Is it normal to get "blocked" intellectually?

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I was so creative when I was little. I loved to draw, and I think that I was quite good at it. I also used to write lots of short stories, plays, poems and even songs. I used to read a lot as well, mostly novels, but also lots of articles about history and science. I had a lot of talent for learning new languages and I was very ambitious about it (I wanted to learn at least 10 languages). I was always praised by everyone about how creative and intelligent I was, which made my truly happy.

I don't know when it happened exactly, but I started to feel numbed intellectually. I haven't been drawing for years now, but I really don't feel inspired at all. I don't write that much anymore either and now I usually make many mistakes now. Whenever I check something new that I make, I instantly feel like it is crap.

Also, I don't read that much anymore and I grew to hate long novels for some reason. I am studying German now, but it has been months and I feel like I am not assimilating anything at all, while my classmates do great. I can't even hold intellectual conversations for long... I have felt like the dumbest person in the room many times already.

I am 25 and I don't do drugs or even drink alcohol. I had depression for a long time... but I don't think that could be the reason. If anything, I actually felt smarter when I was depressed.

I have been unemployed for a while now... and I even feel scared to get a new job, because I am afraid to "screw it up". I don't know, I just feel dumb.

So, is this normal?

Is It Normal?
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  • dandee
    10 years ago | pl

    You stole my brain!
    Honestly, I have EXACTLY the same problem (including depression ).

    For example, I play the guitar in a rockband and write songs. Some years ago, writing songs was really easy for me and I always had nice ideas, but this changed.
    Writing music is still no problem for me, but I can't write lyrics anymore. I guess it has to do with fear. I have no idea what to write about, and IF I have an idea and start writing, I stop after a few words because I fear what other people will think when they hear or read it. So, I didn't finish any song during the last three years.
    To me, it seems like I fear the song itself is bad when I don't write what I feel. When I write what I truly feel, I think it would be a really good song, but for some reason I have a HUGE fear of showing my feelings to other people, so I stop writing...

    Oh, and sorry for my bad english.

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  • Koda
    10 years ago | pl

    Could be a chemical or hormonal change. Many medications cause brain fog. I was taking this medication for a skin condition and I had to lower my dosage because it caused me to become more forgetful and lost for words. Everyone experiences the "tip of the tongue" phenomenon, but I had it multiple times per conversation for even basic words like conjunctions sometimes.

    You might also be suffering from depression differently than you have in the past. Depression is as chemical as any other brain disorder and can manifest itself in different symptoms over someone's life. Maybe you were sadder in the past, but this time the depression has left you mentally lethargic and unstimulated.

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  • Karmasbitch
    10 years ago | pl

    Yeah i know what you mean. I have days where I can be witty and hold an intellectual conversation, and other days where I can barely repeat the alphabet [like right there, spell check corrected alphabet for me And that's simple!]
    I believe this is normal.

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  • headwall
    10 years ago | pl

    I would say that unfortunately, for some with depression, that can be the case. Depression and anxiety have similarities, and being in a state of anxiety can reduce your ability to think critically/creatively due to the fight/flight response taking priority when you fear that you could mess up. In childhood I was at the top of the class, but when teenage years came along so did self awareness, which ruined me academically and sapped potential. However, in the last year positive things have started to happen and I'm less likely to imagine failure before I do something.

    There was a very interesting show I saw last week (Horizon: The Truth About Personality) where the host tried a regime of training his brain to see less of the negative, and it seemed to work....Here's the link.
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b036ypxw

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  • hitchman
    10 years ago | pl

    U gots a blockedd ass hole

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