressed, burnt out, and experiencing brain fatigue, you’ve probably tried many ‘calming’ techniques to no avail. Sometimes, counseling and therapy are necessary to explore the causes of your chronic stress or executive dysfunction and get more hands-on support for developing coping skills.
At Mission Connection, we offer the evidence-based therapies discussed in this article, as well as many others. Our licensed professionals can support you as you make sense of your decision fatigue and build the skills needed the next time you experience choice overload. We go beyond traditional treatment and provide life-changing care.
In addition to standard outpatient care at our locations in California, Virginia, and Washington, we also offer more intensive levels of care, such as a partial hospitalization program (PHP) or an intensive outpatient program (IOP). We are in-network with most major insurance providers.
To find out more about our in-person, virtual telehealth, or hybrid program that combines in-person and virtual care, call us at 866-833-1822. You can also get started online.
