S2E10 - Decision Fatigue With ADHD and Autism: Why Simple Choices Feel So Hard

Send us Fan Mail Ever get to the end of the day and realize you have absolutely no decisions left in you ? Not what to eat.

Not what to wear. Not where to go.

Please don't even ask another question. 🫠 In this episode of Black Girl, Brown Girl… Squirrel! , Shai and Alexis talk about decision fatigue and how it can show up differently with ADHD and autism. For Alexis, making a decision can mean working through a mental decision tree, evaluating variables and relying on previous experiences.

For Shai, one decision can become seventeen possibilities, three rabbit holes, an impulsive choice, or eventually, “Never mind.” And when the brain reaches capacity? Even a seemingly small decision can feel like one decision too many.

We get into the mental and emotional energy behind everyday choices, what happens when too many options create overwhelm, and the difference between decision fatigue, analysis paralysis, and procrastination . We also talk about food, routines, burnout, irritability, self-regulation, asking for help and why sometimes even deciding to delegate feels like another decision.

Then we get practical: reducing options, planning ahead when you have more capacity, creating routines, delegating decisions that don't need to belong to you, and making small adjustments that give your future brain a little less work to do. Most importantly, we're challenging the idea that struggling with decisions means you're bad at making them.

Sometimes your brain is simply carrying too much. And if you can't make another decision today, Lex has one for you: Choose not to be mean to yourself. 🐿️ Time Stamps 00:00 — Welcome & Sleepy Squirrels 02:07 — What Is Decision Fatigue? 04:23 — Decision Fatigue in Neurodivergent Brains 05:07 — Autism, ADHD & Making Decisions 08:04 — When Your Brain Can't Choose Anymore 12:18 — Overwhelm, Irritability & Shutdown 16:07 — The Mental and Emotional Cost of Decisions 21:50 — Routines, Food & Everyday Decisions 29:47 — Decision Fatigue vs.

Analysis Paralysis 35:24 — You're Not Bad at Making Decisions 39:22 — Making Decisions Easier 41:47 — Delegating Decisions 48:15 — Small Changes That Reduce the Load 54:03 — Meet Yourself Where You Are 56:31 — Final Takeaways & Closing RESOURCES Mental Health Resources 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline Therapy for Black Girls Inclusive Therapists Clinicians of Color Neurodivergent Resources ADDitude Magazine Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) Association for Autism & Neurodiversity (AANE) The Color of Autism Foundation Understood Job Accommodation Network (JAN) CONNECT WITH US Fan Page: IG: @BGBGSquirrel Threads: @BGBGSquirrel Email: BGBGSquirrel@