
Feeling stuck? Crisis expert reveals how decision paralysis ruins careers, relationships and confidence
Announcement posted by Invigorate PR 02 Jul 2025
If you constantly overthink, avoid decisions or fear making the wrong move, you could be suffering from decision paralysis. According to high-performance expert and crisis intervention specialist Gary Fahey, it's one of the most destructive yet underdiagnosed issues affecting people today.
"Decision paralysis is like a slow leak in your life. You're stuck in your head while opportunities, relationships and confidence drain away," Fahey said.
"You don't realise how much it's costing you until the damage is done; missed chances, failed businesses, broken trust, financial chaos. The indecision becomes a decision in itself; a decision to stay stuck."
Why decision paralysis happens
Fahey, a former elite federal police officer turned mental resilience coach is one of the most experienced and academically qualified in the crisis intervention space. He emphasised that the root cause of decision paralysis isn't laziness or lack of intelligence, it's emotional overload.
"Most people are operating in survival mode. Stress, burnout, fear of judgment, past trauma; these things hijack the brain. You can't think clearly when your nervous system is in fight, flight or freeze. Your brain wants relief, not results," Fahey said.
People begin avoiding tough decisions because it feels safer to stay in limbo than risk failure or rejection. This inaction only increases anxiety, erodes self-trust and creates a cycle of chronic self-doubt.
It's not just frustrating - it's life-altering
Fahey said many of his clients come to him after years of feeling 'stuck', unable to change careers, leave toxic relationships, fix financial problems or make the moves they know deep down are necessary.
"They think they're just indecisive but what's really happening is emotional exhaustion, subconscious fear and the absence of any structure to guide them. They feel ashamed about being stuck, which only makes it worse," Fahey said.
He warned that if left unchecked, decision paralysis leads to impulsive 'relief-based' behaviours: quitting jobs on a whim, sabotaging relationships, overspending or numbing with alcohol and social media. These aren't bad people, they're people without a strategy for managing their inner world.
So how do you fix it?
"The first step is realising you're not broken, you're unresourced," Fahey said.
"You don't need another motivational quote. You need support, systems and structure."
Fahey uses a unique crisis intervention framework to help clients stabilise fast, then rebuild with tools that anchor confident, values-based decision making. It starts with three things:
- Awareness - Recognising the emotional triggers hijacking your choices
- Accountability - Having someone who helps you sort the noise from the truth
- Structure - Creating a framework for decision-making so you don't live in reaction mode
"People need to stop trying to think their way out of an emotional problem. You can't solve paralysis with more pressure or guilt. You need to regulate, refocus and rebuild and that's possible at any stage," Fahey said.
You can stop the spiral
Fahey said the ability to make confident decisions is one of the biggest indicators of life satisfaction and success and it can be reclaimed.
"Bad decisions don't make you broken and no decision at all is often the worst one you can make. With the right help, people can stop reacting from pain and start responding with purpose. That's when everything begins to change," he said.
About Gary Fahey
Gary Fahey is a former high-ranking officer with the Australian Federal Police, now one of the country's most in-demand crisis intervention specialists and workplace performance experts. After experiencing his own highly publicised breakdown, he founded a highly respected consultancy to help individuals and organisations navigate stress, high performance and personal resilience.
Today, he works with leaders across a broad range of industries to prevent burnout and restore performance and life balance. His clients include CEOs, athletes, first responders, entrepreneurs and everyday Australians committed to taking back control of their lives.
Garyfahey.com