How Does a Psychologist Help in Making Important Decisions in Life?

Human beings have a very precious gift: the ability to establish long-term estimates about what will happen, or what could happen if certain circumstances occur.

We can make predictions based on our imaginative capacity, in which we combine information about the past and present to make projections about the future. And that, of course, is a good part of what has allowed us to be a species with such a capacity to adapt to various environments throughout the planet, as well as to establish very complex societies based on trust and consensus.

Now, with this ability comes a series of responsibilities that often put us under a lot of pressure. We are faced with the need to make important decisions that will determine what our lives will be like in months or even years.

That is to say: since our mind extends into the future even if we do not do so on purpose, we have to deal with the emotional implications of making a decision in each of the important dilemmas we face. And sometimes, these decisions are so important that we feel emotionally overwhelmed. Fortunately, From psychology, strategies have been developed to adequately deal with this type of experiences so complicated.

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This is how psychologists provide support in making important decisions

There are many people who go to see a psychologist without assuming that they have developed psychopathology, simply to “clear their minds” when faced with an important dilemma, or several of them. Relatively common examples are: doubting whether to leave work or not, deciding whether to end a relationship or continue giving it opportunities, reaching a collusion about whether it is better to stay with the family or move to another country or another city, etc. .

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Faced with this type of dilemma, although Psychologists do not give advice about which option to choose (that is not our job, and the decision must be made entirely by the person), we do provide resources to face the decision in the most constructive and psychologically healthy way, without giving in to unfounded fears and without letting the “I’ll decide later” moment” postpone the issue indefinitely.

So that… Through what processes does the psychologist help those who must make an important decision? Let’s see it.

1. Provides support in the self-knowledge process

In the first stage of the process, it is necessary for the person to be fully aware of what their values are, the ideas and ethical foundations on which your way of approaching life is based. That way, his decision will fit with what the person considers to be right, what defines good behavior, with which he feels comfortable.

To do this, the person is trained in certain introspection techniques that help analyze and organize their ideas, and the beliefs from which they interpret reality.

2. Helps detect strengths and weaknesses

A somewhat more technical part of self-knowledge is being aware of your own strengths and weaknesses. This will allow you to discover the risks and opportunities that entail the different options between which the person must choose.

3. Train in anxiety management techniques

Knowing how to make important decisions does not mean completely blocking the discomfort generated by anxiety and stress. We must assume that we will experience some discomfort simply because we are faced with a high degree of uncertainty. Therefore, in psychotherapy we train in the use of anxiety management techniques, to prevent it from paralyzing the person.

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4. Teach time management techniques to move forward

It is important to define specific goals in the process of making a final decision. Gather information, check the status of our skills that we would need to use if we chose one of the options, etc. For it, Psychologists teach ways to segment behavior patterns with clear temporal references start and end.

5. Helps detect self-sabotaging thoughts

Finally, this type of psychotherapeutic support also helps people to identify and anticipate the appearance of self-sabotaging trap thoughts, which are those that emerge in our consciousness in an unexpected way and serve as an excuse to fall into what is easy in the short term. term (which is usually harmful in the medium and long term). Typically, these thoughts They drag us back to our comfort zone and they wear down our self-esteem so that we do not dare to take some risks and show ourselves what we are capable of doing.

Are you interested in having professional psychological assistance?

If you are looking for psychology services to face the challenges of everyday life or to start an emotionally demanding project on a personal or professional level, I invite you to contact me.

My name is Thomas Saint Cecilia, I am a psychologist, and I work from the strategies and techniques of the cognitive-behavioral intervention model applied to adults, adolescents, and business teams. You can count on my services in person or online by video call.