The Feral Housewife's Guide to

Living Authentically, Creatively, & Intentionally

Issue #81 || August 15, 2025 || Previous issues​

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Hey Reader,

If a recording is available I'll post it here 🙂.

On a scale of 1-10 how easy is it for you to make a decision?

Are you the type who always knows what you want, and naturally go for it?

Or

Are you indecisive?

You never know what you want— you agonize over two choices. Heaven forbid you're faced with multiple options.

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I have this problem constantly.

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Decisions...decisions!

I went to a café and was paralyzed trying to decide if I wanted the chocolate croissant, scone, or coffee cake.

Maybe you chose even before I finished that sentence.

Me?

I deliberated. And deliberated. Like uncomfortably so.

Ordering at restaurants brings me anxiety. Sometimes I have my husband choose for me. He always chooses the right meal.

I guess that's why I like 5 Guys. It's burgers and fries. Simple! I usually order fries and a vanilla milkshake. But wait! Did you know they now have two OREO shake options! Doh! 🤦‍♀️

One taste and I was hooked on the Oreo cream shake, but I LOVE vanilla too.

It took me weeks to grab a delicious Brown Sugar Strato Frappuccino from Starbucks. (I couldn't choose the best day to go).

I've been wanting to take a fun exercise class (I need accountability). But WHAT class should I take?

Stretch?

CrossFit?

Dance?

And what kind of dance? Swing? Hip hop? Ballroom? Salsa?

And WHERE? There are multiple dance studios in my area.

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While I'm agonizing, I can hear you decisive ones SCREAMING: JUST PICK ONE!

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What is decision fatigue?

I'm not a neuroscientist.

If I was - I'd share some nerdy brain science to explain this behavior.

But as a writer and a coach, I'll stick to simple psychology, and a way to help ourselves.

Decision fatigue is essentially your declining ability to make choices because of the sheer amount of choices we have to make in a day.

Think of your mental energy like a muscle that gets tired 🥱. Our mental energy is limited, life is so stressful these days. So choosing what to do with your free time, running errands or even grocery shopping, can feel impossible after a long day.

We potentially make 35,000 decisions in a day! Wow 🤯!

I imagine, back in the 1950's, there were way less choices available. (AI Grok estimated the number to be 5,000-15,000 decisions in a day for women back then).

Let's take a quick look at something as simple as cereal boxes on the grocery store shelves.

AI Grok Comparison:

• 1950: ~10–20 cereal varieties, ~20–60 boxes per store. Choices were limited, stores carried fewer brands with minimal flavor variations.
• 2025: ~50–100 cereal varieties, ~250–1,000 boxes per store. The market is saturated with options.

Look at that difference!

We went from 60 boxes to 1,000!

And then you wonder why you have decision fatigue!

Isn't more, better? (Not according to science, but that's for another day).

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Listen up Perfectionists

I see you!

Because I see me. 😜

Having too many choices isn't always a bad thing. But the situation gets extra sticky when your brain, like mine, gets stuck in analysis paralysis.

We MUST MAKE THE RIGHT decision. The PERFECT decision. The ONE AND ONLY decision every time that'll align all the planets of the universe and bring us untold blessings and happiness.

I know. I know. I'm exaggerating, just a tiny bit.

But the reality is, for a perfectionist, the pressure to make the "right" decision is unbearable.

It practically kills us.

Depletes us of energy.

Thus the paralysis.

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Here are 3 beautiful reframes

If you're a perfectionist and have trouble deciding from the "buffet of life's decisions" (borrowed that visual from Angela :), I want to reassure you (and myself) of 3 things:

1 - It shows you deeply care - you're not flawed, you have high standards and genuine concern for how things will turn out.

2 - It means you're thoughtful and responsible - you don't make rash decisions without considering the consequences.

3 - It means you're committed to excellence - let's face it, there's plenty of garbage out there to choose from. Why choose garbage when you can have the best?

When you're in the cereal aisle, agonizing over whether to buy your child the sugary cereal he wants, you're probably imagining his teeth falling out and the expensive cavity bills you'll be accruing. (Side note: made my son pay for his second cavity, true story, so far lesson learned :).

Caring is better than apathy.

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The brilliant "wrong decision" strategy

Yesterday was one of "those" days.

I had several hours to myself and was free to decide how to spend those hours.

Great!

Until analysis paralysis set in and I sat in my car stuck in indecision.

Recently, I gave a fellow perfectionist friend a suggestion to make all the opposite choices she'd normally make and to purposefully make the "wrong" decision with curiosity and not judgement. See how it goes, I told her.

Since I’m all about walking the talk, not just talking the talk, I decided to do the same thing!

I made all the "wrong" choices and lived spontaneously, just to see what would happen.

What do you think happened?

Got a delicious coffee at Starbucks, found that cool bridge I’d been searching for, picked up three library books, and even tried—unsuccessfully—to get my car inspected. Oh, and I shopped for our upcoming beach day.

In short: NOTHING BAD.

Even though it felt like a waste of time, because I didn't accomplish what was on my schedule, I felt relaxed and free!

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In Summary

This all might sound crazy or boring to you.

But I know a lot of us are stuck in perfectionism, over productivity, and analysis paralysis mode.

So why not choose to be different for a day and see how you feel?

There's something liberating about deliberately choosing the "wrong" decision - it takes the pressure off and opens you up to spontaneity.

Having a meandering day, with no goal in mind, but to be present and gently explore life is exactly what you might need to refresh and relax.

Time to release that pressure before you explode.

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With Love, Creativity, and Intention,

Anna

P.S. Loving this? Share it with a friend who’s stuck choosing cereal—or anything else!

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​www.aferalhousewife.com​

​https://linktr.ee/aferalhousewife​

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I'm a recovering perfectionist and sassy housewife, helping overwhelmed women create a rich and fulfilling inner life by ditching guilt, perfectionism, and the “do it all” myth through therapeutic writing and creative self-expression. ​ I'm here to inspire you to intentionally grow in all areas of life, especially emotionally, because what you think and how you feel influences everything. ​ If you're enjoying this newsletter, please forward it to a friend or send this subscribe link: The Feral Housewife's Guide to Living Authentically, Creatively & Intentionally​ ​ Write. Feel. Heal. ​ Anna Celotto Writer & Inner Life Coach