Publication: VICE Date: May 3, 2026
Article Summary
This VICE feature explores decision fatigue, the mental exhaustion that builds when we are asked to make too many choices in a day, and offers five practical strategies to manage it: adding structure, making important decisions early, setting boundaries, taking intentional breaks, and practicing self-compassion. The piece draws on expert commentary from Jessica Steinman, LMFT, Chief Clinical Officer at No Matter What Recovery, who leads the clinical team behind the center’s treatment programs in Los Angeles.
NMWR Expert Contribution
Steinman explains the mechanics of decision fatigue in plain terms. “Decision fatigue occurs when a person has too many decisions to make, whether in a day or over a longer period,” she told VICE. As that load grows, the cost is cognitive: “Our brains don’t have the wherewithal to analyze so many decisions we have to make; as a result, our ability to weigh options, regulate emotions, and make thoughtful choices declines.”
She also connects the experience to mood and emotional regulation, a focus of the individual therapy work she does with clients: “When you feel drained or are physically and mentally exhausted, you’re likely to feel anxious, irritable, and really in a bad mood.”
Key Points
Throughout the article, Steinman offers practical guidance drawn from her clinical work. On building structure, she notes, “What I’ve seen work is ensuring you have structure, this is so important, and it’s something I work on with my own clients. Try to reduce ancillary things and stick to a routine that is consistent with limited options.” On timing, she recommends tackling the hardest choices early, “when you are fresh after a good night’s rest.”
She frames boundaries as a tool rather than a barrier, describing them as “a form of self-care,” and closes on the importance of self-compassion: “Give yourself some grace when fatigue sets in, don’t be quick to judge yourself.”
The same skills Steinman describes, structure, emotional regulation, and self-compassion, are foundational to recovery, and they sit at the heart of the co-occurring mental health and substance use care No Matter What Recovery provides.
Read the Full Article
Read Jessica Steinman’s full commentary in VICE.
