Ever struggle to make decisions? You’re not 100% sure if this or that is right or wrong or good or bad? I used to make endless pros and cons lists in my head and mentally ping pong back and forth without making much forward movement. The culprit is usually difficulty tolerating uncertainty. Humans hate uncertainty and were evolutionarily programmed to avoid it. And in the past 20 years, our opportunities to practice sitting with it have largely vanished thanks to Yelp and Amazon reviews, and Google, Alexa, and Siri answers.
Here's the thing: decisions are rarely right or wrong. We make a choice, that choice has consequences—some we like, some we don’t—and we learn from those experiences and either persist or pivot.
The best you can do is make space for doubt and choose the most values-oriented option with the information you have. Because the outcome will always be in the future, you can’t possibly know with 100% certainty, what that will be. But you can trust that you have what it takes to deal with whatever the consequences are and then persist or pivot.
Next month I’ll talk about using Wise Mind to help make decisions.
Join Me Did you know that bariatric surgery is the most effective and enduring treatment for the disease of obesity, and there are 250,000 of these surgeries performed in the U.S. every year? I will soon be offering a brand new 2-day intensive retreat to teach evidence-based psychological flexibility skills for maintaining long-term success following bariatric surgery. If you want more information or are interested in participating, click here.
Clinician’s Corner ON SALE NOW 50% OFF! If you are a clinician who wants to learn ACT, I have an on-demand course (6 CEs) called “Breakthrough ACT Techniques & Experiential Exercises: A Clinical Roadmap to Help Clients Overcome Psychological Distress.” Click here for more information or to access the course.
My feel-goodie of the month
My good friend, podcast co-host, and *practically* neighbor now that I’m back in Massachusetts, Yael, launched her amazing first book, Work, Parent, Thrive: 12 Science-Backed Strategies to Ditch Guilt, Manage Overwhelm, and Grow Connection (When Everything Feels Like Too Much). I’m so proud of her and absolutely LOVE this book! If you’re a working parent, get it for a 30% discount using the code WPT30 through the publisher website . You won’t regret it! |