Wiped out after choosing between cereal or toast? You’re not imagining it. If you’ve ever asked yourself, “why do I feel so drained after making choices?” — especially with ADHD — this post unpacks what the heck is going on.
ANSWER: ADHD brains burn through mental energy fast, and decision-making demands executive function. Every tiny choice taps into your brain’s already limited resources, leaving you wiped out way before you’ve even done anything “productive.”
Why do I feel so drained after making choices?
Picture this: your brain is a phone with 15 apps running and 3% battery. Now it gets a notification: What should we wear today? Congrats, you’re in full system meltdown before breakfast.
For folks with ADHD, decision-making isn’t just a task — it’s a series of mental sprints through options, implications, second-guessing, and a sprinkle of doom. It’s not about indecisiveness. It’s about trying to drive a manual car with no brakes or clutch.
According to ADHD and Decision Paralysis, the mental energy required to make even basic choices can lead to overwhelm, shutdown, or instant exhaustion. We aren’t lazy — we’re literally overworking our brains just to figure out lunch.
Help with feeling overwhelmed from too many decisions
If you’re nodding along while knee-deep in six open tabs about which laundry detergent is “best,” same here. The good news? Some decisions don’t deserve your full attention.
Want to lighten the load? Try this mix-and-match system:
- Pre-decide once: Pick a go-to work outfit or lunch combo and ride that until you’re sick of it.
- Outsource where you can: Let someone you trust handle certain things. I let my girlfriend manage our takeout orders — never regretted it once.
- Create autopilot zones: Sunday is grocery day. That’s just the rule. No thinking required.
- Use “if-then” shortcuts: If it’s after 9, I start working. If there’s no food, I DoorDash. No more debates.
This isn’t about becoming a robot — it’s about reserving your brain power for stuff that actually means something.
How to stop mental exhaustion from ADHD
Let’s be real: you’re not going to eliminate exhaustion — but you can quiet down one corner of the chaos.
Try setting up “energy gates.” Basically, you decide what’s worth your time and what’s getting auto-piloted. Here’s my quick filter:
- Do I care enough to decide this? If yes, go for it (with snacks).
- Will this matter in 3 hours? If not, pick anything and move on.
- Can someone else decide? Even better.
The name of the game is systematizing the boring stuff. It’s not glamorous, but neither is crying over which brand of granola to buy.
Feeling stuck and tired all the time with ADHD
This one hits hard. The stuck-and-tired combo is where decision fatigue really messes with you. You don’t want to do anything, but doing nothing feels just as awful. Classic ADHD purgatory.
If that’s where you are, be gentle with yourself. Seriously. Start with the absolute tiniest move forward — like standing up. That might be enough to shake something loose. Or it might not. That’s okay too.
For more on how your brain can spiral from the tiniest trigger, check out Why One Comment Ruins Your Day. Spoiler: you’re not “too sensitive” — your brain just runs hot and fast.
What to do when choices always drain my energy
At some point, I stopped chasing the idea that I should be able to “just deal with it.” Control isn’t the goal. Conservation is.
Here are a few decisions I no longer make:
- What to cook? Meal box subscription.
- What to wear? A rotation of like four shirts.
- What shows to watch? I trust my people’s recommendations.
You don’t need to win every mental battle. You just need enough energy left for the ones that actually matter — the creative stuff, the stuff that lights you up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is it normal to feel exhausted just from making decisions?
A: Yep. Especially with ADHD, mental energy is a limited resource, and decision-making drains it fast — even seemingly simple choices.
Q: How can I make fewer decisions during the day?
A: Pre-plan low-stakes stuff, automate what you can, and delegate decisions when possible. Save your juice for what matters.
Q: Why do small decisions feel so overwhelming?
A: Your brain processes every choice through an executive function bottleneck. With ADHD, that system gets overloaded quickly — even small stuff can feel massive.
Q: What if I can’t even decide how to start changing this?
A: Start with one decision you can offload — maybe pick the same breakfast all week. Small wins help rebuild your decision-making muscle over time.
No pressure to overhaul everything. But maybe today you pick one decision — just one — to take off your plate tomorrow. Trust me, your brain will thank you.