Anxiety Can Influence Decision-Making
Anxiety can make even familiar decisions feel more complicated, risky or overwhelming. When someone is worried about making a mistake, disappointing others or choosing the “wrong” option, they may spend much more time analysing possibilities before feeling able to act.
What Might This Look Like?
Someone experiencing anxiety may:
• Overanalyse relatively small decisions
• Repeatedly check their work before submitting it
• Ask for reassurance or confirmation
• Delay decisions because they fear getting them wrong
• Avoid making choices altogether
• Focus heavily on possible negative outcomes
• Struggle when several options are presented at once
• Change a decision repeatedly after making it
• Find unexpected decisions particularly difficult
• Feel responsible for preventing every possible problem
Why Can This Happen?
Anxiety can increase the brain's focus on uncertainty, risk and potential consequences.
Instead of simply thinking:
“Which option makes the most sense?”
the person may also be processing:
“What if I'm wrong?”
“What if something goes badly?”
“What will people think?”
“Have I forgotten something?”
“Should I check again?”
This additional mental processing can make decision-making slower and much more exhausting.
At Work, It Can Be Misunderstood
Someone may appear indecisive, overly cautious, dependent on reassurance or reluctant to take responsibility.
But hesitation does not necessarily mean they lack knowledge or ability.
They may understand exactly what needs to be done while anxiety makes it difficult to trust their own judgement.
Decision Fatigue Can Build Throughout the Day
When someone is continually managing anxiety alongside emails, meetings, deadlines, conversations and competing priorities, their mental resources can become depleted.
Decisions that felt manageable in the morning may become significantly harder later in the day.
What Can Help?
Helpful workplace strategies might include:
Clear priorities • written expectations • fewer unnecessary choices • agreed decision-making boundaries • additional processing time • predictable procedures • breaking larger decisions into smaller steps • supportive check-ins
Managers can also help by clarifying which decisions an employee can make independently and when they genuinely need to seek approval.
Support Without Creating Dependence
Reassurance can be helpful, but repeatedly making every decision for someone may unintentionally reduce their confidence.
Where appropriate, support can focus on helping the person recognise:
“You have enough information.”
“You understand the task.”
“You are allowed to make this decision.”
Remember
Anxiety can affect how confidently and quickly someone makes a decision without reducing their actual knowledge, experience or capability.
Creating clear expectations, psychological safety and permission to make reasonable mistakes can help employees gradually feel more confident using their own judgement.
Space to Breathe
