Overcoming Life Block

You hear about it all the time. Writer’s Block– that awful moment you find yourself staring at the blank page and realize you have no idea how to begin and a deadline fast approaching. Oh, you have ideas, wonderful flights of fancy that have you finishing your report ahead of time, writing a best-selling novel or having your fabulous article published in the latest, greatest magazine. But the words just won’t come. The ones that do show up somehow don’t seem to fit together properly, so you delete and start over…and there’s that blank page again. It flashes in all its intimidating bright, white glory, daring you to create something wonderful.

OK, so you’re not a writer. Have you experienced “life block?” It’s the same thing. Wonderful dreams and goals, a great vision for how things should be – and absolutely no idea where to start. Overwhelmed with just getting through the day, you find yourself wanting to run directly to the nearest cave and pull a large rock over the entrance behind you. Safe in the still, dark cave – away from the noise and demands of your job, your family and your everyday life, you finally have time to think, to dream, to plan – perhaps even to journal – and the only thing you can hear over the still raging noise in your head is, “Why didn’t I remember to bring chocolate?”

Our lives have become so filled with “be more, do more, get more” so that we can “be more, do more and get more,” that we spend most of our time simply running in circles…and then wonder why we are no further down the road than we were last year or the year before.

The year is almost over. When was the last time you stopped running long enough to check your road map? You remember- the goals you set with such inspiration, motivation and enthusiasm at the beginning of the year. Have you been working toward your goals or just hoping they will somehow happen while you go on with life as usual?

The best way to cure writer’s block is to quit beating yourself up about what you’re NOT doing, and then do something different – take a walk, go to a movie, treat yourself to your favorite ice cream – change your attitude, your thinking – get a fresh sheet of paper – one that’s anything but WHITE. Do something creative. Make paper airplanes using all those blank sheets. Laugh, have some fun. Then get back on track, set aside specific time for writing and specific goals for how much you can realistically write each session. Little by little, day by day, the story will finish itself.

Sound familiar? Of course, it is. It’s the same for overcoming life block. Stop, change your thinking, and change your habits. Give yourself a break. Set specific goals and do something each day toward accomplishing them. Little-by-little, day-by-day you’ll find yourself willing to come back out of your cave and participate in the fullness and richness of your life story.

This article originally appeared in the Autumn 2019 issue of CHOICES Magazine