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Whenever I first started learning new things, I’d always find myself struggling to keep going and complete them. I mean, why would I have to struggle at anything? Learning new things is supposed to be fun! If I want something to be hard and painful, I’ll go back to doing my taxes! So how did I trick my brain into liking hard things? And how can you do it too? Here’s what worked for me…and maybe it will work for you too!
What is a mental block?
In psychology, a mental block is when you can’t think of the correct answer to a problem. The word “block” often refers to something you physically can’t do, like lifting your arms up or pushing up from the bottom of the water.
Mental blocks are something that you physically can do but don’t want to. You may be worried about looking stupid, or hurting yourself, or being judged by your peers for doing something new and scary.
A mental block is anything that makes you feel uncomfortable about trying something new. And it happens to all of us. We all have our own unique mental blocks that need to be overcome before we start learning new things. I’d heard the word “block” in other contexts, but I never really gave it a lot of thought until I was struggling through algebra and trigonometry.
