Time to declutter your mind

Everything might be going great with your career progressing upward, all your moves perfect and life flowing unhindered, but one day you just go numb, you can’t step ahead and everything just appears frozen. Many of us might have faced this situation. From a student to a celebrity, mental block is the worst nightmare! The moment you get stuck and lose the motivation to go forward is dreaded by all. For some, it is just a passing phase; others need quick intervention — the sooner the better. But why does it happen? “There might be several reasons, mostly emotional ones,” explains Dr Shaji Prabhakaran, a senior consultant neurologist, adding, “It’s a competitive world and everyone is under stress to outperform each other. There is a lot of negativity and pressure that lead to mental block.” 

Acceptance of the situation is the first step.  “Understand that it can happen to anyone around you. Take a break, relax, find other interests, and pursue them. In fact, activities like yoga can be of great help. If nothing has an effect, do not give up. Seek professional help,” he says. 

Mental block that affects one’s performance, skill, creativity, career or life need not always be sudden. 

“Some events might trigger your suppressed memories and you unconsciously block yourself. It can range from witnessing a death to a traumatic sexual abuse. Though we can’t say why the mind acts this way, obsessing about it doesn’t actually help much,” feels Dr C.J. John, chief psychiatrist of Medical Trust Hospital, Kochi.

The burden of expectations results in emotional turmoil in most cases. For a student, a wrong choice of course might make him realise it was not his cup of tea and cause mind block. Performance anxiety can be the trigger for an athlete or a sportsperson who loses focus. 

“Numbness is not insensitivity; it can be the result of hypersensitivity. That is why some people just watch and don’t act when accidents happen. They go numb as their mind prevents them from acting,” Dr John adds. 

However, all these can be dealt with sensibly. Urbanisation causes a block in all physical and emotional spaces. When leading a target-oriented lifestyle, you can’t escape from mental block easily unless you cultivate the ability to cope up with the fast pace. 

“Instead of getting tormented, move on. Address the aspect that bothers you and engage in confidence-building activities. Ideally, one has to focus on life above materialism. Change your action, switch your job, move to another place —  just leave your past and start afresh. Script a new lifestyle and fix your priorities by managing time well. Be contented and choose peace over worries,” Dr John says.

It’s as simple as clearing a cluttered table. Rearrange everything and break the mental wall that stands in your path!