Everyone can look back and think about some of the poor choices they have made. In retrospect, we try to understand how we made such an irrational choice. There is a very good chance that the bad decision was made while in a state of stress.
If we can be aware that decision making while under the effects of stress could lead to difficulty making rational decisions, we can make better decisions in the future. Our brains are wired to be more reactionary when we are under stress. This means when under the effects of stress, if we can wait until we are more calm, we will open ourselves up to more and better options.
So next time you are in a panic, frustrated, anxious, angry or under stress and have a decision to make, decide not to decide until your mind and body has calmed down.
“It is not stress that kills us, it is our reaction to it.” Hans Selye