I had a mental block
It has happened to all of us. We have a goal and there is no reason that we can’t reach it, but something is causing us to come up short. According to dictionary.com, a mental block is, “an inability to remember or think of something you normally can do; often caused by emotional tension.” For goals, I translate this to mean, “an inability to succeed when you normally are successful.” Recently, I had this experience with my running routine. There was not a physical reason I could not complete my run as planned but a mental block was holding me back. With the help of my coach, I did three things to get back on track that can apply in most situations.
Rediscovering my "Why"
I first needed to re-establish why I started my running routine to begin with and whether or not the reasons were still important today. I reminded myself that running is a needed challenge, great for my heart, and for my bones and joints. I recalled how accomplished I felt and my increased energy level after I completed a run. Reconnecting with these feelings and motivations helped me tap into that initial excitement I felt. What is your “why?” Why did you establish the goal to begin with? Is it still relevant and important?
Finding the emotion behind my block
This part of the work is a little harder. Even if you have high self-awareness, it can be a struggle to dig deep into emotions. When I dug a little deeper, I found that my block was rooted in self-doubt which manifested in negative self-talk. This did not come easy. It was through intentional questioning from my coach that led me to this understanding. What emotions are you experiencing when you are working on your goal? When you have those emotions, what does it cause you to do or not do?
Planning to overcome the block
Negative self-talk is sometimes a default mode when things feel tough. But these thoughts are usually just stories we’ve told ourselves so many times they feel like fact. In the case of my running, I had started to tell myself, “You can’t do this,” and “You don’t want to do this.” The only way to get rid of negative self-talk is to replace it with positive self-talk. For me this was, “I have done this so I can do this” and “I want to do this again.” As a constant reminder, I created a vision board that I propped on my treadmill that included my new positive self-talk. Have your emotions led you to negative thoughts about yourself? What positive words can you use to replace the negative self-talk?
Are you currently struggling in the way that I was? I stand ready to help you break through your mental block. You can book a free session through my website.