One thing about adulting…there’s aLOT of decisions to be made…weekly, daily, hourly.
For some of us, decisions are difficult even on a good day. However, there are certain times when decision-making can be extra difficult…and even disastrous…for any of us.
I wanna share with you an acronym that helps me avoid making terrible decisions…well, most of them, anyway! (Ha!)
So, the next time you’re tempted to make a quick decision about whether to break up with your boyfriend who has ticked you off!
… whether or not to quit your job after your boss has requested your time (after-hours…again!)
… whether to break the lease on your apartment because the dog upstairs barks all night,
… or any other major life decision,
remember to HHALT.
HALT is an acronym that represents four triggers for sour emotions/attitudes that are NOT productive or healthy states of mind to be in when making life-changing decisions.
Hungry
Think back to the last time you were REALLY hungry…like could not think about ANYthing else, you were so hungry. Now think about your train of thought in that moment. Were you level-headed? Able to calmly approach life? Probably not.
When we’re hungry and our blood sugar is low, we tend to either experience slowed-down thinking, or we become more impulsive and MUCH more impatient. Not a great state of mind to be in when making drastic decisions.
Hunger is a definite red flag in decision-making, but one bonus H-word I usually add here is:
Hormonal.
Hormones can affect EVERYTHING…our thinking, our feeling, our behaviors, our energy, and our ability to make sound decisions we won’t regret later.
Not everyone experiences major hormonal shifts, but if you’re one of the lucky women who does, pay attention…and be cautious about making any major decisions during that time of the month.
Hungry and Hormonal aren’t the only states that can alter our decision-making ability. In fact, hungry can often show up with anger…HANGRY, anyone?
Angry
When we’re angry, we’re likely to make terrible decisions, because we see situations through the lens of negative emotions. This makes us more prone to assume the worst.
When our logical, rational, grounded “upstairs” part of our brain is off-line, our reactive, impulsive, emotional “downstairs” part of the brain drives the train, and we are more likely to overreact or take extreme action…saying or doing things that we may later regret.
We’re much better off getting ourselves to a place of calm before we fire off a scathing response to that text or react to that critical email.
But, anger isn’t the only emotion that can trip us up in our decision-making…
Lonely
Loneliness can cause us to make choices we may later regret. Hello, rebound boyfriend!?
Like anger, loneliness can also cloud our perceptions and cause us to once again see situations through the lens of negative emotions. Next time you’re contemplating a big decision, check to be sure you’re not just feeling lonely.
Loneliness is big, but there’s one more trigger for bad decisions…
Tired
Sleep is necessary to recharge our cognitive function, and when we don’t get enough sleep, we can find it much harder to make choices the next day. (Might wanna rethink all of those all-nighters in college!)
Plus, a lack of sleep causes decision-fatigue to settle in more quickly.
When making a big decision, you wanna ensure you’ve got ALL the cognitive and decision-making ability you have. Whatever the decision, you might wanna consider sleeping on it…and choose to decide tomorrow after you’ve gotten some rest!
That’s it. That’s 4 quick ways to avoid making a bad decision.
So, the next time you’re tempted to fire off an angry text, break up with your best friend, change jobs, or move across the country, be sure to check in with yourself and avoid making BIG decisions when your Hungry (or Hormonal), Angry, Lonely, or Tired.
I’m curious…which one do you tend to notice in yourself the most?
And if you find yourself on the other side of a terrible decision…or feeling more reactive than usual it might be time to talk to someone. Reach out and let’s setup a 15-minute consultation to see if therapy might be right for you!
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