Mental block and stress: the fish that bites its tail

Few people today can claim to have never suffered from a mental or emotional block. The hectic pace of life and exposure to stressful situations make that, at times, we notice that our brain does not give more of itself.

Let's see what exactly that mental block consists of and how it relates to stress.

What is mental block?

Let's first develop the concept of mental block itself.

In the words of the psychiatrist Manuel Escudero, mental block is defined as “an interruption of a brain process that does not allow us to start or end any activity or situation. This phenomenon can be considered as the impossibility of following a line of thought that affects our behaviors, reduces our effectiveness and limits our potential to achieve our goal final."

• Related article: "Emotional blocks: what are they and how can we overcome them?”

So is mental block good or bad?

It is neither good nor bad. In the world of psychology, we do not talk about black and white, we have to move more through nuances.

In the case of mental blocks, if we stick to the definition, we are talking about a defense mechanism whose objective is focused on protecting ourselves from a situation that exceeds us. Therefore it is something that protects us, it is good for us and it exists for a reason...

But like so many things, good in excess can be dangerous, and these mechanisms are no exception. The problem comes when they are used excessively or at times when they are not only not necessary, but make it difficult to get out of a relatively easy situation that we unintentionally drag out.

What happens when we feel blocked?

The blockage has a multicausal origin: traumatic experiences, lack of self-esteem, anxiety, depression, lack of confidence or knowledge... All this results in a lack of response to any situation, which leads to their time to time anxiety, frustration, and stress.

At the brain level, a Canadian University conducted a study where they showed how hormones that are released under stress affect brain regions related to memory and spatial orientation, and influence the imbalance of the neurotransmitters. This fact, in turn, influences the moments in which we feel that we go blank and we can't remember meaningful ideas or goals to pursue.

At the same time, the fact of feeling vulnerable and not knowing what to do leads us to feel more anxious, which in turn feeds the mental blockage, etc. It creates a loop of indecision that is sometimes difficult to break.

How to get out of that jam

As for the proposals for improvements in these situations, the majority have to do with a healthy lifestyle, balanced diet, rest and physical exercise. It is something so basic that it may sound like a joke, but there are several studies that give truth to this simple recipe.

For example, a study conducted in people with mental disorders points to the ability to physically reshape brain structure simply by speaking to themselves in a more positive way.

Words activate tonsil nuclei. Scientists at the University of Harward have shown that when a person reduces their inner cacophony (or as my Professor of Psychology, the mental centrifuge) and we find silence, migraines and coronary pain can be reduced in a 80%.

On the other hand, people who do some kind of physical activity on a regular basis have lower levels of anxiety and stress. It has been seen in several studies how exercise increases the concentration of norepinephrine in the brain regions involved with the body's response to stress. This has a direct effect on the frequency of mental block episodes. Finally, according to scientific research on the subject, our immune system responds the same to lack of sleep as it does to exposure to stress.

Since we live in a society where the rhythms of life dislocate us and mental disorders could become the Our daily bread, it seems unequivocal to say that part of the solution is in ourselves, that it is a matter of attitude.

Dare to manage stress

First of all, we shouldn't crush ourselves when we're going through a mental block stage. It is very easy to fall into the "I shouldn't complain, there are people who are much worse off" and feel guilty and more frustrated for not being able to control that emotion.

There will always be people who are having a worse time, but there will also be people who are better; We have the right to feel lost in some moments of our life. The important thing is not to fall into the "comfort" of becoming a taxpayer, to gloat in our own discomfort and take an attitude of laissez faire in which we do not try to get out of that bad streak.

Every option that comes to mind, as ridiculous as it may seem, is a decision and, therefore, an opportunity. You have to try your luck, and bad luck, and repeat again. The important thing is to participate, right? And go out; escape from the mental maze in which we sometimes get trapped.

And it is that as Santiago Ramón y Cajal said, "every human being, if he proposes it, can be a sculptor of his own brain".