Anxiety Therapist Shares How to Become a Better Decision-Maker
Anxiety Therapist Shares How to Become a Better Decision-Maker
Written by: Lauran Hahn, LMHC
Your friends invite you out to dinner. You’re excited…it’s been too long since you’ve had a chance to catch up. But then, there’s that project waiting on your desk, the one with a deadline breathing down your neck. Part of you wants to say yes, and another part feels you should stay home and finish the work. No matter what you choose, guilt creeps in, and you feel stuck in the middle. Sound familiar?
When even simple choices like what to eat, what to wear, or whether to accept an invitation start to feel overwhelming, decision-making can turn into a source of stress rather than freedom. And when anxiety is part of the picture, those everyday moments of choice can feel paralyzing.
As an anxiety therapist in Orlando, I see how this constant second-guessing impacts people every day.
The good news? Anxiety doesn’t mean you’re incapable of making good decisions. It just means your nervous system needs support, and therapy can help you find clarity and confidence again.
When Every Choice Feels Overwhelming
Most of us stress over the big-picture decisions—whether to start university, switch careers, buy a house, end a relationship, or move to a new city. That's natural. Big choices come with high stakes, and it's normal to worry you might mess up. But what if that fear leaves you stuck, frozen, or even feeling depressed?
For some people, though, it gets even trickier—they get stuck on small, everyday decisions. You know that uneasiness that creeps in every time you need to choose what shirt to wear, whether to drive or take the subway to work, what food to order, or whether to accept or decline an invitation. You can't shake off this fear that, no matter what you do, it will end in disaster, right?
If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Decision-making anxiety is something many of us experience. As an anxiety therapist in Orlando, I work with clients every day who struggle with the constant second-guessing, the internal battle, and the sinking feeling of being "damned if I do, damned if I don't." In this blog, I will share some insights on how working with an anxiety therapist in Orlando can help you become a better decision-maker, even if you have anxiety.
Anxiety Therapist Explains Why Anxiety Makes Decision-Making So Hard
If you live with anxiety, you know how hard it can be to think clearly when fear, worry, and constant overthinking take over. One of the biggest factors that can make decision-making difficult—or almost impossible—is fear of uncertainty. Every time you're about to make a decision, fear inflates all the possible risks, generates an endless number of "what ifs," and makes you think one wrong move could ruin it all. You start overthinking. You role-play every possible outcome in your head until you are completely drained. Even after you decide, you keep thinking it through over and over, and second-guessing whether it's the wrong decision. Or you put off the decision altogether to avoid the discomfort.
It's draining. And it gets you stuck. But here's the thing: anxiety doesn't mean you can't make good decisions. It just means your nervous system is in overdrive, and you need some tricks to quiet it down so you can tap into your inner guidance. That's what anxiety therapy in Orlando is for.
Anxiety Therapy Helps You Make Better Choices
Working with an anxiety therapist can provide you with the knowledge, awareness, and skills necessary to make better decisions. Here's how:
Controlling your nervous system: When your mind is stuck in fight-or-flight mode, it's almost impossible to make rational choices. Anxiety therapy teaches you grounding strategies that calm your nervous system so you can think more clearly.
I'll give you an example. I worked with a client who would feel paralyzed every time she had to make decisions at work, even the smallest ones—like responding to an email. She would start overthinking. Did I sound too blunt? Did I use too many words? What if my boss thinks I don't know what I'm doing? This constant second-guessing left her drained and made even routine tasks feel overwhelming. Once she learned a few simple grounding techniques, she noticed a big shift. Instead of reacting out of panic, she was able to slow down, calm her body, and approach decisions with more clarity.
Building self-trust: Fear often makes you doubt your own abilities. Anxiety therapy reconnects you to your strengths and values, so you begin making decisions based on what matters to you—not out of fear.
Redefining mistakes: One big reason anxious people avoid decisions is that they fear a "wrong" decision being catastrophic. Counseling helps you redefine this, viewing decisions as opportunities to learn from, not minefields to avoid.
Feeling empowered through practice: The more you make decisions in counseling, the more empowered you will be in your everyday life to make them with confidence.
Grounding Techniques to Use When Anxiety Is Clouding Your Judgment
When you're making a decision and your fear is screaming at you, grounding techniques can bring you into the present moment and give you room to choose calmly instead of reacting. Here are a few handy tools to try:
The 5-4-3-2-1 Method
Take notice of five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell, and one thing you can taste. This little trick breaks racing thoughts and grounds you in your body.
Box Breathing
Breathe in for four counts, hold for four counts, exhale for four counts, and hold for four counts. Repeat a few rounds. Your nervous system will naturally calm down, making it easier to think clearly.
Journaling
Write down your thoughts and then read them out loud. The idea is that when you write down your worries, they seem less intimidating. So, you can identify what fears are true and what are created by anxiety.
How Mindfulness Can Improve Your Decision-Making Under Stress
Mindfulness is a very powerful tool for anyone who suffers from decision-making anxiety. Because when stress is high, it's easy to make reactive choices out of fear or pressure. Mindfulness puts everything in slow motion.
How it works:
It creates awareness, allowing you to pay attention to what you think without judgment.
It reduces impulsivity because it inserts a space between the trigger (the decision) and your reaction, so you have space to decide with clarity.
It clears the mind and lets you concentrate on what matters in this moment.
Ready to Start Anxiety Therapy?
If you're tired of doubting every move and need to feel confident in your ability to make decisions, therapy can help. At Mindful Living Counseling, our team of professional therapists offers anxiety therapy in Orlando that will teach you how to silence your mind, trust yourself, and make decisions with confidence.
Not Quite Ready for Anxiety Therapy?
At Mindful Living Counseling, we know how overwhelming decision-making anxiety can feel, and you don’t have to face it alone. While you’re working on finding clarity and confidence, we invite you to explore the blogs below for more guidance and support.
Anxiety Therapy Orlando Resources
Decision-Making Anxiety? Anxiety Therapist Shares 5 Steps to Make Decisions Easier
How to Make Difficult Decisions
Anxiety Therapy Explains High-Functioning Anxiety
An Anxiety Therapist Shares Everything You Need to Know about Anxiety
Guided Meditation for Anxiety: Five-Sense Grounding
Other Therapy Services Offered at Mindful Living Counseling in Orlando
We offer a variety of therapy services! Our therapeutic options include EMDR therapy, Trauma Therapy, Eating Disorder Therapy, Teen Therapy, and Toxic Relationship Therapy. Additionally, we provide Guided Meditations for our clients.
Anxiety Therapist Lauran Hahn
Lauran Hahn is a therapist in Orlando who focuses on assisting clients with anxiety and trauma. She holds certifications as a Sensorimotor Psychotherapist and as an EMDR Therapist, and she is recognized as an EMDRIA Approved Consultant. Lauran's aim is to help people achieve a sense of calm in their bodies, peace in their minds, and connection in their relationships.