We have all experienced a mental block at some point or another. Maybe it was a math problem that you KNEW you could answer, but just couldn’t find a way to come up with. Maybe it was an essay you had to write and the only line staring back at you was, “hi my name is _____ and this is my essay!” It could even be a huge decision, like what career to choose or where to move to. Mental blocks can trap us and lock us in place. Worse yet, they can steal your success and make you doubt yourself seemingly out of the blue.
Mental blocks can happen for hundreds of reasons: anxiety, fear, trauma, pressure, boredom, and so many more… It is nearly impossible to prevent mental blocks from creeping up. We can fight back, however.
In combat sports, there are many athletes who are defensive, focusing on counters. They watch and wait on your move, looking for a single mistake or opening for them to strike. They block. How do you get past someone who is blocking? There is a wrong answer… Repeatedly jumping right into their block is typically a bad idea. You go right where they are prepared for you to go, which gives them their best opportunity to counter. To beat it? Simple, you have to create motion! You need to get them off balance and strike from multiple angles relentlessly.
Back to the mental block, and you’ll notice that the same rule applies. If you have a mental block, bashing into it will net you nothing but frustration. If you have a mental block preventing you from writing an essay, spending five hours staring at your first line will not make you feel better about your writing skills, nor will it fill out your paper. Create motion and strike from multiple angles!
Creating motion is an action. Some people love to run because it’s when they get their best ideas. Some people have found ways to keep waterproof journals in their shower because their best ideas come to them in those moments. If you feel mentally blocked and you are physically rooted to the ground, you aren’t creating the motion that will get you past your mental block. It’s time to move! Take a walk, exercise, change the scenery, run an errand.
Striking from multiple angles means that you will engage your brain in different tasks that will get it circling around your mental block instead of trying to go through it. Can’t write that essay but you have a great idea for a book? Write a few pages of your book and see if the process of writing has you ready to revisit your essay. Stuck on a science lab? Look up inspiring quotes from scientists to see if that motivation helps you see your lab in a new perspective. Call on friends, teachers, coaches, and family to offer different perspectives on the topic you are researching. Getting a block while memorizing history dates? Memorize lyrics to a new song, then try the history dates again.
We beat mental blocks by staying active in creating motion and striking from multiple angles. Active is the key. You won’t consistently beat a mental block by binge watching tv shows, overeating, or procrastinating. While you don’t want to bash into the block, you also don’t want to turn your back to it. Remain active and continue to find ways around your mental block. Most of the time, the thing that beats your block is not a specific action or thought, but the simple act of persistence in trying different ways to beat it. Just like a fighter trying five different moves before getting past the block of their opponent, it might take you five different tasks before your head starts to clear. But you’ll stay productive, feel good about the time you spent that day, and you will find a way past your mental block!