The Many Faces of Indecisiveness

In Chinese medicine, we associate the ability to make decisions with the Gallbladder, part of the Wood element.  

The gallbladder is a brilliant organ.  It stores bile produced by the liver, and manages the ideal amount of bile distribution for digesting each type of food.  It must plan ahead to have the bile ready when needed.  The gallbladder must be decisive about how much to allocate.  It must have the ability to foresee future needs, create a solution for those needs, and help the body move forward with digestion. 

Recently a young woman came in with crippling indecisiveness.  Simple choices, like which coffee to order at Starbuck's, derailed her and never found resolution.

As we talked about her experience of indecision, we both realized how nuanced this can be.  Everyone experiences indecision in their own way.  

Even though the Wood element represents Indecision, each of the 5 Chinese elements plays a role in its expression.  The elements nourish and control each other, forming a web of interconnectedness.  

Wood:  Is your indecision simply a lack of CREATIVITY, a lack of VISION of what is possible?

Fire:  Are you indecisive because you LOVE all of the options and don’t want to miss out?

Water:  Are you paralyzed by the FEAR of failure and the need to make the PERFECT decision?

Metal:  Are you indecisive because you DISLIKE all of the options and none of them make a good choice?  Do you believe that none of the decisions even matter?

Earth:  Are you RUMINATING on all the different possibilities, worried that you might choose the wrong one?

Take a quiet moment to listen to the nuance that you experience with indecision or any other emotion.  You will find that it leads to new awareness and opportunities for growth.