Confusion, indecisiveness, and fear are all a part of the worries that come with making decisions in life. We should never let other people’s opinions impact our thoughts. I say this with no judgment, as I too have fallen victim to this trap. What we think is advice can sometimes take a larger toll than we realize. It can take many forms: comments, reviews, videos, pictures, and so much more.
All of these aspects can very much impact our mental health and overall perception of how we make decisions. The different forms that this “burden” takes are also something that makes it hard to get away from. As young women, we seek opinions from our friends, family, partners, etc. about the different decisions that we make. Yes, they can be helpful, but a lot of the time it can cloud our judgment.
My advice would be to follow your intuition and not let the opinions of anyone have such an influence on the decisions you make. I understand that the people around you are supposed to be the ones you trust the most, but we often lose ourselves when we depend on others so much. The sense of individuality leaves our consciousness, and our decisions are only valid because other people agree or disagree with them.
On a more personal level, I have recently dealt with a breakup, and I constantly asked my friends, mom, and other family members for advice during the healing process. Eventually, it came down to a decision where I had to choose to have a conversation with my ex or just leave things be based on the way he was acting. I was always going back and forth based on what everyone was saying around me about what to do; I was slowly losing my individuality and facing the uncomfortable based on my decisions and context rather than others. After contemplating what the best thing was, I decided I needed to follow my intuition and do what I wanted.
For me, it was taking the step to have the conversation with him even after all of his actions. After the conversation, it brought me the closure that I needed, and I felt that a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. This was a huge step, but I am really glad I ended up taking it.