For most grey nomads, hitting the open road conjures up images of relaxing in a campchair, enjoying a cold Happy Hour beverage, and drinking in stunning scenery and endless sunsets.
All of those things, of course, are out there but so too is something that isn’t talked about as much … decisions, lots of them!
Leaving a steady, relatively predictable life where choices like what time to get up, whether to have coffee or tea, where to go out for lunch, and whether to mow the lawn in the morning or afternoon, are suddenly replaced by daily ‘biggies’ like where you are going to sleep that night, whether to overtake that slow-moving road train, and whether to splurge on the once-in-a-lifetime experience you can’t really afford, means the on-the road lifestyle can actually be massively stressful.
‘Yikes! I can’t make up my mind!’ Are there too many decisions to make on the Lap?
Australian Association of Psychologists director, Carly Dober, warns that this can all lead to a condition known as decision fatigue.
“People often make an average of 15,000 decisions a day, both important ones and less important ones, and just an extra 1,000 or 2,000 decisions can make a difference,” she told the Grey Nomads. “It can lead to cognitive overload … and having to make more decisions can leave you more depleted.”
The symptoms of decision fatigue can include tiredness, irritability, frustration, brain fog, insomnia, decision avoidance, tension headaches, indigestion, or even getting too much sleep.
As ageing can also lead to some cognitive decline in some people, Ms Dober warns that the condition is something that grey nomads should be aware of.
“There is the novelty of being on the road, the pace is different, and it can be good to have stimulus and novelty,” she said. “But there is that Goldilocks point where you have the right amount of stimulus without risking getting cognitive overload.”
Ms Dober says that travelling inevitably means learning a host of new things and how much is too much will depend to some extent on the individual, as we can all handle different decision loads.
She says that, as many of the symptoms of decision fatigue could also be explained by some other conditions, people should always be ready to consult their GPs.
But for grey nomads who are suffering from decision fatigue, Ms Dober says sometimes the brain just needs a rest.
“Part of the answer can be in reducing some choice,” she said. “For grey nomads that might mean making decisions more in advance and, for example, planning further ahead about where to stop, and it’s also good to invite lists and develop routines.”
For grey nomads travelling with a partner, it can also help to share the decision-making burden a little. “Communication and collaboration are key,” said Ms Dober.
WIN A MAP MY LAP CUSTOMISABLE COTTON MAP
Grey Nomad members are being given the opportunity to win one of four Map My Lap cotton maps (each valued at $70) that enable adventurers to stitch, draw or bead their Big Lap route to create a permanent and personalised artwork reminder of their trip.
The 1m x 1m map of Australia is made from thick organic cotton and has a 2cm seam running across the top for easy hanging. And Map My Lap can be used time and time again! With each trip, users can simply stitch the roads they’ve travelled using different coloured threads. It is available in two colour options: one with light-coloured roads; and the other with dark grey roads.
Click here to find out more about GN membership, the prize, and how to enter.
Members: If you wish to enter, please click here.
We’ve been retired 14 years & travelled 170,000kms on various trips every year.
Like many other retirees we’ve never had an ambition to do a Big Lap.
We do most of our trip planning before leaving home so we rarely make decisions while we’re away.