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6 Tips On Making Stress-Free Decisions
Whether it’s deciding what college to attend, what car to buy, or what career to pursue, everyone has to face stressful decisions. Here are six tips to reduce stress in your next big decision.
“Stress acts as an accelerator: it will push you either forward or backward, but you choose which direction.” -Chelsea Erieau
6 Tips On Making Stress-Free Decisions
- Set aside time
- Make a checklist
- Break it down into tangible "next steps"
- Control your deadlines
- Write out the facts
- Act as if you were advising a friend
Set aside time
Some believe stress is merely your mind getting ready to do something hard. Your body is telling you what it needs - enough time to focus and prepare.
As you try to focus, your mind will likely wander off into unrelated topics. Grab a piece of paper and write them down as they come to you. Commit to reviewing that piece of paper after your focus session is over.
Once your brain trusts you'll take care of those things, it's easier focus on the task at hand.
Make a checklist
Write a list of important factors ahead of time. Your checklist will make you confident you're not missing anything.
If you are deciding what college to attend, here's a starting list:
- Do they have the majors I’m interested in?
- What are their important deadlines?
- How much financial aid will I receive?
- What’s the culture like? What are some of the clubs and activities for me?
- What’s the price and quality of living in the dorms?
- What resources (like Career Services) are available to me?
- Does it feel like the right fit for me?
As you collect information, be careful! Here are three harmful assumptions students usually make as they search for the right college.
Break it down into tangible “next steps”
If you think of the problem as one giant obstacle, it’s easy to get overwhelmed. Knock out stress by breaking the goal into tangible and specific actions.
As a student, you already do this. When you go to work on an important group project, do you knock it out in one action? Probably not. More likely, you break it down into steps such as “research three sources,” “write the first draft”, and “schedule a meeting with my teammates”.
Do the same thing with big decisions. For example…
Goal | Tangible Next Steps |
Apply for my dream college |
|
Even though the list may seem daunting, in reality, you should do each of these items anyway. All you’re doing is getting the mental labor out of the way.
Now, instead of having to waste mental energy, all you need to do is look at your list.
Control your deadlines
You can’t always control your final deadlines, but you can reclaim some control by making your own schedule.
For example, you might write down…
- “By the end of today, I’m going to narrow down my list of options.”
- “By the end of today, I’m going to schedule visits to my top three colleges.”
- “This week, I’ve got three visits scheduled.”
- “By the end of this week, I’m going to schedule time to study the information I got in my visits, and talk to Mom about it.”
- “By the end of this week, I’m going to finish my application essay.”
- “Today, May 1, I’m going to submit my deposit!”
Write out the facts
“The act of writing forces you to organize and make concrete all the emotional turbulence swirling around in your brain. Vague feelings become structured and measured. Your self-contradictions are laid bare.
"Rereading what you write reveals your own logic (or lack thereof). And it often reveals new perspectives you hadn’t considered.” -Mark Manson
It’s best to think of your brain as a problem-solving tool, not long-term storage. If you write out the facts, it helps relieve stress because your brain is no longer forced to use energy on remembering things. You can now focus on actually analyzing the facts to make the best decision.
Act as if you were advising a friend
Ask yourself, “What would I say to a friend who had this problem?”
It can be easier to advise a friend than yourself, as it takes some emotion out of the situation. It helps you create mental distance and encourages objectivity.
As a bonus, it may help you feel less discouraged. Have you ever found yourself thinking negative talk such as, “This’ll never work. I’m not good enough for that college”? There’s a great chance you would never talk to a friend like that.
Making Your Choice
Don’t forget that May 1 is National College Decision Day, the deadline for high school seniors to commit to a college. If you are feeling stressed about this decision, apply what you just learned from this article.
Free yourself from your anxiety. Focus and make your deposit today!