Even something as simple as buying milk requires us to make a decision! Do you want 1 percent, 2 percent, or fat free? There’s no question that we’re overwhelmed with choices, so how do you know if you’ve made the right decision? Here’s how to make good choices. Courtesy of psychologist Dr. Stephanie Gross and Woman’s World Magazine.

• Don’t think too hard. A Dutch study found that following your instincts leads to more successful decisions than carefully weighing the pros and cons. Why? Because our conscious mind can only handle a few facts at a time. So when you bombard it with a million different choices, it goes into panic mode. However, your subconscious mind doesn’t have this problem. So the next time you need to make a major decision, do something to distract yourself – like taking a walk – and let your subconscious mind go to work.
• Make sure you’re in a good mood. Research shows that people who make decisions when they’re angry or upset wind up unhappy with their choices! Why? Dr. Gross says the brain has a hard time processing emotions and reasoning at the same time.
  So when you’re in an emotional state, only one part of the brain is activated – the rest of it shuts down. Basically, if you make a decision when you’re upset, you’re only using half your brain - and you won’t make good choices.
• Trust yourself. A recent study found that people who had confidence in themselves were more satisfied with their decisions than people who questioned their own judgment. What does this mean? No matter what decision you’ve made, you’ll be happier with it if you simply tell yourself it’s the right one.