Mental Block: Robin Arzón on How to Overcome a Mental Block

Robin Arzón is the Vice President of Fitness Programming and a head instructor at Peloton. She has redefined herself over the past two decades, knocking out massive athletic achievements along the way. She’s run more than two dozen marathons, including three fifty-mile ultramarathons and a hundred-miler. (In 2010, she ran five marathons in five days, totaling 130 miles for MS Run the US in honor of her mother.) At Peloton, Robin inspires thousands of fitness fanatics to up their game and reach new echelons of excellence. Robin has a cult following on the fitness platform, and she calls her fans her “wolf pack.”

A mental block is an obstacle that can hamper your ability to complete essential tasks or fulfill your creative process. In creative fields, a mental block is also known as writer’s block, though mental block is relatively common among workers regardless of industry. Many obstacles may cause this block, which can last for varying lengths. Usually, a form of exhaustion or self-doubt is a significant cause of a workplace mental block.

Often, people experiencing a mental block know they can do more than the work they are generating, so these mental blocks can be frustrating. Nonetheless, there are ways to cope with this psychological obstacle that limits the ability to self-actualize. Rest, time away from work, and increased self-esteem can help alleviate this mental fatigue.

Mental block can manifest in a few ways. If you exhibit some of the signs below, you may be dealing with a mental block:

1. 1. Comparison: If you compare yourself to others, you may be spending energy in the wrong places. Comparison feeds your self-doubt and makes it more challenging to focus on work, sometimes enacting a mental block.
2. 2. Irritability: If you are more tense than usual or are more prone to anger, you may be experiencing a mental block. Those trying to succeed at work who feel they are missing the mark may channel that frustration into other parts of their lives.
3. 3. Procrastination: When a person has a mental block, they may want to avoid work. Procrastination can take many forms, including emotional eating, taking walks, playing games, fidgeting, and scrolling on the internet.
4. 4. Tunnel vision: If you feel you can only complete a task a certain way or if you reject creative input from peers, you may be dealing with a mental block, which also shuts out new modes of thinking.

The cause of your mental block may be multifaceted. See below for five potential reasons for mental blockage:

1. 1. Imposter syndrome: Self-doubt can get in the way of your ability to succeed. If you feel you are not worthy of your work or able to show your full potential, you may sink into a vicious cycle of imposter syndrome.
2. 2. Lack of sleep: If you are not getting enough sleep, are suffering from stress, or are coping with an illness, you may experience some workplace side effects, including mental block.
3. 3. Mental fatigue: Burnout is common when people overwork, which can lead to mental fatigue or fogginess in the mind that makes remembering specific ideas, words, or tasks more difficult.
4. 4. Perfectionism: If you are a perfectionist, you may freeze yourself out of fear of failing. Mistakes are how we learn, so failure is a normal part of work.
5. 5. Uncomfortable workspace: You must be in your comfort zone to complete your to-do list and explore your thought processes. Try reconsidering your space at your workplace. Add in personal décor, use negative space to create rest areas, and see if this boosts your creative juices.

Doing your best requires overcoming mental blocks. Robin Arzón shares how you can overcome a mental block to improve decision-making and jump more readily into creative ideas:

1. 1. Build upon your goals. Start small with your goals, and set reasonable ones so you can build from there. For example, nobody starts off running a marathon. “I think for the newer athlete or someone who doesn’t even call themselves an athlete yet, which is understandable, I’ve been there: start small,” Robin says. “We can see these training programs and get really overwhelmed. Or we look at somebody’s Instagram feed, and we’re just like, ‘Oh, my gosh, how will I ever achieve that thing?’”
2. 2. Embrace failure. “Failure is feedback, but failure doesn’t necessarily feel any better,” Robin says. Nonetheless, it is not only an essential part of our growth but also an inevitable one, as perfection is just that: unattainable. “I could have easily viewed my departure from law as a failure,” she adds. “Instead, I viewed it as a stepping stone. And there were things that I had to sacrifice.”
3. 3. Move forward. Failure will happen, but what’s important is that you keep moving onward. Moving on to the next race, task, or goal is on your time, but it’s necessary for growth. “Movement is a trust,” Robin says. “A trusted advocate and a trusted resource that I have access to whenever I want it, whenever I prioritize it.”
4. 4. Push through setbacks. Adaptation is not failure; it’s a wise pivot. “Two weeks before I started working at Peloton, I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic. My pancreas stopped producing insulin, completely unexpected. I’m the healthiest person I know. Still happened,” she says. “I was in the doctor’s office, and she said, ‘You’re a type 1 diabetic; you're gonna be dependent on insulin for the rest of your life.’ My first question was, ‘How am I gonna run the ultramarathon I have in three months?’ I had to decide: Do I crumble or do I pivot?” Setbacks are a natural part of growth and our professional journeys. Being obstinate won’t serve our development, so adapting to change is a must.
5. 5. Sweat out your inner critic. “Quiet the inner critic and amplify the inner advocate,” Robin says. “The inner critic can be really loud. It can be much louder than the inner advocate.” Celebrate your milestones, and take the time and care to reach them on your terms. Comparing yourself to others will be harmful, and there are ways to keep your critic at bay. For her part, Robin meditates. She says, “I have a meditation practice, I have a mindfulness practice.”

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