When Not to Make Decisions

We humans are fickle people. We might like something one moment and not the next. We might think something is a good idea and then later change our minds. When we are in a fickle mood, when we are in a bad mood, we should refrain from making decisions.

A good reminder I’ve often heard to remember when not to make a decision is to use the acronym HALT. HALT stands for:

Hungry
Angry
Lonely
Tired

When we are feeling hungry, angry, lonely, or tired, we are not in our best frame of mind and should refrain from making a decision until we no longer are feeling that way. A few other feelings might be added to this list. Frightened is a good one. Sick is another. In short, we should realize that these moods are when we are not perhaps thinking clearly or when we are more likely to snap at someone rather than reply in a tactful, kind, or rational manner.

I’ve found that being aware that my feelings make me act differently also "halts" me from acting without thinking. For example, if I find I am feeling cranky and my husband is starting to get on my nerves, I can pause for a moment and go through this list to see why I am feeling the way I do. If I realize I’m hungry, I can tell myself to eat something and then I will feel better, and I will have enough willpower to hold off on snapping at my husband for the twenty minutes or so it will take for me to fill my belly.

It is also perfectly fine when we are feeling one of these less than optimal ways to tell people "I’ll get back to you on that" or explain, "I’m really tired/sick right now. I’ll get back to you later when I’m feeling better and can think about it more clearly."

Other times, something may be bothering us that may make us indifferent to another decision that needs to be made. For example, we might be worried about losing our job (frightened) and so when someone asks us whether we want to go to the movie on Saturday, we might say, "No," or "I don’t care." But the next day, we might find we had no need to worry, and then our decision will change.

The point, the best thing to do, is to consider the state of mind, the emotion you are feeling when you are asked to make a decision. If you have to make an immediate decision, ask yourself, "If I weren’t feeling lonely/tired/angry right now, but in my best state of mind, what decision would I make?" and then go with that decision. Otherwise, if you feel so bad you can’t imagine a better feeling, put off the decision until later when you do feel better.

Few decisions in life need to be made immediately. Take time to check your HALT list and make the best decision for when you feel your best.

Irene Watson, MA,  is author of The Sitting Swing: Finding Wisdom to Know the Difference, and co-editor of The Story that Must Be Told: True Tales of Transformation, and Authors Access: 30 Success Secrets for Authors and Publishers. She is a workshop leader, managing editor of Reader Views, and president of a non-profit Higher Power Foundation. Irene lives next to Barton Creek in Austin, TX, with her husband Robert.

Comments

[Jan]

Thank you for sharing this. I will always remember HALT. :)