Creative blocks, problem-saving snags, and conflicts can be problematic, disappointing, and stressful. The harder you fight to overcome these issues, the more difficult they seem to become. If you have been trying to get a creative project going without success, or you have been faced with a particularly daunting problem, there are simple steps you can take to get the right ideas flowing again.
Ways to Get Unstuck
Creative professionals are often faced with moments of dry droughts, called creativity blocks. These moments bring feelings of helplessness, anxiety, and depression, but this does not have to be your story. If you’re feeling stuck when it comes to your art, here’s what to do:
- Get inspired through existing creative projects. You can do this by seeing a movie or visiting a museum.
- Try a change of environment. For example, you can move from a cramped indoor office to a park or well-lit coffee shop.
- Get to work even when you don’t feel inspired or motivated.
- Think back to the moment you fell in love with your art and retrace your steps back to that moment.
- Get involved in physical activities such as running or cycling.
Try Using Supplements for Creativity
- Modafinil: This popular smart pill has been proven to enhance brain function. It helps to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and improve the levels of serotonin and glutamate. These hormones regulate our moods and excite the brain cells, respectively.
- Phenibut: a smart drug that lowers inhibitions and increases the creative side of the mind. You immediately feel the need to do away with personal bias and get creative.
- Kava: is native to the Pacific Islands and popular in Hawaii and Micronesia. Its effects on the brain are similar to that of Phenibut. It drastically reduces self-doubt, giving you the freedom to bring your most brilliant ideas to life.
- Piracetam: Piracetam is the first synthetic nootropic. It helps to sharpen our creative side by activating certain receptors that relax and calm the brain.
5 Stages of Problem Solving
When a problem feels too big for your brain, you can try the five stages of problem-solving to get unstuck and discover the answer:
- Define the problem from different angles. Examine the root cause as well as contributing factors.
- Brainstorm possible solutions and pen down everything that comes to your mind.
- Choose the best idea after careful consideration.
- Put the chosen solution into action.
- Evaluate the outcome of your decision. If things don’t go as you wanted, repeat the process.
Examining Problem Solving Obstacles
Experts say that a few obstacles could be encountered during the problem-solving process. You can work through these obstacles by examining the following:
- Your mental set: This refers to a restriction that you place on other ideas because something else worked in the past. Because a solution worked in the past, you limit yourself to that and block out other ideas.
- Emotional blocks: emotions, such as the fear of looking stupid, can hold you back from considering great solutions to a problem.
Do away with both of these things, and you will have a solution to the problem.
What to Do When Writer’s Block Strikes
Writer’s block is a term used to describe the feeling writers experience when they are stuck. For some writers, it is a form of procrastination or resistance. For others, the required ideas are not just forthcoming. But there are ways you can overcome the situation. Here are some proven ways you can do that:
- Take a break from writing and do other things to help you relax. This can be something as simple as taking a shower or a walk.
- Do away with all distractions, such as email notifications and DMs. You can also stick to a routine instead of trying to decide whether to write or not. That in itself can be a distraction.
- Try freewriting. Just let ideas flow without any goal in mind. Just write.
- Read the works of other writers.
- Relax, get more nutrients, and sleep. Your brain may be just too overworked.
What to Do When You Can’t Seem to Move Past a Conflict
Getting stuck in a conflict with another person can be quite challenging. You need to resolve things amicably and peacefully with someone who might not reciprocate the same energy. However, even the most difficult conflict resolution issues can be solved if you have the right interpersonal skills.
Try as much as possible to view the problem from the other party’s perspective and find a way to meet halfway.
Learn more on how to achieve peak performance, attention, memory and overall brain performance at any age at Neuropedia.
