The question of decision fatigue

 

A few years ago, a friend of mine went to buy a deodorant. I was with him, but I stayed at the entrance of the supermarket with the person who was hosting us. After twenty minutes, she started to get worried - how long could it take to choose one deodorant? I went to check, and there he was, staring at a small shelf with only a handful of options… Twenty minutes, and still no decision.

Now imagine someone like him, but at the end of a long, exhausting day. They still need to call three people, buy a gift, fill out a work form and complete travel paperwork. Each small choice adds up until the brain feels like it’s running on fumes.

An official report drew my attention: When Good People Make Bad Decisions. Of course, anyone can make a mistake because of ignorance, poor planning or pressure, but sometimes, even very good and competent people make bad decisions due to another factor: decision fatigue.

People who are smart, trained, capable and kind mess up because of being worn out from choosing and deciding, again and again.

This is what psychologists call decision fatigue. As psychotherapist Natacha Duke explains, it isn’t a medical condition but a very real phenomenon: the more decisions you make throughout the day, the more mentally, emotionally and physically drained you become. Decisions are made by the intellect or buddhi (Sanskrit), which is your executive functioning - the part of you that decides, plans and prioritizes. It starts to falter and when that slips, so does a good decision.

That’s why firefighters, pilots and doctors often rely on protocols and checklists, which reduce unnecessary decisions and the energy is saved to be used for the critical ones. Maybe you can create protocols for your own life, suited to your needs, or simply start building habits, simplifying routines and taking “decision breaks” (a period of reflection, disconnecting from demanding circumstances, meditation). It will make a big difference.

And maybe, there’s also a more spiritual side to this. Not every decision has to be wrestled with logic. Some choices get lighter when we pause, breathe, meditate and connect with a deeper sense of clarity. Better decisions come from a calmer place.

So, the next time you’re standing in front of a shelf - whether of deodorants or crucial life choices - remember: sometimes the smartest move is to step back, clear your mind and only then, make a good decision.

How to make decisions during uncertain times

 

Uncertainty makes your road foggy. When the world seems unstable, every option comes with a question mark, a doubt, a… something is wrong… It is as if you are driving, you look ahead, but the road keeps shifting.

No choice feels completely right. I know, it’s easy to freeze and to overthink, imagining every worst-case scenario as the only possibility. But here’s the thing - not deciding is also a decision and often, it’s the one that costs the most…

• So, start by setting clear criteria: What matters most right now? What can you compromise? What is non-negotiable?
• A few solid guidelines will keep you anchored when emotions try to take over and use logic. Your logic… Check the facts, weigh the risks, compare options… But don’t let analysis become a cage; analyze and move forward with the decision.
• And be careful with another potential prison… Your past experiences are useful - they’ve shaped your instincts, after all, and you have been able to survive and reach to this point. But remember, the past is a reference; don’t reject a new path just because it doesn’t look like the old one.
• Be a visionary: imagine where you want to be, beyond where you are. At the same time, be practical if things are not going well - a flexible balanced plan is better than a perfect one that will never be brought to reality.
• And here’s a crucial piece for a decision, many people forget: a journey to your inner world. When you connect to yourself, decisions stop feeling like a gamble. Your intuition turns into a compass and meditation becomes a personal recharger. To make a better decision, trust yourself and just sit quietly, meditate...
• Related to the former point, remember: a clean mind sees more paths than a crowded one and sometimes, the next step reveals itself only in its stillness.

These are uncertain times. Your best decision maybe won’t be the smartest or the safest, so make a decision by aligning mind, heart and soul.

In this way, you will move forward, even when the road is not yet clear.

Silence and chaos

 

There is a kind of noise that exists both, outside and within. It’s the chaos of daily life - messages, decisions, stress - and the chaos of the mind - overthinking, reacting, remembering all details...

To avoid that noise or to decrease its volume, we have silence… Not the silence that is the absence of noise; silence as an inner state, a space we can enter even when the world is loud.

As we are living in the age of chaos, noise is part of the pattern… Yes, we could find a place in the mountains, far from all. Or we can resort to silence.

In the midst of chaos, silence is not weakness. It’s strength. It’s clarity. And it’s healing.

Meditation teaches us to return to that inner silence. Just a few minutes of stillness can shift our state. Meditation isn’t about controlling thoughts, but about not being controlled by them. It allows the mind to settle, and in that settling, we begin to hear our own wisdom again.

Silence opens us to hear the real sound, the sound of our inner voice.

Silence also has the power to heal. Emotional pain, stress, fatigue - these begin to soften in the presence of true stillness. Not the silence of suppression, but of awareness, that moment when we stop trying to fix everything and simply sit in silence. At that point, something begins to mend… maybe not externally - the age we live is of chaos - but inside.

Inside there is deep healing, deep awareness, but the beauty of this practice of silence is that it permeates our reality… After all, even in relationships and daily tasks, silence has a role as it brings focus, patience and depth.

In conversations, a pause can be more meaningful than a rush of words. At work, a moment of inner quiet can lead to better decisions than hours of action and discussions.

As chaos is all around, silence is not a retreat from life; it is the key to a better life.

In chaos, it becomes our compass and guide.

Tired of noise? Maybe it's time for some inner silence…

 

We live in a world that is too loud - not just with sound, but with thoughts are also very noisy. Constant stimulation, relentless updates, opinions coming from every direction… No wonder many of us feel overwhelmed, scattered, even exhausted.

We seek silence in external places: a weekend trip, a quiet room, a DO NOT DISTURB sign, but the most powerful silence is the one inside us.

It’s not the absence of thought, but a deeper quality of thinking, since the more quality your thoughts have, less they will be. Your mind stops chasing around and starts being.

This kind of silence isn’t easy to find and it is not to be created. In fact, it’s always available and it comes when we turn inward, just for a while - maybe through meditation, perhaps just by breathing consciously or watching the sky without our phones.

And when we do that, something beautiful happens: clarity returns, worries fade, creativity whispers and peace knocks silently on the door of our minds.

Next time the world feels too loud, don’t just escape it. Go within.

That’s where the real silence lays.

How to Filter Out All the Noise

 

Noise can be harmful and new research suggests the damage it causes is even worse than we previously thought.

Technology has offered one solution: noise-cancelling headphones are booming. But despite the innovation, there's still an overwhelming amount of sound: street noise, buzzing cell phones, loud conversations. Noise pollution, especially in urban environments, is on the rise. Colombia recently approved a law to regulate it, but honestly… it’s not working yet.

But not all noise is physical.

There are two other types of noise that can affect our health just as much - and perhaps more deeply - than the sounds outside our windows.

The first kind is internal: the noise of our own worries and the anxiety that has quietly gripped modern society. It hums constantly in the background, making it difficult to think clearly or reflect. And reflection is essential as it is what allows us to understand what is happening in our lives, make good decisions and move forward.

The second kind of noise comes from outside, but not through our ears. It comes from other people and their constant interference in our thoughts. Maybe you think you're immune. Maybe you believe you’re completely independent. But ask yourself: Why do you use that particular brand of soap? Why did you change your job? What shaped your political views?

This noise comes from the not-so-silent world of social media, which feeds us other people’s opinions, judgments and beliefs. It doesn’t just speak; IT SHOUTS! And often, it drowns out our own voice.

For these two kinds of noise, there’s no technological noise-cancelling solution… yet.

Except… there is something we can do.

From experience, I’d recommend three simple practices that can help you filter out the noise and listen to yourself more clearly:

• Meditation and a shift in lifestyle. A regular meditation practice and a healthier, slower lifestyle help reduce the mental buzz of anxiety. Even something as simple as a walk in the park can bring surprising silence.
• Self-esteem. When you build a deeper awareness of your own value, it becomes easier to overcome the pressure of outside opinions. Reflection exercises and inner work can reconnect you with your core, your own voice.
• Boundaries for your attention. Be intentional about what (and who) you allow into your mental space. Curate your social media, your conversations and your environment like you would do with your home.

Filtering the noise isn’t about escaping the world; rather than that, it is about creating enough quiet to listen to what truly matters, that which comes often from deep reflection or from the heart.

Controlling your mind, control your destiny

Mind control was a term used quite often at certain levels not long ago; in fact, there was even a (very expensive) course dedicated to teach people how to control their minds!

First, let’s understand the mind. From a spiritual perspective, mind is a part of the being responsible for generating ideas, thoughts and feelings, emotions and sensations.

Mind is considered by many a crazy horse, with no means to refrain or to detain. Others appreciate the power of the mind, generating, well, all we see around us! Except nature, of course.

So, how to REALLY control the mind? Probably that is the wrong word; instead of CONTROLLING, we need to handle or to manage it.

There are two ways to accomplish that. The first way is to look for silencing the mind, totally. Even though that is not possible, it is the aim of many spiritual practices, including certain types of meditation. As a clarification, it is not possible because there is always a white noise in the mind, sound or image.

However, with a proper meditation, like the Raja Yoga Meditation, you may reach a point in which your thoughts – voice, images – are replaced by feelings and it will be almost as if there is total silence. In that case, the mind will be under control and whatever experience is desired, it is possible to get it, especially if it is positive and powerful.

And what about managing the mind when things go wrong or under pressure. It will be much more difficult, but it is feasible to do it when things are quiet; in many people’s practices, meditation is done early in the morning so there is silence all around.

A final consequence of that positive management is a better control over one’s life. After all, what we do is a direct fruit of our thoughts; by managing their creation, we manage our own life.