Heard about writer's block? It’s the icky situation that comes up when you want to write something and the coffee, the laptop, the quiet room are all in place but you simply CAN’T GET STARTED! When asked, most writer’s say it’s because of a flux of overwhelming amount of content. And eventually, not being able to connect the dots so as to weave a good piece of writing. Others blame it on having no ideas at all! In the backdrop of the notion, it to be exists because of something else completely. To some it may bring a paltry relief, a reason to believe that they haven’t lost their originality, to some a tone of scorn. Procrastination is the word! Your mind is stuck in the hamster wheel of a chain of cyclical and futile thoughts about how the work is going to be received by others? Or will it match your expectations or not? Will it be lackluster or mediocre? Throw in the mix some envy about the success of others, anxiety of not getting started, deadlines, perfectionism and a plethora of other relics of irrelevance. And alas! one hefty pile of crap handed to the mind to ruminate upon! So, it's obvious, when we summon our intellect to create some new content to write about, it’s toiling away for the aforementioned rambunctious monsters of your imagination. 

One should pause for a moment in these situations. And you’ll realize a simple thing, a lot of the of what you’re thinking about hasn’t actually happened. Do this (for real): - Keep your hands (palms facing) a couple of inches apart and keep them still for a few moments. At a random instant of time, clap it once (louder the better!). The feeling that you have for a brief moment after the clap, of the emptiness, the alertness is called the “now”. Sadly, it stays for a brief moment, until the ghosts of chaos possess your mind again. But its short stay makes us realize the superficiality of these thoughts of ours. No amount of distractions that we try to occupy our minds with, such as venting those emotions, occupying your brain with other stuff and even positive thinking will do any good, because the remains of these thoughts will continue to wreak havoc in the backdrop. In a nutshell, fall back into the moment, into the silence, ideas and originality shall pursue because we all know it for a fact that we all have different minds. Which is a result of the different experiences that we’ve had since we took our first breath. It turns out, we’re unconsciously original!   

So much for something as trivial as a ‘writer’s block’ (no offence to writers!)? Well, not necessarily. If you think about it, a lot of times we suffer something I call the “Existential block”. Inordinately thinking about doing something, harrowed by bouts of consequentialism. Like when you want to ask someone out on a date, speak out about an opinion of yours to a crowd. Like the former mental block, in these moments, when you have to make an executive decision about anything. However nugatory they might be, the ghosts resurface and unleash their chaos. A rush of adrenaline follows suit and sh*t really starts going south! When it’s all done, we observe how other people are so easily able to glide through these situations, it’s natural to feel bad about oneself.   

W’rry not mine own,

thou art not high-lone!     
 
 
 
Have a genuine sit-down with your thoughts and identify their roots. Observe the degree of procrastination, that you unconsciously do. There were some moments in your life when you were a little fledgling which were so raw and sensitive. This was the time when you didn't know the wicked mannerisms of the world, but knew how to learn. When these moments met your innocence, you were quite flabbergasted as to how to react to them. So, you sought aid from those who raised you and the ones around you. You asked questions and observed keenly as how they coped with such emotions. Sometimes they got irritated, cringy, happy and sometimes your questions weren’t answered at all. Anxiety, lust, desire, anger, gloom, loss and a lot of such information was hurled your way, but were your doubts painstakingly but responsibly dealt with or were there some gaps left behind?  
Nobody has a perfect childhood. OfCourse, the people who raised you were themselves raised to be the people they were. They learned from you as well, so there’s no one to blame. But the gaps that they might’ve left behind in your “emotional database”, can turn into emotionally hostile grounds, which you find better to eschew than to deal with. When anybody lurks around such sensitive soft spots you become defensive and do anything to prevent from exposing your vulnerabilities. It’s going to be one big pill to swallow, but, one thing is true. The cosmos is as vast as eternity itself. A miniscule part of which is our Milky Way. And compared to which the humans are simply synonymous to nullity. So, you are anything but in control. The loss of control, however terrifying it might sound on the face of it, brings an unusual sense of calm. We can finally start feeling responsible, not for everything else, but oneself at last. Mourn away little one, for what couldn’t be learnt, what we weren’t.  Let the shields fade away, only you’re the one, who may bring the ghosts of the mind, acceptance and redemption at last. The existential block would recede, and new roads of perspective would open up!