I'm damsel, distressed: these are tough choices! (8)
I believe the answer is:
dilemmas
'these are tough choices' is the definition.
(I know this)
'i'm damsel distressed' is the wordplay.
'distressed' is an anagram indicator.
'im'+'damsel'='imdamsel'
'imdamsel' is an anagram of 'DILEMMAS'.
(Other definitions for dilemmas that I've seen before include "Predicaments or quandaries" , "Problems for dismal me" , "Am misled into quandaries" , "Situations involving difficult choices" .)