S2E10 - Decision Fatigue With ADHD and Autism: Why Simple Choices Feel So Hard

Send us Fan Mail Ever get to the end of the day and realize you have absolutely no decisions left in you? Not what to eat. Not what to wear. Not where to go. Please don't even ask another question. 🫠 In this episode of Black Girl, Brown Girl… Squirrel!, Shai and Alexis talk about decision fatigue and how it can show up differently with ADHD and autism. For Alexis, making a decision can mean working through a mental decision tree, evaluating variables and relying on previous experiences. For Shai, one decision can become seventeen possibilities, three rabbit holes, an impulsive choice, or eventually, “Never mind.” And when the brain reaches capacity? Even a seemingly small decision can feel like one decision too many.  We get into the mental and emotional energy behind everyday choices, what happens when too many options create overwhelm, and the difference between decision fatigue, analysis paralysis, and procrastination. We also talk about food, routines, burnout, irritability, self-regulation, asking for help and why sometimes even deciding to delegate feels like another decision.  Then we get practical: reducing options, planning ahead when you have more capacity, creating routines, delegating decisions that don't need to belong to you, and making small adjustments that give your future brain a little less work to do.  Most importantly, we're challenging the idea that struggling with decisions means you're bad at making them. Sometimes your brain is simply carrying too much. And if you can't make another decision today, Lex has one for you: Choose not to be mean to yourself. 🐿️ Time Stamps 00:00 — Welcome & Sleepy Squirrels  02:07 — What Is Decision Fatigue?  04:23 — Decision Fatigue in Neurodivergent Brains  05:07 — Autism, ADHD & Making Decisions  08:04 — When Your Brain Can't Choose Anymore  12:18 — Overwhelm, Irritability & Shutdown  16:07 — The Mental and Emotional Cost of Decisions  21:50 — Routines, Food & Everyday Decisions  29:47 — Decision Fatigue vs. Analysis Paralysis  35:24 — You're Not Bad at Making Decisions  39:22 — Making Decisions Easier  41:47 — Delegating Decisions  48:15 — Small Changes That Reduce the Load  54:03 — Meet Yourself Where You Are  56:31 — Final Takeaways & Closing  RESOURCES Mental Health Resources 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Therapy for Black Girls Inclusive Therapists Clinicians of Color Neurodivergent Resources ADDitude Magazine Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) Association for Autism & Neurodiversity (AANE) The Color of Autism Foundation  Understood Job Accommodation Network (JAN) CONNECT WITH US Fan Page: Fanlist.com/BGBGSquirrel  IG: @BGBGSquirrel Threads: @BGBGSquirrel Email: [email protected]