How to overcome mental blocks & achieve your full potential

Challenging yourself on a consistent basis is an important aspect of sustaining self-growth. Whether you are trying to get in shape for a marathon or are pushing through a long and arduous task for work, these challenges help to shape who you are and push you to be even better than you were yesterday.

When you push yourself to your upper limits there are a number of roadblocks you may encounter, ranging from physical to mental. Mental roadblocks are blocks that occur within your mind and hinder your ability to perform at your very best. These blocks come in a number of forms ranging from a fear of failure to a lack of self-confidence.

Below is a closer look at some of the most common mental blocks, ways you can overcome them, as well as ways you can help to support a healthy mind. Overcoming internal turmoil and doubt is not easy, but with practice, it becomes easier to overcome them and reach your true potential.

Mental roadblocks

Mental roadblocks come in a variety of forms. These include mental fatigue, losing sight of your goal, having low self-confidence, and a fear of failure. All of these can cause you to not unlock your full potential and stagnate.

Below is a closer look at some of these common mental roadblocks. Understanding these common roadblocks can allow you to have a better chance of identifying and avoiding them altogether.

Losing sight of your goal

The most worthwhile things in life take time and effort. Getting into your dream career, improving your physique, having a good home life, and running a marathon are all goals that are aspirational and require an immense amount of work on a consistent basis. This consistent grind is something that can very easily turn into something that you resent or generally don't enjoy doing if you lose sight of your goal.

An example would be if you had an aspiration to become a medical professional like a nurse or doctor. To do so you need to attain a four-year college degree and attend classes of increasing difficulty like physics, math, and chemistry. When you lose sight of why you are going through the effort and pushing yourself, it can be easy to succumb to apathy and not put in all your effort.

Keeping your goals at the forefront of your mind when you are faced with adversity or daunting tasks can allow you to function t your best.

Minimal self-confidence

Self-confidence is a term utilized to describe your own personal belief in how capable you are.

An easy way to imagine self-confidence is to imagine someone asking you if you could pick up a box that is 10 lbs. You would most likely feel confident in your ability to do so and thus have self-confidence in your ability to do so.

Having a good level of self-confidence has to do with having reasonable expectations and being able to know your limits and when you are capable of pushing the boundaries. Self-confidence tends to be tested when you are working at your upper limits.

If you have minimal self-confidence, your likelihood of pushing past your comfort zone and growing is low.

Fear of failure

One of the worst thought holes you can fall victim to is a fear of failure. Fear of failure occurs when you are so preoccupied with the thought of failure that you either are unable to put forth all of your effort in anticipation of failure, or you give up entirely because you simply do not want to fail.

When you are pushing yourself to your upper limits, you are bound to fail to some degree at one point or another, and that is entirely okay. It’s simply a part of progressing and growing.

If you have a fear of failure, the best things you can do are to learn to be comfortable with failure, and accept it as a possibility rather than preoccupying yourself with risk aversion and reframing your fears.

In fact, one study looked at students with a fear of failure and found that when they were provided with the proper tools, they felt a greater sense of self-acceptance when faced with a difficult situation.

Burnout

Burnout is one potential source of a mental block, but unlike other blocks, you should really stop and evaluate feelings of burnout rather than pushing past them. Burnout occurs when you overexert yourself mentally.

An example of a situation that may bring about burnout is working overtime consistently at work and simply feeling unmotivated and mentally drained. You can also experience burnout if you are in an environment that is consistently stressful or overwhelming.

Burnout can be seen in many different professions, occupations, and activities. When it comes to getting past this mental block, it is important to practice a little patience and provide yourself with the proper mental support. Whether that be through meditation or brain supplements, it is important to nourish your mental wellbeing.

Techniques to push past mental blocks

Mental blocks can manifest themselves in a number of ways, and learning how to effectively work through and move past them are crucial to achieving your full potential. Everyone has their internal struggle, and having the tools to effectively deal with those struggles can make the journey all the easier.

Below is a closer look at some of the best techniques you can utilize to get yourself past mental roadblocks and back on the road to personal growth and progress.

Start off small

When you come to a roadblock, whether it’s feeling overwhelmed or experiencing a fear of failure, it can be difficult to resume whatever it was you were working towards.

One great way to help you get the ball rolling and continue on your path is to choose the smallest and easiest thing toward your goal and start doing that. Starting small can help to get the ball rolling and get you past whatever block you are experiencing.

Mindful moment

All too often, people are preoccupied with worry about the past or future. This can become intrusive and even can block you from your fullest potential. Fear of failure is a perfect example — you’re fearful of the future and the prospect of failure rather than putting focus on the task at hand.

Mindfulness has gained immense popularity in the past couple of years. Mindfulness utilizes different techniques such as meditation to help recenter the mind into the present moment. In a way, mindfulness acts as a way for you to give your mind a break from overthinking while also recentering your attention to the present task at hand.

Be your own cheerleader

One of the greatest ways you can help yourself when you are struggling is to be your own cheerleader. This can be particularly helpful for those who experience mental roadblocks associated with pushing themselves in a physical manner such as training for a marathon or pushing themselves in the gym.

Negative self-talk is something that is easy to fall into, especially when you are pushing yourself to the limit and failing. Pushing past your failures and being your own greatest cheerleader can take you far when it comes to reaching your fullest potential.

One way you can start training yourself to be your best cheerleader is to give yourself a couple of words of affirmation when you wake up. At first, it may feel odd but over time you will most likely find yourself being a lot kinder to yourself and able to push yourself farther.

Write it down

Journaling is one technique that can be helpful for sorting through your internal thoughts and getting past them. Many people who frequently journal find it to be liberating because it provides them with an outlet for their thoughts and internal struggles. Once the thoughts are on paper, it can become easier to let them go or work through them and continue with your day.

When it comes to journaling and getting past mental blocks, journaling can allow you to explore the thoughts that are inhibiting you and try to better understand them. With a better understanding of what is holding you back, you are better prepared to more effectively address it and deal with it.

Support a healthy mind

Mental blocks can be caused by your internal thoughts, but they can also be caused by a clouded mind. Making sure that your brain is in tip-top shape can help you to reduce mental fog, premature mental fatigue, and overall feelings of not being able to move forward.

From a nutritional standpoint, your brain is constantly utilizing resources to fire synapses that allow you to function and think clearly. A healthy and well-rounded diet can help to facilitate good brain health, but supplementation of certain nootropic molecules can be just what the brain needs to support its optimal functioning.

MitoQ Brain is a supplement that caters to the optimal support of the brain which could help to keep you focused, energized, and sustain mental clarity.

Conclusion

In summary, mental roadblocks are inevitable any time you are pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and growing as an individual. These mental roadblocks can come in a number of forms but the most important thing you can do is learn how to effectively manage them. Once you determine the best method to deal with mental blocks, you can achieve your fullest potential on a regular basis.