Founded in 2011, You Got Choices is an education platform and a mental health service provider aimed in empowering people on their journey for better mental health.

Why are choices important?

• Mental health conditions can obstruct the process of decision-making, making it overwhelming to confront significant life choices and roadblocks.
• Profound indecisiveness and the inability to make everyday choices can negatively impact mental health, relationships, and overall life satisfaction.
• A dearth of options and hesitancy can result in anguish and hinder a person’s ability to function effectively.
• The incapacity to make choices, stemming from internal personal conflicts or controlling relationships with others, can create a sense of entrapment. This feeling, in turn, may contribute to emotions of despair, depression, and even thoughts of suicide.

What are the positive impacts of choices and decision making?

• Empowerment: Having choices in various aspects of life can make individuals feel more in control of their destiny, boosting their self-esteem and overall sense of empowerment.
• Reduction of Stress: The ability to make choices can help reduce stress by providing a sense of predictability and control over one’s circumstances. This can be particularly valuable in high-stress situations.
• Enhanced Coping: Choices can serve as coping mechanisms. When faced with adversity or mental health challenges, individuals with options may find adaptive ways to manage their stress and emotions.
• Increased Resilience: Making choices, even small ones, can foster resilience. The ability to adapt to different situations and make decisions contributes to an individual’s capacity to bounce back from setbacks.
• Improved Self-Efficacy: Engaging in decision-making and seeing the consequences of one’s choices can boost self-efficacy—the belief in one’s ability to achieve goals. This, in turn, can promote a more positive outlook on life.
• Personalization of Care: In mental healthcare, having choices about treatment options, therapists, and approaches can lead to more personalized and effective treatment plans, as individuals are more likely to engage in a process they have actively chosen.
• Positive Outcomes: Research suggests that when individuals have some level of choice and control over their mental health care, they tend to experience better outcomes in terms of symptom management and recovery.
• Quality of Life: Ultimately, the ability to make choices can contribute to an improved overall quality of life, as it allows individuals to align their decisions with their values, preferences, and goals.

It’s important to note that while choices can be beneficial for mental health, an excess of choices can sometimes lead to decision fatigue (a.k.a. “Analysis Paralysis“), anxiety, or depression. Therefore, striking a balance and making meaningful, well-considered choices is key to reaping the benefits for mental well-being.

How can You Got Choices help you?

Healing is intricately intertwined with the process of making choices and decisions. However, there remains substantial work to enhance an individual’s ability to make informed choices. You Got Choices facilitates this journey by assisting individuals in gaining access to essential information, honing their skills, and delving into the examination of oppressive beliefs that constrict their capacities, their options, and internal beliefs.

At its core, “You Got Choices” is grounded in the belief that people’s choices should never be burdened by shame, guilt, or societal stigma. Instead, it advocates that by liberating individuals from the constraints of oppressive social constructs, we can foster improved mental health through the celebration of pleasure, respect, and authenticity.

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