Mental Blockages and Other Noises
A short reflection on the static within
So many conversations lately around “mental blockages.” They come in all shapes and sizes, don’t they, even if they are all in our heads.
How I wish the only blockages in our way were “merely” physical. There’s almost always a way over a wall or fence, up a mountain or around it. But how do we “get around” our own heads? That’s much trickier.
There are the friends who, like me, struggle to read books for pleasure now, giving the lie to our lifelong habit of reading. In such an unsettled world, it’s hard to calm down long enough to focus on a complex, sustained set of words. Our concentration feels blocked by the very distractions we seek to escape!
And the friends struggling to make sense of the vast array of tools and technologies not only at their disposal, but loudly making the case to be used because the benefits are so great. But where to begin? Even the young AI space is already over-crowded with choices, from ChatGPT to Claude to Gemini, and so forth. Consumer choice—in this realm and so many others, including the cereal aisle—presents its own kind of blockage by offering too much, everywhere, all at once. Classic analysis-paralysis ensues, and boy, that’s a champion blocker right there. You can’t say “yes” or “no” without projecting an over-abundance of consequences.
Let’s also have compassion for all the creators who are confronted by so many syndromes conspiring to block an unbridled, unselfconscious commitment to making stuff and taking creative risks. Consider imposter syndrome, self-doubt syndrome, writer’s block syndrome, fear of failure syndrome, perfectionism syndrome, and on and on. All the syndromes that relay messages to our brains on a 24/7 loop that never quits. No wonder we’re blocked: We can’t hear ourselves think!
Do I have any remedies for all this?
Mmm, yes and no.
I’m not about to recommend a daily meditation practice, as that’s not something I do or plan to do anytime soon. I know it works wonders for many people, so there’s that.
Here are a few reasonably practical suggestions; no magic on tap.
Try aiming for short bursts of concentration, so that you don’t feel so thwarted by an inability to focus for long stretches—its own form of blockage:
Read one chapter in a novel—or half a chapter if they’re long. Settle for five pages. Can you recall what you just read? If not, try again—either now or later. Re-teach your brain to concentrate on one thing.
Write one single page of ideas or sketches or actual prose, to get your ideas flowing. Stop at one page—and enjoy the urge to continue.
Sit quietly in a distraction-free space for just five minutes and give your imagination free reign; let the craziest ideas form without censure. This is not meditation; more like guided thinking.
Stop torturing yourself by trying to do the thing you feel blocked on—and switch over to something completely different:
If you can’t get a handle on organizing your productivity tools (calendar, website, scheduler, spreadsheet), try living for a full day without any of them. Then decide what you truly miss or want to use and get comfortable with just that one tool.
Short-circuit the feeling of “overwhelm” by walking away from the source of the stress and immediately taking up the most stress-free thing you know, like listening to music, dancing around the house, turning on mindless television. (There is no shame in this!)
On the working theory that so many of our mental blockages are a symptom of sensory overload, I tend to think that less is more is a great working philosophy in just about every realm of daily life.
When all else fails, and your blockage is causing you mental anguish, take several deep breaths (still not meditating!) and remember that what truly needs doing will be done. And you’ll do it when you’re good and ready.
WRANGLING THE DOUBT MONSTER: FIGHTING FEARS, FINDING INSPIRATION
“The wisdom in this lovely book applies to artists and creators of any kind who come face to face with doubt.” —Mary O'Donohue, Oprah Show Veteran, Media Coach for Disruptive Women Nonfiction Authors, and #1 Bestselling Author