Overcoming Indecision and Regret: How Gen Z and Millennials Deal With Decision Stress

 

Last updated: February 3, 2026

Decision stress is the stress that happens when you have too many options, get too much information, or feel like you need to make the perfect choice. It can lead to procrastination, endless comparison, and regret afterwards.

And honestly, if you are always online, constantly getting stimulation, and always seeing what other people are doing, choosing can start to feel like something you have to prove yourself through. While in reality, making choices is simply a skill you can train.

Why decision stress is so common right now

There are three reasons we see again and again:

Too many options
Online, you can compare everything, all the time, everywhere. That sounds useful, but it can also become paralysing.

Pressure to make the right choice
A lot of people feel like one choice determines everything: study, work, relationship, where you live, your identity. But life is usually much more about adjusting along the way than making one final decision.

Comparing after you have already chosen
You choose something, and then keep checking whether something else might have been better. That increases doubt and regret.

Research on choice overload shows that having a very large number of options can, in some situations, lead to lower motivation and less satisfaction with your decision. This is shown, for example, in the well known study by Iyengar and Lepper on choice and motivation.
https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Iyengar%20%26%20Lepper%20%282000%29.pdf

The difference between maximizers and satisficers

Psychologist Barry Schwartz described an important difference in how people make choices:

Maximizers look for the best possible option and keep comparing

Satisficers choose an option that is good enough for their goal

Research by Schwartz and colleagues showed that maximizers, on average, experience more regret and feel less satisfied with their choices.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12416921/

So choosing something that is good enough is not laziness. It is often a healthy decision strategy.

7 practical steps to choose faster and feel less regret

1) Choose your goal first, then your option

Ask yourself: what am I choosing this for?

Examples:

I am choosing a job that gives me calm and growth

I am choosing a study programme that fits my interests

I am choosing an outfit that makes me feel free

Once your goal is clear, a lot of options automatically fall away.

2) Limit your options on purpose

Do not make yourself dependent on endless scrolling.

Practical rule

Maximum 3 options for small decisions

Maximum 5 options for bigger decisions

After that, you choose from your shortlist.

3) Put a deadline on your decision

Choices without deadlines often become endless.

Example:
“I’m choosing on Friday at 6:00 p.m.”
“I’m choosing after 30 minutes of comparing.”

4) Separate reversible and irreversible decisions

A lot of choices can be reversed or adjusted.

Reversible
clothing, subscriptions, hobbies, many purchases

Less reversible
contracts, major financial decisions

For reversible choices, speed is often healthier than perfection.

5) Use a simple scorecard

Write down 3 criteria that matter to you and score each option from 1 to 5.

Example criteria:
calm, growth, income
time, energy, enjoyment
safety, connection, freedom

You do not need a perfect score. You want clarity.

6) Close the choice, stop comparing again

This is the biggest regret killer.

Rule
Once you have chosen, do not keep checking whether it could have been better, unless there is genuinely relevant new information.

Decision stress is often not the choice itself, but the habit of keeping every door open.

7) Build in recovery, because choosing costs energy

Making decisions costs mental energy. The American Psychological Association has described how having many choices can lead to mental fatigue.
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2008/05/many-choices

And a review article on decision fatigue also shows that extended decision making can affect the quality of your choices.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6119549/

So plan breaks. Not as a reward, but as a foundation.

Mini challenge: 5 days with less decision stress

Day 1: make a list of your top 5 values
Day 2: limit 1 choice to 3 options and decide within 20 minutes
Day 3: turn off notifications for 1 hour a day
Day 4: make a scorecard for one choice you have been postponing
Day 5: choose and close it, no extra comparing

What this has to do with Like Charlie

Like Charlie is here to make mental health easier to talk about and to start and keep the conversation going. Decision stress is often connected to social pressure, doubt, and the feeling that you have to do everything perfectly.

View all story print T shirts:
https://www.likecharlieclothing.com/collections/t-shirts

Discover the question card game to make real conversations easier:
https://www.likecharlieclothing.com/collections/vragenspellen

Read our story and find out who Charlie is:
https://www.likecharlieclothing.com/pages/het-verhaal

When it is wise to seek help

If decision stress is connected to long term anxiety, panic, low mood, or exhaustion and it starts affecting your daily life, talk about it with someone you trust and contact your GP.

Young people: https://www.injebol.nl/
Adults: https://wijzijnmind.nl/

FAQ about decision stress

How do I know if I struggle with decision stress?

If you procrastinate a lot, compare endlessly, feel dissatisfied after choosing, or often feel regret and doubt even about small decisions.

What is the best first step?

Limit your options to three and set a deadline. After that, close the choice.

Why do I often regret my choices afterwards?

Regret often gets stronger when you keep comparing after you have already chosen. Maximizers tend to experience more regret and less satisfaction on average.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12416921/

How do I make a big decision feel less overwhelming?

Break it down. First choose the goal, then the criteria, then make a shortlist. Big decisions become more manageable when you turn them into steps.

Sources

When Choice Is Demotivating, Iyengar and Lepper (2000), PDF
https://faculty.washington.edu/jdb/345/345%20Articles/Iyengar%20%26%20Lepper%20%282000%29.pdf

Maximizing versus satisficing, Schwartz et al. (2002), PubMed
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12416921/

The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz (publisher page)
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-paradox-of-choice-barry-schwartz

Too many choices can be mentally taxing, APA press release (2008)
https://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2008/05/many-choices

Decision fatigue, conceptual analysis (2018), open access
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6119549/