T — Two or too few

Your decision has collapsed into an either/or when more genuinely different paths exist.

For months the question in your head about your closest friendship has been binary: either confront her about the canceled plans or quietly let the friendship fade. Every walk, every shower, the same two doors. You are exhausted, and neither door feels right, yet no third one occurs to you.

Two or too few names this failure: the choice has collapsed into either/or, or only a couple of serious candidates exist, when more genuinely different paths are available. The cue is the phrase "should I X or Y" repeating for weeks without resolution. Once you spot it, do three things: write both options down so the binary is visible on paper, ask what a third path with a different mechanism or timing would look like (a low-stakes invitation that tests her interest, a shorter honest note instead of a confrontation, a six-week pause with a date to reassess), and only then compare. What changes when it works is immediate relief: the debate stops looping because the search space actually grew. Do not apply this when the situation truly is binary, such as a signed offer with a yes-or-no deadline; there, forcing extra options just delays a decision you already can make.