If you’ve ever had an inability to concentrate, think or reason clearly, and a lack of drive then read on to learn how to get over a mental block.
Mental blockages can even impact your physical health, so breaking through it is one way to empower yourself.
Let’s dive right into it.
#1 Break Your Goal Down
Start with your end goal and work your way backwards. Break down each step required for you to reach your goal or get your task completed.
Then focus on one step at a time and check them off as you go.
#2 Free Style Writing
On a word doc or plain piece of paper, start writing whatever comes to mind without judging it. It may start out as a page of gibberish, but soon ideas or feelings will start to flow.
Maybe it feels like a strange thing to you at first, but it can help you get past the block.
Group similar thoughts and phrases together and leverage them to move forward.
#3 Write Down Your To-Do’s
List your tasks one at a time so you can get them out of your head and see them on paper. Now you’ll feel more clear and ready to tackle them.
Complete them one at a time and mark them off as they are completed. This will give you a sense of accomplishment. Might be just what you need.
#4 Tackle The Smaller Or Easier Tasks First
Get the smaller things done first and check them off as done. By accomplishing small wins, you develop the momentum and confidence to overcome your mental block.
#5 Organize Your Space
Ever hear the saying, “A cluttered space means a cluttered mind”?
The cleanliness and organization of your space affects your performance and mood. By having a neat, organized space will improve your productivity and focus.
#6 Switch Up Your Scenery
If you are constantly frustrated or are procrastinating trying to get things done in a cramped studio apartment, you may discover your mind is actively sabotaging your success there.
Move to a coffee shop or even a beach towel in your backyard, and leave your mental block behind.
#7 Do Something New
Thinking outside the box can stir up our curiosity and help us expand our creativity. Expose yourself to new ways of thinking by learning something new or doing routine things a little differently.
Read an article outside of your typical field, cook a meal you’ve never attempted before or follow a how-to guide on juggling. Whatever it may be, line up new experiences to get your brain on course to thinking in novel ways.
#8 Remember Happy Experiences
Look at old pictures or listen to music that reminds you of better days and visualize yourself back in those environments.
By doing this, you can tap into and harness the positive energy you need when you were excited and productive to push yourself forward and accomplish even more.
#9 Analyze Other Peoples’ Ideas
Find out how other people have approached the issues you are trying to solve. How did they get there? What do you need to do?
Break down what makes their ideas work, gain inspiration from their theories. Then put together your own ways of doing things or of understanding different concepts.
#10 Focus On The Present
Take a few minutes to sit and connect with the present moment. Focus on your breathing until your mind becomes calm and still.
From this peaceful state, you can ask what must you do to overcome your mental block. Even if you don’t get anything in that moment, you’ve put the question out there and the answer will come to you.
You’ll be able to think more clearly from the present moment and find proactive problem-solving strategies.
#11 Be Patient With Yourself
As unlikely as it sounds, the more frustrated you feel, the closer your breakthrough is. That frustration is like you’re reaching your limit and something’s got to give.
These feelings of frustration are normal as people grow and evolve to overcome obstacles in their lives. This signals that your breakthrough is just around the corner. Be patient with yourself.
#12 Reprogram Your Mind
When self-limiting beliefs come up, practice replacing them with empowering beliefs. Write down the limiting thought and then write down an opposite empowering one.
Then visualize where you want to be. In this visualization, surround yourself with the people, an environment and the means conducive to clarity.
Related: Why Do I Zone Out So Much? 12 STOP Strategies
Try doing something completely unrelated to your goal, such as washing your dishes, working out, or calling a friend.
Some experts say finding another low-stakes project to work on can help jump-start the creative part of your brain and get your flow activated.
#14 Get Physical
Certain forms of exercise can directly impact the mind. To be specific, relaxing, flow-based exercises like dance, yoga, or tai chi can create a gentle sense of momentum in your body, which can prime your brain for the same flow state.
So have an exercise routine you’re comfortable with that you can turn to easily.
#15 Don’t Force It
It can be frustrating to fight against your own mind. If your mental block won’t go away after some effort, it may be time to take a break.
Creative thoughts can’t be forced and only adds to your stress levels. At the right time, you’ll find your way back to the original task with a fresh, creative perspective.
#16 Act As If
This may sound odd, but give this a try. Bring yourself to the present moment and clear your mind, then act as if your task or goal is complete. Pay attention to the feelings in your body when you’ve completed your goal. Is it relief, accomplished, gratitude, excitement?
Feeling those feelings teaches your body that you’re choosing that reality and it will take you there. Just like your body takes you to the fridge when you’re thinking about eating something.
#17 Reveal The Causes
Imagine one of your blocks is self-doubt. To find out where the self-doubt is coming from, take a look at your values.
However, your personality may tend toward perfectionism, so, you have trouble giving yourself credit or recognizing your own achievements.Which, let’s be honest, perfect is an impossible standard to achieve.
#18 Know Your Values
Make a list of your core values and then define each one. As you define your values, you might see connections to the mental blocks that slow you down.
#19 Ask Yourself Why
Why do I think this? Why do I feel this? Why am I saying this to myself? Keep asking why and follow the why down the rabbit hole. Many times you’ll find the answer buried deep in your past, your values, and/or your personality.
#20 Examine Your Mental Landscape
The mind makes connections between the take messages you hear, and experiences you have, it can all be misunderstood and take on a life of their own until you work to dismantle them.
You might have been taught as a child to listen respectfully to your elders; that’s no big deal unless it plants itself in your mind and morphs into an repetitive monologue telling you that your voice and opinions don’t matter.
So start removing the mental blocks that don’t belong in your subconscious.
#21 Reduce The Power Of The Mental Blocks
Many mental blocks serve a purpose beyond their negative effect on your creative flow.
You may have a tendency toward uncertainty, for example, keeping you in a perpetual loop of hesitation. However, that uncertainty is also part of other, useful abilities: the abilities to evaluate options, analyze different courses of actions, anticipate obstacles, etc.
The key is to learn how to use those abilities positively without letting them control you.
#22 Transform The Mental Block
Some mental blocks could become your powerful allies in prolific creativity.
Maybe comparison is your mental block. Transform it into a tool for connection and encouragement. When you feel it taking over, make a call, write an email, or send a message to the person you’re admiring (and feeling a little jealous of). Tell them what you admire about what they’re doing. Be genuine and don’t ask for anything.
This will do two things for you. First, you’ll build an amazing network of people you truly admire. Second, you’ll transform comparison into equality. This way, you build your own skills and focus less on your differences and more on your commonalities.
What Is A Mental Block?
Mental block is a term that encompasses a range of feelings that obstruct one’s thinking. You might hear terms like “mental fatigue” used instead – especially by medical professionals, who use it to describe a condition caused by prolonged cognitive activity.
Whatever the term is used, mental blocks feature the same dilemmas: an inability to concentrate, think or reason clearly, resulting in a lack of drive.
If you don’t learn how to get over a mental block, it can truly derail your productivity and sense of contentment with life. By overcoming mental blocks you can tell yourself, “I am enough!”
How To Get Rid Of A Mental Block
Mental blocks are every professional’s worst nightmare, yet they can inevitably pop up when you work on a big project. You start out making a ton of progress, and then for some reason, you hit a psychological wall and can’t move forward.
Or else you lose the motivation to continue. You may be so fixated on making every detail perfect that you end up paralyzed with the fear of failure. Or it’s possible you have so much left to do that the whole thing just seems too daunting.
These experiences are normal, so if you feel like you have mental blocks from time to time, don’t beat yourself up. Instead of trying to power through these conflicting feelings, consider trying our list of 22 scientific ways to overcome a mental block.
How To Clear Mental Blocks
Two things are required to overcome a mental block. First, be willing to do things differently. We tend to like our comfort zones.
When you’re feeling mentally blocked, it could be happening to push you out of your comfort zone and try something new. This helps us to grow in our understanding of ourselves and life.
Second, you must be willing to look into the reasons for your behaviour. The block could be because of a conditioned pattern you learned when you were younger.
To overcome mental blocks you must be willing to identify those detrimental patterns and release them. This way there is space freed up so you will be able to move forward.
How To Remove Mental Blocks That Keep You Stuck
You may have heard Theodore Roosevelt’s quote, “Believe you can and you’re halfway there.” This is a great approach to take to life. This approach can help you overcome mental blocks you have to succeed.
In the following video, Trishtan Sapphire speaks at a TED talk about removing mental blocks.
Give yourself the help you need and say to yourself “I am enough”. You’re worthy of more and you have the resources you need to overcome anything.
If you’ve found this article helpful, please consider sharing it with friends who could appreciate it also.
Related Posts
9 Proven Strategies To Take Massive Action
11 Steps To Rewrite Your Story And Change Your Life
17 Ways To Change Your Words To Change Your Mindset
