Every choice closes possibilities as surely as it creates them.

Every choice is also a closing. Taking one path means the others become unavailable, quietly and often permanently, and that loss is real even when the choice is right. Pretending otherwise is what makes deciding feel so unbearable, since you are trying to choose without acknowledging what you are giving up.

When you decide, name what you are declining. Say it plainly rather than avoiding it. Grieving the closed option is easier than pretending the decision was free.