10 Self-Inflicted Mental Blocks & How To Overcome Them
So it’s been over three weeks since my last submitted story.
Not that the previous month was a very fertile one. But posting once a week was at least something. Anyway, I could feel the funk settling and gaining more room in my brain by the day. The problem was that I was only partially aware of it. And the self-inflicted mental blocks began their inhibition process.
I’ve been writing. Yes. And there’s been a lot of writing and even designing lately. I will have my first interactive book for parents and siblings for sale in a month, and already sold the first 30 copies to a travel agency. Pretty awesome.
But still, this is work. Not a cleansing and freeing activity.
So the paradox is I am uncomfortable posting about it in the middle of the process (now that I’m putting words to it, it might have been helpful to get some external, objective feedback — might do that if I ever break the writing curse).
And when I felt the time to go back to my more personal writing, I started justifying my lack of posting with procrastinating Mental Blocks (that I’m about to defy and leave behind with this article).
1- THE CHECKPOINTS
Who never played those mind games of “if I get to such-and-such a thing, then I do such-and-such a thing”?
Well, all of a sudden, I was very engaged and committed to one: the 100 followers for the Medium Partner Program. That was the mental checkpoint I had to reach to regain my powers and write and post again. All without using that washed-out tactic of writing copy-paste, follow-for-follow “100 Followers Challenge” articles. I’d rather read interesting articles, learn something, clap if worth it, and leave a thoughtful comment. A way longer process (procrastinator alert!) but a more regarding one in the long run. Priyanka Priyadarshini also understands it this way and has a far superior challenge for you.
The problem was that I eventually met the 100 followers criteria to regain my powers. But by that time, it was too late for me: all the Mental Blocks had already piled up in a giant, ravaging snowball.
2- THE PERFECT ROUTINE
Who doesn’t hallucinate with that routine, with those consistent habits, and with that aspirational atmosphere?
Expectation vs. Reality:
- Wake up 6 am — I’m just not the early bird kind. I feel useless for the rest of the day.
- Shower. Coffee. Silence. — I do shower every morning; but I drink mate; and live in front of a hospital that half of it is under construction, so there goes the silence.
- A window with mountains in the background — Check. Can’t say anything about this one except how lucky I am.
- 5-minute morning meditation — Whenever I remember to (usually 2–3 times a week), I listen to Radio Headspace in no particular order; I pick the one that resonates more with me that day.
- And the clean, inspiring article waiting to be written on that wooden desk — Hard to achieve if you are not actually writing. All because I don’t have that wooden desk, though.
3- THE RIGHT MOMENT
I’ll start when it’s the right moment.
Also known as:
a) When I’m alone and in peace at home
b) When my job gives me a breather
c) When inspiration hit right out of the blue
d) Never. All of the above are just excuses.
The so-called right moment does not exist. I had options a), b), and c) altogether the past couple of weeks. I even programmed my calendar with the topics I would write about. Started a weekly section on book reviews. And the right moment never came.
The right moment can be anytime, anywhere. Or no time, nowhere.
It’s up to you to create it.
Or you could read Eve Arnold’s article for some extra help here. No waste.
4- THE EXTERNAL EXCUSES
There procrastinator’s beloved external factor.
That sick relative. That broken computer. The time you spend commuting to your job. The demanding kids, pets, or couple.
You name it.
If you want an external excuse, you will find one.
5- THERE IS ALWAYS SOMETHING BETTER TO DO THAN WRITING
Another must in the Mental Blocks checklist.
Probably the most used and successful one.
Because, really, who wants to sit at the computer desk, think and write something meaningful on your precious non-work hours instead of watching the current hot TV show, playing the guitar, go out with that friend from high school you haven’t seen in ages, or even bath the dog?
Me? No, thanks.
6- I DON’ T HAVE ANY INTERESTING STORIES
If you really want to lie to yourself, tell your inner voice this:
“You don’t have any exciting stories worth telling.”
Even the most mundane of lives has some hidden lessons. Or some hidden worlds in those mind labyrinths. Remember “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” movie?
Could be like that.
Or maybe just your daily journaling. Ayodeji Awosika has some great journaling techniques that could come up as helpful here. I’ve been doing the Personal Journaling Routine for some time now. Even though non of that transformed into an actual story until this one, I believe it’s been giving me the foundations for a sustainable routine.
We tell ourselves stories to survive the daily grinding. Everyone tells a story about themselves inside their own heads. Always. All the time. That story makes you what you are. We build ourselves out of that story.
Write it down. I will try, too.
7- I AM MENTALLY AND PHYSICALLY WORN OUT TO SIDE HUSTLE IT
Another hit.
This one sounds a lot like number 5, but it’s not exactly the same.
Because in this one, there is no better thing to do. Any you have time to do nothing.
But scroll.
8- I CAN’T CONCENTRATE
- WhatsApp.
- Instagram.
- Telegram.
- Sports Team.
- e-Mail.
- Spotify.
- Personal Website.
- News Portal.
- To-read Stories.
And that is just on your computer screen.
Add your phone to duplicate those windows. And if you want to go crazy, add those wacky creatures called humans.
How could you ever concentrate?
You would have to be a zen master.
That is what my self-inflicted Mental Block tells me.
9- THE INFINITE MENTAL WINDOWS
These are also windows, but the type you can only see inside your head.
Those things you either have to do, are doing, or know that you must do but are still avoiding.
Mine right now:
- To Do: complete editing of my book.
- Doing: finally defeating the Mental Tricks
- Still Avoiding It: (Long list, but writing is no longer there, which earned me some points for effort.) Finish Visa paperwork. Fix the toilet. Have THAT talk about money with my friend. Call my grandmother. To start with.
They will eventually interrupt your thought process and carry you miles away from becoming the next Ernest Hemingway of the XXI Century.
Promise.
10- WHY WOULD I WRITE ANYTHING IF I’M NOT GOOD ENOUGH?
The self-doubt Mind Block. The most haunting one.
“I’m not worth it,” “My writing sucks,” “No one reads me.” And so on.
I’ve read many of those articles giving advice on becoming a better writer. And some are terrific, like this one from Gareth Branwyn.
Hell, I read 45 books last year only, and most of them were either about writing techniques, copywriting, or self-help books.
And yet, every time I face a blank piece of paper, doubt immediately hits me.
I couldn’t find the right words to explain it. Then, I remembered this contradictory epitaph on a grave and found an insightful story from Alvin Ang explaining it here.
You will understand.
— THE RECIPE TO OVERCOME THEM
It’s been a struggle. I feel like I’ve been working out non-stop for hours, but I was only sitting in front of the computer.
My thoughts are lazy, and I have typos in every other word.
But I made it to the finish line. Somehow, I defeated those Mental Blocks.
Well, now that I’m done, it came clear how I did it:
It was only a matter of recognizing them, putting them into words, and assuming their effect on me.
And then my Mental Blocks turned into Building Blocks.
