decision-fatigue
Noun
(psychology) The deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making.
http://www.yourdictionary.com/decision-fatigue
Decision-fatigue is just starting to be fully understood by physiologist and researchers. Self-control is like a muscle that can be both strengthened and fatigued.
Just like you may be tempted to “cheat” the last few reps in your set as you get physically fatigued; your decisions throughout the day can be mentally fatiguing. On average people spend 3-4 hours a day resisting temptations. To make things worse, most of the time we do not realize when fatigue has set in & begins to affect our decisions. Where you can often “feel” when you are physically fatigued, you often have no idea when you become mentally fatigued.
Once fatigued the brain attempts to cheat in two main ways. You may become reckless and impulsive instead of expending the energy to fully think through the consequences of your decisions. “Screw it cake!” Might be a familiar example of this. The other short cut the brain may seek is to shut down and avoid any decision at all.
This could spell disaster for keeping self-control in tack in the evening & explains why it’s harder to resist temptations during this time.
How do we best set ourselves up to be successful in the face of decision fatigue? Make meals a non decision. And removing trigger and temptation foods from the home.
By taking one day a week and doing all the planning and prepping, we make meals a no decision event. We get home tired both physically & mentally & just open the fridge & gab a container heat and eat. We are no longer a victim of decision-fatigue where our diets are concerned. By planning ahead we empower ourselves to keep on track even when we have no will power to do so!
PLAN FOR SUCCESS OR PLAN TO FAIL
Blue Jean Wellness 