I think that I am going through a mental block. It’s a stage where you struggle to do basic things. Things you enjoyed and gave your life meaning. I’ll be going through some bullet points that I think describe the issue and a couple of solutions I’ve devised to combat this block. Or at least, in part. I’ve already established that I am an introvert, who enjoys doing introverted things, such as spending time at home reading books, or playing video games. However, I’ve been really having a hard time doing any of these activities lately.

What’s it like?

It’s like my brain has fog on it. The kind of blur that doesn’t allow me to engage in activities or enjoy them properly.

• • For example: Picking up a book feels like trying to carry a ton of bricks. Despite the fact that I’ve wrote a post that would help people – theoretically – read more books.

    

• Or let’s look at gaming for example. I spent a lot of time choosing games to add to my library and building a steam-like interface to be able to view my games. But alas, that did not fix the issue. It’s so bad that I don’t remember the last time I picked up a controller and played some games. (I do remember it was around the time when I ditched Arch as it did not support any of my controllers).

  

• Even writing, my creative outlet of choice. I feel that it does not come as natural or effortless as before. I do try to keep a consistent publish rate. But it feels forced and I am not enjoying it as much anymore.

Can you spot a common theme?

There is also a reoccurring theme. I have a serious issue of continuing things I’ve already started. I’d start reading a book and abandon it half finished. Or I’d get into a new game and beat a couple of levels and forget all about it.

How am I spending time actually?

Instead, what I am doing is wasting time, following impulses to check job boards multiple times each day, bouncing between them and social media. I end up being tired and drained without achieving anything substantial.

Job seeking woes

In a way, I think this stems from my worry about my current employment situation and the fear of missing out, maybe something new is posted and I have to see it. Perhaps it’s a way to calm my guilt and to feel like I am doing something. As you can see, it’s an unforgiving cycle of worry that could be attributed to obsessive compulsive behavior.

One way to fix this

The only solution that I found for this worry is to turn off the Wi-Fi completely. It’s a way to mute the noises in my head and focus on doing something productive- which is exactly what I did while writing this post –. Not even blocking sites is effective in this case. It’s worth mentioning that I have a Pomodoro timer on as well. As I’m trying to quantify my efforts against time.

It’s been a long time coming

Through reflect and memory. I know that I have been struggling with this issue for the longest of times. At times I am able to focus on a certain aspect and achieve something – I remember reading over 100 books in 2018 – but others I just fail to meet my own goals and expectations. This block comes and goes in waves. Rather than being a constant status-quo.

Looking forward

Perhaps this could be a goal for 2026. To try to do things I actually enjoy. Instead of doom scrolling and living in constant worry. I hope that by writing this post, I am taking conscious steps towards a solution.

Last words

How do you – dear reader – deal with mental blocks. What works for you? Do you have any tested methods to leave the gray zone? Please let me know in the comments below and share with me your to-go tips on getting out of a mental rut.