The Link Between Stress Tolerance and Decision Making: How to Make Better Decisions Under Pressure

When you’re under pressure, making decisions can be challenging. Stress can cloud your judgment and lead you to make poor choices. However, there is a link between stress tolerance and decision making. You can make better decisions even in high-pressure situations by improving your stress tolerance.

Firstly, it’s essential to understand what stress tolerance is. It’s the ability to cope with stress and bounce back from adversity. Decision-making, on the other hand, is the process of choosing between alternatives. These two concepts are closely related, and improving your stress tolerance can help you make better decisions.

Stress affects the body in various ways, including increased heart rate, higher blood pressure, and rapid breathing. These physiological changes can impact your decision-making. Chronic stress can also affect your memory and decision-making abilities.

To improve your stress tolerance and decision-making, there are several techniques you can try. Mindfulness and meditation can help you stay present and focused, while exercise and physical activity can reduce stress levels. Optimising your sleep and nutrition is also crucial for reducing stress.

Stress management techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and guided imagery can also help you cope with stress. The OODA loop is another tool that can help you make better decisions. It involves observing, orienting, deciding, and acting.

To make better decisions under pressure, set priorities and stick to them. Focus on the present moment and avoid getting caught up in the past or future. And when all else fails, take a step back and reassess the situation before making a decision.

By improving your stress tolerance and using these techniques, you can make better decisions even when under pressure. So, take the time to focus on your stress levels and build your resilience. It will pay off in the long run. Stress can have a significant impact on our lives, especially when it comes to making decisions. Understanding the link between stress tolerance and decision making is crucial for making better choices under pressure.

In this blog post, you’ll learn how stress affects your decision-making process, and discover actionable tips to improve your decision-making abilities in high-pressure situations. By mastering stress tolerance, you’ll be equipped to make well-informed decisions even when the stakes are high.

Understanding Stress Tolerance and Decision Making

When faced with a difficult decision, it’s common to feel stressed or overwhelmed. Stress tolerance is the ability to handle these feelings and continue to make rational decisions. Decision-making, on the other hand, is the process of weighing options and choosing the best course of action.

What is Stress Tolerance?

Stress tolerance is the ability to handle pressure and stressful situations without becoming overwhelmed or experiencing negative physical or emotional reactions. This includes the ability to remain calm, focused, and productive even in high-stress environments. Individuals with high stress tolerance are better equipped to handle challenging situations and make thoughtful decisions under pressure. It’s one of the 12 executive function skills

What is Decision Making?

Decision making is the process of evaluating options and choosing the best course of action. It involves weighing the pros and cons, considering potential outcomes, and making a choice based on the available information. Good decision making involves critical thinking, problem-solving, and a willingness to take risks when necessary.

The Connection between Stress Tolerance and Decision Making

Stress tolerance and decision-making are closely related. When faced with a difficult decision, stress can cloud our judgment and make it difficult to think clearly. On the other hand, individuals with high-stress tolerance are better equipped to handle these situations and make thoughtful decisions under pressure.

Low-stress tolerance can affect cognitive functioning, leading to difficulties in concentration, memory, and decision-making. Individuals may find it hard to focus on tasks, experience mental fog, have trouble making decisions, or struggle to think clearly when faced with stressors.

Before working with me, many of my clients found that they make decisions from a dysregulated place, causing regret upon reflection.

Research has shown that individuals with high-stress tolerance are more likely to make better decisions in high-pressure situations. This is because they can better remain calm and focused, even when faced with uncertainty or adversity.

By improving your stress tolerance, you can become a better decision-maker. This involves developing coping mechanisms, such as deep breathing or mindfulness practices, to help manage stress and stay focused on the task at hand. Within Executive function playbook we spend a week on stress tolerance at a time

Overall, stress tolerance and decision making are essential skills for success in both personal and professional settings. By developing these skills, you can become a more effective, efficient, and confident decision maker, even in the most challenging of circumstances.

The Negative Impacts of Stress on Decision Making

Stress is an inevitable part of life. It’s a response to external stimuli that can trigger a fight or flight response. When you experience stress, your body releases hormones that increase your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate. These changes prepare your body to react to danger, but prolonged stress can have negative impacts on your health and decision-making abilities.

The Physiology of Stress

When you experience stress, your body releases hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate, while cortisol triggers the release of glucose for energy. These changes are meant to prepare your body for action, but prolonged exposure to these hormones can have negative impacts on your health.

Chronic stress can lead to a range of health problems, including high blood pressure, heart disease, and obesity. It can also affect your immune system, making you more susceptible to illnesses and infections.

The Impact of Stress on Decision Making

Stress can also have negative impacts on your decision-making abilities. When you’re under stress, your brain shifts from rational thinking to more instinctual thinking. This can cause you to make impulsive decisions that aren’t well thought out.

Stress can also lead to cognitive biases, which are errors in thinking that can influence your decisions. For example, when you’re stressed, you may be more likely to focus on negative information and ignore positive information.

This can lead to a phenomenon called “analysis paralysis,” where you become so overwhelmed with information that you can’t make a decision at all. Or, you may make a decision too quickly without considering all the options.

The Effect of Chronic Stress on Decision Making

Chronic stress can have even more significant impacts on your decision-making abilities. When you experience chronic stress, your brain becomes less responsive to cortisol, the hormone that helps regulate stress. This can lead to a condition called “cortisol fatigue,” which can make it difficult to manage stress and regulate your emotions.

Chronic stress can also lead to a decrease in the size of the prefrontal cortex, which is the part of the brain responsible for decision-making and impulse control. This can make it more difficult to make rational decisions and control your impulses, leading to poor decision-making.

Overall, stress can have significant negative impacts on your decision-making abilities, both in the short term and the long term. It’s important to find ways to manage stress to ensure that you can make clear-headed decisions, even under pressure.

Are you someone who feels overwhelmed and stressed when making important decisions? Don’t worry; you’re not alone. Stress can impair decision-making abilities, leading to poor choices and negative consequences. However, there are ways to improve stress tolerance and make better decisions under pressure. Here are some techniques to help you manage stress and optimise decision-making abilities:

Mindfulness and Meditation

Mindfulness and meditation are powerful tools for reducing stress and improving decision-making abilities. These practices involve focusing on the present moment and observing thoughts and sensations without judgment. By practicing mindfulness and meditation regularly, you can train your brain to stay calm and focused even in stressful situations. Research has shown that mindfulness and meditation can improve decision-making abilities, enhance creativity, and increase emotional regulation.

Exercise and Physical Activity

Exercise and physical activity are not just good for your physical health; they also have significant benefits for your mental well-being. Regular exercise can reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, all of which can impair decision-making abilities. Exercise also increases blood flow to the brain, improving cognitive function, and enhances neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and change. Even a short walk or a few minutes of stretching can help reduce stress and improve decision-making abilities.

Optimising Sleep and Nutrition

Sleep and nutrition are two essential factors that can significantly impact stress tolerance and decision-making abilities. Lack of sleep can impair cognitive function, increase stress, and reduce the ability to make sound decisions. Eating a healthy and balanced diet can also reduce stress and improve cognitive function. Opt for foods rich in antioxidants, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamins B and D, which have been shown to improve brain function and reduce stress levels.

Stress Management Techniques

Stress management techniques such as deep breathing, progressive muscle relaxation, and visualization can help reduce stress and improve decision-making abilities. These techniques work by activating the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for the body’s relaxation response. When the body is in a relaxed state, decision-making abilities improve, and stress levels decrease. Take a few minutes each day to practice these techniques to improve stress tolerance and optimize decision-making abilities.

Strategies for Making Better Decisions Under Pressure

When faced with a difficult decision under pressure, it can be easy to become overwhelmed and uncertain. However, by employing a few key strategies, you can improve your ability to make sound decisions even in high-pressure situations.

The OODA Loop

One effective strategy for making better decisions under pressure is to utilize the OODA Loop, a decision-making process developed by military strategist John Boyd. The OODA Loop stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, and Act, and involves continually cycling through these four steps to make quick and effective decisions.

Observe: Time to put those detective shades on and gather all the juicy information. Scope out the situation, collect data and pay attention to every little detail. We’re talking Sherlock Holmes-level observation skills here. Don’t miss a thing!

Orient: Now it’s time to whip out your mental gymnastics skills. Take all that data you gathered and spin it into a cohesive web of understanding. Analyze, interpret, and make sense of it all. Weave together your knowledge, experience, and intuition like a badass decision-making maestro.

Decide: This is the moment of truth. Time to put on your decision-making crown and rule the realm. Weigh the options, consider the risks and rewards, and choose your path. Don’t second-guess yourself—you’re the boss here. Make that confident decision and own it like a boss.

Act: The time for talking is over; it’s time to strut your stuff and take action. Implement that decision with style and grace. Remember there is no transformation from information without implementation. Communicate your plans, coordinate like a well-oiled machine, and execute flawlessly. Keep your eyes on the prize and make those moves, darling.

Remember, the OODA Loop is all about staying nimble and kicking butt in the face of change. It’s not a linear process—it’s a sassy dance of observation, orientation, decision, and action. So, rock that loop like the decision-making diva you are, and don’t be afraid to loop back if the situation calls for it. Own it, slay it, and show ’em who’s boss!

Set Priorities and Stick to Them

Another key strategy for making effective decisions under pressure is to set clear priorities and stick to them. When you are feeling overwhelmed or uncertain, it can be easy to lose sight of what is most important. By knowing how to prioritise tasks and clearly defining priorities before you make a decision, you can ensure that you are making choices that are aligned with your goals and values.

When setting priorities, it can be helpful to consider what outcomes are most important to you, what risks you are willing to take, and what trade-offs you are willing to make. Once you have established your priorities, hold yourself accountable to them by regularly reviewing your decisions and evaluating whether they are in line with your goals.

Focus on the Present Moment

When making decisions under pressure, it is easy to become preoccupied with what might happen in the future or what has happened in the past. However, by focusing on the present moment, you can avoid getting bogged down by anxiety or regret.

One effective way to stay focused on the present moment is to practice mindfulness techniques like meditation or deep breathing. By taking a few moments to center yourself before making a decision, you can quiet your mind and better tune in to your intuition and instincts.

Take a Step Back

Finally, when faced with a high-pressure decision, it can often be helpful to take a step back and gain some perspective. This might involve taking a break to clear your head, seeking input from others, or considering the decision from a different angle.

By taking a step back, you can reduce the intensity of the situation and gain a fresh perspective. This can help you to make a more informed and effective decision based on a more holistic understanding of the situation.

Stress tolerance roundup

Stress tolerance and decision-making are intertwined, and it’s essential to understand the relationship between the two. By learning to manage your stress levels, you can improve your ability to make sound decisions under pressure. This can be achieved by developing a routine that includes exercise, mindfulness, and relaxation techniques. Additionally, it’s essential to identify and eliminate unnecessary stressors in your life, such as negative people or situations. Finally, taking breaks and seeking support when necessary is crucial to help you deal with the stress of decision-making. Remember, good decision-making is essential for success, and by managing your stress levels, you can make better decisions and achieve your goals.

Do you struggle with stress tolerance in the workplace?

Does it impact your mood, self-esteem or overall performance?

These issues can lead to frustration, ineffective work habits, and lost opportunities.

They can hold you back in your career and personal life, causing unnecessary stress and anxiety.

That’s why I’ve created Power-Up! – The Ultimate Executive Function Playbook! My comprehensive programme is designed to help you improve your executive functioning skills to reach your full potential and succeed in all areas of life.

With my weekly engaging and interactive challenges, you’ll gradually build up your stress tolerance, metacognition, working memory, attention, flexibility, and other executive functioning skills. You’ll receive personalised support and guidance from me; I will help you develop strategies for overcoming weak executive function skills.

Alternatively, message me on Instagram with the word ‘PLAYBOOK‘ or DM me if you’re interested, and we will chat over messenger to see if you’d be a good participant in the programme.