Based on the book “The Brain with Obstacles” by Theo Tsaousidis

Man's most powerful tool is his brain, but it also creates his biggest problems. If we learn to control the brain, we will gain access to unlimited possibilities.

You can manage your brain through awareness (understanding your thinking glitches and what causes them) and engagement (taking steps to achieve your goals).

Thinking failures stop us and force us to imitate work, we become passive and lose productivity.

Here are 5 strategies to overcome such obstacles:

1. Self-doubt

A person who doubts himself does not know what to do: tasks are scary, which blocks activity and forces him to switch his attention to protecting himself. Thus, you are afraid to start, change your life, try new things.

This anxiety - that is, fear without a real object - is imaginary. You need to learn to suppress such anxiety.

You can suppress through habituation - the brain cannot react equally strongly to emerging challenges if it constantly faces them. We must start by overcoming situations with minimal anxiety with the help of information, gradually moving on to what is more disturbing. Facts will switch your brain from the primitive fight-or-flight response to more complex reactions that are harder to suppress - and the anxiety goes away.

2. Procrastination for later.

As you know, if there is no action, there are no results. The reason for procrastination is often the uncertainty of whether the actions being taken will lead to results or not.

In order to understand this, first figure out whether you need to do this at all? Maybe you can entrust this task to someone else? Maybe there are some other options for implementing the task? Draw the result in your imagination - and then you will have a vivid picture of the achieved goal, which will motivate you to move forward. Decide what skills and resources you have and what you need to bring in. You don't have to move forward in huge strides. Even a little progress is better than standing still.

3. Zaval

It seems that the ability to juggle many things is the quality of a professional.

In fact, this only creates fatigue, stress and the desire to give up everything - a blockage from which it is difficult to get out.

Therefore, it is better to focus, that is, learn to keep your attention on one thing without being distracted. Another skill that will help you is the ability to switch - that is, finish a task or put it aside, and then continue from where you left off.  

These skills are trained by making small attempts every day to avoid distractions, gradually increasing the amount of time you are focused.

4.  Stubbornness

If you stick to the plan, that's good. But if circumstances change - your ship is heading towards the reefs, but you stubbornly stick to the accepted course - you will be shipwrecked. 

Lack of flexibility is associated with a fear of change and the new, and a reluctance to come up with new solutions. You can overcome this by developing creativity. Teach yourself to always come up with several alternative solutions to a given problem. Use the brainstorming method for this - the main rule is that associations do not need to be evaluated, let them be spontaneous. Change your routine, do something new every day - this will teach you to always be ready for changes and new decisions.

5.  "The Excellent Student Syndrome"

Doing things the best way seems to be a virtue, not a liability.  The problem is that “in the best way” is a very difficult to achieve and elusive goal, an unattainable ideal.

To fight perfectionism, you need to learn how to prioritize correctly. Ask yourself the question: “What is most important right now?” and do only what will lead to achieving this goal, harshly discarding details and trifles, allowing yourself to be imperfect.

If you need help along this path, I will be glad to help you. To sign up for an online consultation with a psychologist, click the button below.

Take action and you will succeed!