A Habit For Overcoming Mental Blocks 🌱

self-a·ware

adjective

Definition: Having conscious knowledge of your character, feelings, motives, and desires.

Have you ever found yourself having a mental block, words refusing to translate into solutions?

We often trap ourselves in the need for immediate, coherent answers.

Sometimes, you can’t jump that far; you can’t figure it all out in your head.

Have you ever considered that the key to breaking through might be as simple as a notebook and pen?

Because often, the issue isn’t the challenge itself; it’s your approach to solving it.

SCIENCE:

Journaling helps clear your mind, allowing your thoughts to flow freely onto the page.

It’s like a brain dump, helping you untangle your thoughts and find real solutions.

It encourages a non-linear approach to problem-solving, allowing ideas to flow without the pressure of immediate coherence.

This brain-dump method enhances cognizance and clears mental fog, allowing more creativity and insight.

IMPACT:

Journaling serves as a mental catalyst.

It can transform the way you approach challenges by giving you insight into what is stopping you.

Research indicates that expressive writing, like journaling, not only clears the mind but also improves cognitive function and problem-solving abilities.

By externalizing thoughts, you can better analyze, understand, and navigate your challenges.

IMPLEMENTATION:

Why habits? Your time is valuable and limited; you don’t need more complex systems. My goal is to provide you with simple, effective tools to support your physical and mental well-being and make you more efficient and conserve mental energy. (read more)

I know it can be challenging to start journaling.

When I started, I would find myself staring at a blank page (only giving myself the same problem).

So, here are some prompts to start with:

Prompt 1: What is the exact problem or challenge you are facing?

Write it down in detail.

Prompt 2: What is stopping you from overcoming this challenge?

Write down any barriers or limitations you perceive.

Prompt 3: What are all the potential ways you could approach this problem?

List them out, no matter how unconventional they might seem.

Prompt 4: What aspects of this situation can you influence or change?

Focus on these areas.

Remember, sometimes the pressure of feeling like you need to figure it all out now is what is stopping you.

All you may need is to give yourself time.

You might find that the answers will come to you right when you stop searching.

TOOLKIT:

In every edition of Creatures of Habit, I feature a product to help you implement this week’s habit.

It can be extremely helpful to talk to someone else to work through a challenge, but sometimes, you don’t have someone at that moment.

Something that has helped me is using ChatGPT to give me prompts to help me work through challenges.

It allows you to think about the situation from different perspectives and ask yourself questions you may have never thought of yourself.

CHALLENGE:

Any time you find yourself feeling stuck this week, try taking a step back, taking the pressure off yourself, and reflecting.

Until next week!

- Jenna Gestetner :)

P.S. Welcome to everyone who joined us since last week. Subscribe if you haven’t already, and say hi on LinkedIn.

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