You have made thousands of decisions in your life. Some  more memorable than others, some better than others.

If I asked you to recall some of the main ones, you would probably tell me about the major bad decisions that had a detrimental effect on your life.

What I want to concentrate on is all the important good decisions you have made. 

We make loads of decisions every day. Some are made very quickly but they can have an important impact on how we feel for the remainder of the day.

Imagine you get out of bed one morning, have a shower, dress and begin to make breakfast. Suddenly for no apparent reason you become aware of feeling very low mood. You have options about what to do next:

1. Do nothing; carry on with breakfast and hope the feelings subside.

2. Stop making breakfast and go outside for a walk for 10/15 minutes.

3. Become angry and say to yourself  “I am sick of these depressive spells”. Maybe take it out on your partner if you have one.

4. Think “Okay, I accept my feelings at the moment, they are temporary and will pass”.  

In theory choosing the correct option seems easy. You probably realise I am advocating option 4. But if you have poor mental health, making any decision can be difficult. 

If you are aware your mental health is low, it seems reasonable to avoid making any major decisions. But you can’t postpone decision making indefinitely. So you need help. You may be fortunate that you have a partner or close friend available. Or discuss with your therapist if you have one.

One of the main personal attributes required for good decision making is wisdom. Most psychologists agree that wisdom involves having knowledge, experience and understanding. 

When I did a little research on “wisdom” I found it was an enormous subject and hundreds of distinguished people had discussed it. Leon F Seltzer who holds doctorates in English and Psychology has reviewed thousands of “wisdom” sayings. His list of the best includes:

* Wise people continue to doubt themselves (and that’s part of what makes them wise).

* Wise people talk less, are silent more, and listen more than those lacking wisdom.

* Wisdom is positively related to happiness. 

* Wise people are also humble. There’s really no such thing as someone who is both proud and arrogant and wise.

* Wisdom, and its quest, breed kindness, and compassion.

* Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is knowing not to put it in a fruit salad. 

I hope your weekend is filled with good decisions.

Teg

A Moodscope member