When life feels overwhelming, it’s not because you’re broken—it’s because your brain is swamped.
It’s like being out on the water when a storm kicks up. Suddenly your boat is taking on water, you’re scrambling to bail it out, and for a moment you’re not sure you even have a bucket. The weight pulls you down, you can’t see the next step, and shutdown sets in.
I call this moment a time for Decision Triage.
Today I’m using layoffs as an example, but this applies to any swamped situation—health, family, career, finances.
4 Steps to Get Back in Action
1. List What You Know
Benefits you have. Savings in the bank. Friends or contacts who can help. Skills you already bring to the table.
2. Write Down Your Unknowns
These are things you could find out: which industries are hiring, who might connect you with someone in HR, or what training would strengthen your position.
3. Name the Uncertainties
Market shifts, the economy, AI, hiring freezes—these can’t be solved right now, just acknowledged.
4. Seek Relief Through Information
Look at your Unknowns and ask: “What would give me relief to know right now?” Pick one piece of information that, if you knew it, would lift the pressure. Go find that answer. Then come back, pick the next one, and repeat. Step by step, your boat stops feeling swamped and begins to steady.
A Word of Caution: Confirmation Bias
When you search for answers to your Unknowns, you’ll often only find what matches what you already believe. Protect yourself by:
- Asking for the opposite perspective.
- Checking multiple sources (right, left, center).
- Using private browsing or tools like DuckDuckGo that don’t track your preferences.
This helps you get a fuller picture and make stronger, more confident decisions.
You don’t need to solve everything at once. Just take one step that gives you relief—that’s where clarity and action begin.
If you’d like more support, get on my calendar for a free decision-clarity call.
Warm regards,
Amy Day
Clarity4Action.org
P.S. If this message helped, forward it to a friend who feels swamped. We all need decision clarity sometimes.
