You are only one decision away from a different life. Your choice can affect a lot of things—creating a butterfly effect. That’s why it’s human nature to avoid making bad decisions. But, when you’re under pressure, you often don’t have the time to examine your options. So, we’re sharing with you some tips on how you can make the right decisions, even when under pressure.
How to Make the Right Decisions Under Pressure
Keep yourself calm
When you’re under pressure, your body releases stress hormones. While it can be positive, it can also cause negative physiological and mental reactions. Your heart will pound, and you can feel anxious, scared, angry, or sad. And, as the experts say, emotions are so powerful that they can influence your thoughts, behaviors, and decisions. So, when under pressure, you need to keep yourself calm to make sure that you make the right decisions.
When you’re feeling it, do some breathing exercises. According to Michigan Medicine, deep breathing is one of the best ways to lower the stress in your body. You can also change your focus at the moment and relax first before you tackle the issue again.
Carefully examine the situation
Despite the urgency, thoroughly examine your circumstances. Knowledge is power. The more you know, the better you can decide. You want to know the big picture and everything that will affect it. With those, you can now think clearer, evaluate the options available to you better, and make the right decision.
Also, when under pressure, you have the additional challenge of making the right decision at the right time. If you take too long, then you risk being too late. But decide quickly, and you may be rash. And sometimes, you feel that you don’t have time to think longer, but you actually do. So, in these circumstances, it’s essential that you take a step back, reflect, and then choose.
List all your possible options
If you find that your thoughts are in a jumble and you can’t seem to make a decision, writing down your options can help. When you list your possible choices, you make them more coherent and easier to understand. That way, even when you’re feeling the pressure, you can better evaluate what paths you can take.
You can also write beside your choices the arguments you have for them. Why should you pick it? Why shouldn’t you? Doing so also keeps you from being biased in your decision-making.
Ask for a second opinion
Sometimes, to make the right decisions, you need to have a different pair of eyes to look at the situation. Choose someone you trust and talk to them. You might not know what you have missed until someone points it out to you. Talking to someone helps you calm down. When you feel more composed, you lessen the risk of your emotions driving your decisions.
Focus on your goal
You’re making this decision to be closer to achieving your goals. There will always be times when the ideal ones won’t be the best for the situation. But, they can also help you obtain your objective. So, instead of focusing on the decision, you should focus on your goal.
Decisions are a considerable part of your daily life. And it can go from simple things such as deciding whether to pick what to eat during breakfast to life-changing ones. And with uncertainty always there, you don’t know when you’ll need to decide under pressure. With the tips above, you can make the right ones.
