Mental block depression (A complete guide)

In this blog, we will try to answer the question, does mental block depression exist, what is a mental block, what are the causes of mental block, the symptoms of mental block, and how to overcome a mental block. 

Does mental block depression exist? 

Depression is a mood disorder that has no specific cause. Therefore, it is possible that mental block can cause your depression. To understand how mental block causes depression, we need to look at what is a mental block. We will explain this in the next section of the blog. For now, mental blocks are certain barriers in our brains causing us to fail or diminishing our ability to perform or make a decision. 

So imagine that you are constantly confused in your life. You do not understand what to do in the future. There is either an overflow of thought or there are no thoughts per se. This is what it is to have a mental block. Your brain loses the ability to make an appropriate decision for yourself. 

So yes it is possible that when you are in such a state for a long period of time. You might end up being depressed, or at least show signs of depression. Hence mental block depression is not a unique or impossible thing. 

Artists frequently suffer from these creative blocks.

Your lack of ability to figure out your life may leave you anxious and depressed. You might end up just staying in your bed all day. Suddenly, due to the mental block, you are not thinking straight and lose most of your interest in activities that you have found pleasurable. Finally, this mental block can certainly leave you with feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and worthlessness. You might feel that you are not capable of making any decision in your life. You feel guilty that you are letting your life fall apart because of the mental block. Due to these feelings, you might then lose your appetite and sleep.

When you experience a mental block, it is very common to lose sleep. Humans do most of their thinking at the night. When you lose the ability to think straight and make the right decision, you will want to push yourself in doing so. Hence you end up with little sleep most of the days. 

If we look closely most of these symptoms are actually how depression manifests. Having said that, it is likely that mental block can cause depression. 

A mental block is a rather common phenomenon. We all have to make very difficult decisions every now and then in our lives. Some are able to make it easily, others reach the state of mental block. However, it is not necessary that everyone who faces a mental block is subject to depression. 

A mental block is a common symptom of depression. One study found that 85 to 94 percent of those with depression had symptoms of mental block. And 39 to 44 percent of those in remission from depression continued to have symptoms of mental block.

What is a mental block?

In this section, we will give a detailed understanding of what is a mental block. From the above section, it might be clear that a mental block is a hindrance to your ability to make decisions, be creative and productive. To make this easier for you to understand, let’s think of writer’s block. When listening to the term writer’s block, we immediately understand that we are talking about a writer who is unable to create a storyline or wondering what the next line of the poem should be. 

Well, writer’s block is kind of a mental block. You might have so many ideas that you might not be able to choose one, or it might just be that your mind goes blank when it comes to thinking about something. This can happen to anyone. Say, for example, you are asked to write a creative story for your assignment, you might face a mental block here. If you are looking at what college and course to join in the future, you will certainly reach a state of mental block. You might not understand what is the right field for you and if so, what college to choose. One may also face a mental block picking out names for their newborns. From picking out places for atrip to making difficult file changing decisions you can face a mental block. 

What causes a mental block? 

There can not be one particular reason for mental, there are a lot of things that can cause a mental block. 

Some of these things include: 

• A wide range of prescription and over-the-counter medications
• Vitamin B12 deficiency
• Lack of sleep
• Decision fatigue 
• Cluttered environment 
• Procrastination 

Symptoms of Mental block 

In other words, a mental block is a cognitive dysfunction. 

Mental block can incorporate an assortment of manifestations that influence your capacity to work consistently. Indications of mental block incorporate a few zones of mental preparation. Remember that the impacts of mental block won’t really vanish when different side effects of depression disappear. 

• Powerlessness to focus. You will be unable to finish an idea, follow a discussion, finish an undertaking at work, or spotlight on a book, film, or TV show. 
• An issue with your memory. You can’t recollect what you were doing, you need to depend on recording things to recall them, or you lose things regularly. 
• The trouble with decision making. You can’t decide, you stress over the potential results of settling on a choice, or you can’t perform various tasks. 
• Your response time is influenced. You complete undertakings significantly more gradually than you used to, you feel tired, you sense that your mind is impeded. 
• Manifestations of depression. Remember that mental block is only one indication of depression. You may encounter different manifestations of Depression that can influence your psychological capacities. For example, absence of rest or exhaustion brought about by wretchedness may likewise be causing your brain to feel “foggy.”

How to overcome a mental block?

Now that we have understood the problem, let’s look at how to solve the problem. 

Here are a few steps to overcome or deal with a mental block. 

• Take control of your state 
• Live in the present 
• Calm your environment 
• Start with small tasks
• Take care of yourself 

Take control of your state 

Having to overcome a mental block, is similar to overcoming a plateau. You reach a state where you cannot move forward or move downward. In such a scenario, it is recommended that you try to bring together your mind and body to reach its optimal state or the peak state. In other terms, you need to take over the situation and let your brain rest. Sometimes, all you need is a small amount of activity in that particular area and boom your mental block is opened. For example, your boss has given you some work and you have reached a state of a mental block trying to think about what to do about it. But instead of just making plans in your head, take one step forward. This way things will clear up and you will be out of your mental block. 

Live in the present 

Certain times our mental blocks are about something that has occurred in the past or something about the future. These thoughts make you preoccupied and block your ability to think and make a decision. Once you have made this realization, stop for a minute. Focus on what is happening in the present. Focus on your breathing. This can help you calm the flow of thoughts and bring your mind to peace. Once you have attained peace you will be able to think clearly and make a decision using the various problem-solving strategies. 

Calm your environment 

Like we saw one of the main causes of the mental block is a cluttered environment. A cluttered environment refers to a sense of chaos in and around you, that will only make you more confused. This will only make it difficult to overcome the mental block. Our environment is not just the surrounding that we live in, but it somehow creates our own identity. It also encompasses the sounds, people, and activities that surround you in your day-to-day life. Therefore, it is necessary that you have a clean and calm environment that will help you overcome a mental block. In case you’re somebody who gets quickly flustered or overpowered by working in a bustling climate, a mess could be something setting off your mental blockage. Set aside some effort to clean up your work area or potentially office space. Your work zone won’t feel as claustrophobic and diverting, which means you can give more mental energy to your main jobs. A clean environment always makes you more efficient and also helps you calm down. 

Start with small tasks

Have you felt overwhelmed with work because of the extra load of work on you? This extra load of work might lead to a mental blockage. Having too much on your plate can make you stressed and anxious. The best way to work this out is to take some things off your plate. You need to delegate. 

Sometimes, there are a lot of things that you have to do within a specif period of time. But focusing on everything together will just make it difficult to deal with. Instead, you should focus on one thing at a time. Take small and baby steps to accomplish all your goals. 

 Make a list of the things you have to do and start with the easy tasks. Knocking a few assignments off your to-do list can help you get into a positive headspace, which helps with motivation and creativity. 

While doing this, remember to take breaks as and when needed. If you feel that your body is feeling exhausted by the amount of work that is done, remember it is okay to stop. So take a break and then get back to work. This will only increase your efficiency to work better. 

Take care of yourself 

Lastly, it is important to make sure that you are taking care of both your mental and physical health. If your health is decorating there is no way you can fight a mental blockage. Eating appropriately every day, to have sufficient sleep all is needed for you to get over a mental blockage. Instead of just pushing yourself to work harder, you need to stop and relax. There is no better way of achieving happiness and satisfaction than self-care. It is one of the most important aspects of an individual’s life. 

Here are some ways you can overcome mental blocks through self-care:

• Get 7-9 hours of sleep every night
• Avoid taking work home with you whenever possible
• Set aside some time to exercise during the week
• Be more mindful

Conclusion 

In this blog, we have tried to answer the question, does mental block depression exist, what is a mental block, what are the causes of mental block, the symptoms of mental block, and how to overcome a mental block. 

FAQs: Mental Block Depression 

References 

Mental block

5 helpful tips for overcoming mental blocks

https://www.healthline.com/health/depression/brain-fog-depression