Mental blocks are lapses or crashes where your mind loses its ability to focus. They usually happen without warning and may last from a few minutes to several hours.
Mental blocks aren't dangerous and are experienced by everyone at some time or another. But they can be big disruptors when you're working on something important or are pressed for time.
What Causes Mental Blocks?
The short answer is an overtired brain. But there are several underlying causes that can lead to this temporary shutdown of the brain. The most common are:
Repressed emotions and thoughts that continue to build up and amass negative energy. While we may not be fully conscious of them, they're highly stressful. They sap mental energy and keep it in a state of turmoil.
Too much technology, especially digital activities like gaming, social media, and web entertainment. These are highly stimulating activities that keep the brain working in overdrive to process all that we're seeing and doing. Making it harder for the brain to wind down and relax.
Lack of sleep. If you're not getting enough sleep, you probably don’t need to look any further for the cause of your mental blocks.
Being unable to solve a complicated problem or issue. This includes struggling to learn something new or coming up against an obstacle that you can get around. You tend to keep overthinking about it and as your frustration grows, your stress levels rise, bringing on a mental block.
Fear of missing a deadline or being reprimanded for poor work is a big mental stressor. Striving for perfection also falls under this category.
Stress is a fact of our hectic lives that takes its toll first and foremost on our brain health. If you're not managing stress on a daily basis, you can definitely expect to struggle with brain fog and mental blocks.
10 Tips for Preventing Mental Blocks
Mental blocks can be prevented – or if they do occur, their duration shortened with several easy practices. In addition to diffusing the intensity and frequency of mental blocks, they're powerful habits to develop that foster overall brain health and well-being. Therefore, it's important to incorporate the following into your lifestyle routine:
Stay hydrated by remembering to drink a glass of water every 2-3 hours throughout the day. Water steadily flushes out toxins from the body that can make your mind sluggish and improves the flow of oxygen to the brain.
Get enough sleep. Structure your bedtime and waking hours so that you're getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night.
Take frequent breaks while you're working to stretch your muscles or get a refreshing drink. A research study found that people who are more productive take a 5-minute break every hour, which helps the brain rejuvenate.
Release negative energy with vigorous activity to keep your brain clear and sharp.
Don't forget to eat. Ignoring hunger is one of the quickest ways to bring on a mental block. Stay alert to your body and have a snack or a meal at the first signs of hunger.
Listen to music as you work or whenever you can. It's one of the best mood-boosters and stress-busters there is.
Eat superfoods to foster brain health. The best brain foods you can eat include berries, nuts, eggs, apples, and green tea. Make them a regular part of your diet to keep your brain healthy and sharp.
Exercise your brain by solving puzzles. Puzzles boost concentration, memory, and attention span and stimulate your brain in all the right ways.
Release negative thoughts and emotions with meditation or journaling to keep your brain clear and positive.
Change your environment every once in a while by working outdoors or even in a different workspace. This is much easier to do today because all you probably need is a laptop.
Mental blocks are normal occurrences but they can come up at the most inconvenient times. The less you have of them in your busy life, the better!
Now that you have a better idea of what they are, why they occur and are armed with the 10 tips presented here, you'll be much better able to prevent them. Keeping your brain healthy, calm, and positive will help you be more productive, efficient, and happy!
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