From the moment we wake up until we fall asleep at night,
“What should I wear today?”
“What should I have for lunch?”
“Should I reply to this email now?”
“What time should I head home today?”
we make countless choices every day.
It is said that people make as many as about 35,000 decisions a day.
This number includes not only bigger decisions like what to wear or eat, but also small choices we make unconsciously.
Even if each decision takes only a few seconds, as they add up, the brain gradually uses up its energy.
The idea of “decision fatigue”
In psychology, this state is called “decision fatigue.”
It is the idea that making repeated decisions tires the brain and makes focus and judgment more likely to decline.
That is why, by evening, you may find that:
• You can’t stay focused
• Every decision feels like a chore
• Small mistakes increase
• You make choices you normally wouldn’t
and so on.
This is thought to happen not because of weak willpower, but because the brain has used a lot of energy over the course of the day.
We live in an age of too many choices
On top of that, today’s environment tends to require far more decisions than in the past.
Notifications arrive on our smartphones one after another,
huge amounts of information flow through social media,
we choose from countless products when shopping online,
and at work we decide how to respond to emails and chats.
Without realizing it, we keep our brains working nonstop.
Life has become more convenient, yet for the brain, this may also be called “an age with little time to rest.”
Why top performers value routines
Many top athletes and business leaders turn their daily lives into routines as much as possible.
They wake up at the same time every day.
They keep breakfast more or less fixed.
They keep their clothing simple.
This is also a way to “reduce the amount of thinking.”
By cutting down on small everyday decisions, they make sure they can spend their brain’s energy on truly important work, competitions and major decisions.
High performance comes not only from “trying hard,” but also from building “systems that keep you from tiring easily.”
The brain needs “off” time too
Muscles recover by resting after exercise.
In the same way, the brain accumulates fatigue if it simply keeps thinking all the time.
Gazing absently at the scenery.
Taking a deep breath somewhere quiet.
Spending time without thinking about anything.
Moments like these are important reset time for the brain too.
What we value at La HEAD
At La HEAD, beyond the treatment itself, we are particular about creating an environment where you can relax through all five senses, with a minimal, uncluttered space, soft lighting, soothing music and refined scents.
Drawing on years of hands-on experience and knowledge of the body gained at an osteopathic clinic, we treat not only the head but also the neck, shoulders, back of the head and arms, offering time to relax in both body and mind.
In fact, we sometimes hear comments like:
“For the first time in a long while, I could spend time without thinking about anything.”
“My head felt clearer.”
“Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep.”
We are grateful to hear comments like these.
Balance “thinking time” and “non-thinking time”
We go about our lives making many decisions every day.
That is why, to sustain high performance, “time not to think” matters just as much as “time to think.”
Precisely because life is busy, why not put a little distance between yourself and information and worries, and make time to let your brain relax?