Anxiety
Grid for Mapping Anxiety About Making a 'Wrong' Decision
This directive helps clients with decision paralysis externalize the feared outcomes and potential.
For the client frozen by the fear of making a ‘wrong’ choice, every option can seem equally catastrophic. They get caught in a loop, weighing potential negatives so heavily that any possible upside is obscured. This state of analysis paralysis isn’t about a lack of information; it’s about the overwhelming emotional cost associated with committing to a path and the anticipated regret.
This directive provides a concrete structure to place those catastrophic fears alongside the plausible benefits of each choice. The process helps the client separate speculation from probability, reducing the emotional weight of the decision. They leave with a clearer, more balanced perspective, allowing them to move forward with a greater sense of agency.
Grid for Mapping Anxiety About Making a 'Wrong' Decision
Identify one decision you are avoiding. Write it on this line:
Define the primary choices you are considering. Use the grid below to map the outcomes. In the first column, describe Choice 1. Then, for that same choice, fill in the other columns: what are the specific consequences if it turns out to be the ‘wrong’ choice, and what are the consequences if it turns out to be the ‘right’ one. Write down only tangible results, not feelings.
Repeat the process for Choice 2 on the next line. If your decision is whether to act or not act, use the first line for “I act” and the second for “I do not act.”
| Choice | Consequence if ‘wrong’ | Consequence if ‘right’ |
|---|---|---|
Generated with Rapport7 — rapport7.com