INFORMATIONAL LABYRINTHS, DECISION FATIGUE AND HOW TO OVERCOME THEM
Nov 18, 2021Do you feel overwhelmed by all the information out there on every topic imaginable, with innumerable solutions that could be right for you?
There are a ton of amazing experts with brilliant solutions from which we can all benefit and learn and we all do!
But still it's hard to find THE RIGHT solution for yourself!
Googling, searching, following secret formulas of other people who figured it out for themselves, we very often still struggle to find the best solution for ourself because we just feel overwhelmed by all the possibilities out there!
I was struggling with this for many years and still find myself very challenged in situations where I have to make important decisions, especially related to big life changes or decisions that will have a big impact on my life and the life of my loved ones.
Sometimes it goes to extends where I just spin in a vicious cycle and my mind spins out of control and goes into catastrophic scenarios.
Getting lost in the recesses of my own mind, a deep labyrinth full od dead ends and tiny winding roads that lead to nowhere!
Usually, I find it absolutely impossible to get to the end of a thought process to find a solution, especially is it's driven by stress, fear or feeling of disempowerment.
Sounds familiar?
Trying to analyse every single aspect of a decision and trying to fit in innumerable factors that we mostly can’t predict and that play out in ways we can not foresee is also the main source of decision fatigue and can lead to procrastination, mental overdrive and burn-out.
Over the years I came to realise that I was looking for solutions and magic formulas in ALL THE WRONG PLACES.
When I was challenged by my high-functioning depression I was absolutely determined to find a solution for myself. I was reading, searching, asking friends, experts, and the best of the best in the medical field, and none of the solutions lead to lasting results. I was faced with hurdles to overcome that led to more mental overdrive and more exhaustion.
It wasn't about not having enough of solutions available, there were to many possibilities and I just couldn't find out which one was helping me the most! I felt left alone with my struggles and suffering.
Somehow, I was led to a psychotherapist who was also teaching mindfulness meditation, and this was the first time that I learned to go within. And I started to find the answers to the questions I had, and found solutions that worked for me. Some of them were very out of the box but nonetheless they worked!
Slowly I developed a HABIT TO CONSULT MYSELF for every decision I have to take.
This didn’t come naturally to me, especially as I was going through a classical medicine education where we are used to look for solutions to experts in a filed. Also, my upbringing was filled with rules and advice where my parents had the right advice for me, and they always new best what is right for me. There was very little space for self-exploration and getting feedback through trying out my own decisions. There was always someone or something to turn to and ask for advice.
No-one ever asked me, what do I feel, what do I think would be best for me, where do I think the problem lies. Self-reflection was a very foreign concept to me, let alone the concept of having all the answers and all the resources we need inside of ourselves.
I became obsessed with self-exploration, and it brought me to deeper and deeper realisations about myself and about true possibilities that lie within. I opened up to fields of awareness I couldn’t dream of and to resources that truly are unlimited.
And I came to one of my core principles of life I live after, which is:
" I am the only source of all that I need to know to live my unlimited expression. Within me there are all the questions I have to ask, all the answers I need to know, all the paths I would like to explore, all the resources for my dream life to come true, everything that will fulfil me to my deepest core. "
The solution to every challenge you are facing lies within your being, you just need to turn inwards, ask the right questions and let the answers come. The key is to trust yourself, even if it goes against any mainstream believes and follow through on the steps you are given.
Sometimes it’s very uncomfortable, especially when we are used to ask for advice in all the wrong places and expect a miracle solution to turn our lives easily and effortlessly to the better.
It doesn’t work like this. We usually have to put in some effort to break some habits, to brave some very hard decisions and to stay centred even though everyone around us is shaking their heads, sometimes even forcing us back into our old frames. Some of them will leave.
The next time you try to answer a question or try to make a decision, I invite you to not go and search the internet or ask a friend.
I invite you to go within first and consult yourself first and foremost. You will receive unbiased answers and steps to take. Trust in them and follow through. You will find the right people who resonate with you and can leverage the transformation you are looking for.
How do you do this?
Here is an easy process you can make every time you want an answer, a solution to a problem or the clear next step to take.
- Find a silent clam place in your home where you can sit in silent contemplation for a bit of time. You can put on some relaxing music and sit in silence if you prefer. I suggest you take at least 15 min, 30 min are even better.
- Take a journal and write down the question or the challenge you would like to have resolved. Be as specific as you can. If it’s a very emotionally charged challenge or question, you can first drop all the emotionally charged story on the paper and let it rest, then turn a page and from a more centred space write down the question or problem in a more neutral tone.
- Now close your eyes and take a few deep breaths, with every outbreath clear out all the tension and mental overdrive, with every inbreath take in new fresh energy and clarity. Breath like this for about 2 min or until you feel a clear sense of calm and ease in your body.
- After you find the calmness in your body, start to focus on your heart and envision a big sun in place of your heart. It radiates with warm radiant energy and love. Focus deeper into this energy of your heart and start to listen to its sound.
- Listen now closely to any suggestions, be aware of any pictures that arise, of any emotions, any feelings or any knowing. You might hear things, see pictures or instantly know what your solution is.
- Once you feel the process of receiving the answers or the steps is complete, open your eyes and write it down as precisely as possible. You might even like to draw some pictures or explain your emotions.
- Some of the pictures or knowingness might feel very confusing at first, almost as it doesn’t make any sense. It always makes sense, trust me. Sometimes the connection to our problem isn’t obvious at first sight. Just write it down and let if fall into place in the right moment.
- If you don’t receive any clear guidance of solutions, don’t worry. You kick-started an important process that will start to give you hints in your daily awake moments or even in dreams, so keep your eyes and mind open to receive any tiny hint that feels it might fit into the bigger picture and write it down.
- Once you feel that the process of receiving the answers and steps and the journaling of it is complete, take a few more minutes to review what you received. Stay open-minded, open-hearted and curious. Don’t judge or discard the messages, they usually come in a way that isn’t totally logical and comprehensible to our analytical mind, as they come from a broader field of awareness and guidance. Our minds are not made to grasp the wholeness of it, they usually operate in a linear manner. Our hearts are the ones that understand the broader picture of the solution you received, so let your heart guide the process of unwinding the information in a linear manner to your mind.
- Trust the process and give yourself some time for the process to be fully realised in clear steps for you to take.
- Now take a few moments to show some gratitude towards your higher guidance. It is always there for you, you just need to ask it for some help and guidance.
Once you are finished with the process, stay open to any clues or ideas and dreams that could hold more details for your next steps to take. You will realise they are plentiful, we just need to be aware of them and trust their guidance.
I invite you to make this process a habit of self-consultation.
It certainly is the main tool form me to find clarity and steps to take in very challenging situations and decisions.
Never forget, all the answers are within!
I wish you a lot of fun with self-exploration and self-consultation!
And let me know in the comments how it works for you!
With love, Karmen