The Journey to Mental Clarity

I’ve often said and truly believe that the human brain is the greatest development this planet has ever known. It is impossible to overstate the importance of our brains’ influence on our world.  Our collective brain is responsible for planet-shaping construction projects like, damns, bridges, canals, skyscrapers, cities and roads, to name just a few.  The human brain has developed agriculture, domesticated animals, manifested laws, religion, art, language, etc.  It has identified the source of many afflictions and diseases and it has discovered or developed treatments and cures for many of these maladies.  The human brain has extracted energy from fossil fuels, nuclear reactions, the oceans and rivers, the sun and the wind. We can communicate with the most remote corners of our world almost instantaneously and we can travel to virtually anywhere on Earth in relative ease, comfort and speed because of the magnificence of our human brain. The human brain is seemingly limitless in its capacity to reason, to debate, to ponder and to create. And one of the most important factors that have allowed this to happen within our brain is mental charity.

Mental clarity, sometimes also referred to as cognitive clarity or clear-headedness, refers to a state of mind where an individual can process thoughts, ideas, and emotions in an organized, clear, and efficient manner. It’s characterized by a high level of alertness, concentration, and mindfulness, along with a lack of distraction, confusion, or mental fog.

But mental clarity does not mean that our conclusions are always correct.  If it did, there would be no catastrophic disasters such as collapsed bridges, undercut damns, derailed trains. Likewise, there would be no atrocities such as slavery, genocide or war. Clear thinking human beings can end up with opposing conclusions.

For the past five years or so, I have been battling foot issues that resulted in me being unable to walk.  This condition began with foot pain that occurred, usually after a long walk or hike.  The pain would come on suddenly as sharp stabbing pain on the side of my foot or my ankle.  The affected spot would stiffen. Swell and cause unbearable pain when I put any weight on it.  All I could do was rest my foot and wrap it in ice until the swelling subsided.  After a couple of days, I would be fine and resume normal activities.  As we emerged from the pandemic, my foot problem seemed to occur more frequently and look longer to heal. Bits of research led me to try certain exercises, new shoes, orthotics, toe rings and compression socks. But nothing solved the problem and soon I was in pain again.  Then, last May, I was hit with the worst bout of the foot pain I’d ever experienced.  It was so bad that it caused my foot to be swollen and incapacitated for over two months.  I finally sought medical treatment.  My primary doctor sent me to a podiatrist who told me that my condition was likely caused by my slightly unusual gait.  He said I would have to wait until the foot was fully healed and then I would be fitted for a custom orthotic. I’d explained that I tried orthotics but was told that they had to be custom fit to my feet. So, I thought that I had finally found the solution to my problem.

When the swelling in my foot finally started to subside I began walking again, but something was different.  I felt a numbness that ran down my leg and into my foot.  I also had difficulty lifting my toes because of a noticeable weakness in my foot.  I was walking, sort of, but I was using mostly my good foot and dragging the injured one around. Armed with more knowledge I did a more robust search which led me to this page from the Mayo Clinic’s website. The true cause of my problem was nerve damage.

Nerve damage, also known as neuropathy, can significantly impact the muscles needed for walking. This occurs because the nerves are responsible for transmitting signals between your brain and muscles. If the nerves in your leg or foot are damaged, they might not send these signals correctly, which can lead to a number of problems. Here are some ways nerve damage might affect your walking:

1. Muscle Weakness: Nerves carry signals from the brain to the muscles, telling them when to contract and relax. If these signals aren’t transmitted properly, the muscles may not function as they should. This can result in weakness, making it harder to walk, stand, or maintain balance.

2. Foot Drop: Damage to the peroneal nerve, which wraps around the fibula bone in the lower leg, can lead to a condition called foot drop. With foot drop, an individual may drag the front of the foot on the ground while walking because the muscles that lift the foot aren’t functioning correctly.

3. Muscle Atrophy: Long-term nerve damage can lead to muscle wasting, or atrophy. When muscles don’t receive regular signals from the nerves, they can shrink and lose mass. This often leads to further weakness and difficulty in walking.

4. Altered Sensation: Nerves also transmit sensory information to the brain. With nerve damage, you might experience numbness, tingling, or pain. This can alter your sense of where your foot is in space (proprioception), making it harder to coordinate movements and maintain balance.

5. Impaired Reflexes: Nerve damage can also slow reflex responses. This can make it difficult to react quickly to prevent falls or adjust your movement when walking on uneven surfaces.

6. Gait Abnormalities: As a result of the above issues, nerve damage can lead to changes in how you walk, known as gait abnormalities. These can include limping, shuffling, or other irregular walking patterns.

This neuropathy seemed to describe my condition exactly.  But I didn’t seem to have any of the major risk factors that would cause this damage.  I’m not diabetic, which is by far three leading cause of this condition.  So I researched further. I got the final piece of the puzzle from this Johns Hopkins website.  The problem wasn’t rooted in my foot or my leg.  It was coming from my back!  It is a condition known as lumbar spinal stenosis.

Lumbar spinal stenosis is a condition in which the spinal canal in the lower back (lumbar region) narrows, which can cause compression or pinching of the spinal cord and nerve roots. This narrowing can occur due to a variety of factors, including aging, arthritis, herniated discs, tumors, or trauma.

When the spinal cord or nerve roots become compressed, they can’t transmit signals as effectively as they normally would. This can lead to a type of nerve damage known as neuropathy. The symptoms of neuropathy can vary depending on the location and severity of the nerve compression, but often include pain, numbness, tingling, muscle weakness, and impaired reflexes.

If the nerves affected are those that control the muscles in your legs and feet, lumbar spinal stenosis can interfere with your ability to walk. The compressed nerves may not be able to effectively transmit signals from the brain to the muscles, leading to muscle weakness. Furthermore, pain or numbness in the legs or feet can make it difficult to stand or walk. This is sometimes referred to as neurogenic claudication, and it can cause symptoms such as pain and heaviness in the legs that worsens with standing or walking and eases when sitting or leaning forward.

Moreover, because the nerves in the lumbar region also play a role in transmitting sensory information (like the feeling of the ground beneath your feet) to your brain, stenosis can cause problems with balance and coordination, making walking even more difficult.

Treatment options for lumbar spinal stenosis and associated neuropathy can include medication, physical therapy, lifestyle changes (such as losing weight or quitting smoking), assistive devices (like canes or walkers), and in severe cases, surgery to relieve pressure on the spinal cord or nerves.

I have consulted with Orthopedic doctors and surgeons, submitted to multiple scans and x-rays, and there is finally a course of action that is leading to me managing this condition.  I am taking weight off to alleviate the pressure on my spine, I am undergoing regular injections of medication to curtail the swelling in my nerve and I am engaging in regular exercise meant to reinforce and strengthen my legs and feet.  My progress has been steady and I am now on the road to recovery.

But what does this have to do with mental clarity? Well… everything!  I felt certain, with an abundance of mental clarity that my condition was caused by a problem in my foot. This was re-affirmed by the podiatrist I went to. That doctor gave credence to the saying, “when you’re a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” I was clear in my thinking, but my assumptions and suppositions were wrong.

Mental clarity is often associated with decisiveness, focus, and comprehension. However, even with mental clarity, we can sometimes reach incorrect conclusions due to various factors:

1. Confirmation Bias: This is our tendency to seek, interpret, and remember information in a way that confirms our existing beliefs or ideas. When we feel mentally clear and focused, we might be more susceptible to confirmation bias because we may interpret this clarity as being on the right track, even if we’re inadvertently ignoring conflicting information.

2. Overconfidence Effect: Mental clarity can sometimes lead to overconfidence, where one may overestimate their knowledge or abilities. This can result in overlooking important details or failing to seek out additional information or perspectives, which can lead to incorrect conclusions.

3. Simplistic Thinking: Clarity can sometimes result in oversimplified perspectives. While it’s important to simplify complex situations to understand them better, oversimplification can ignore nuances and complexities, leading to inaccurate conclusions.

4. Limited Perspective: Mental clarity is typically a subjective experience and can be limited by one’s knowledge, experiences, and worldview. A person may feel very clear and confident about their understanding of a situation, but if they are missing key information or perspectives, they may reach an incorrect conclusion.

5. Hindsight Bias: This refers to our tendency to perceive events as having been predictable or inevitable after they’ve already happened. Mental clarity might make us feel like our conclusions were the only logical ones, even when they are incorrect.

6. Rushed Judgement: Mental clarity may lead individuals to reach conclusions quickly, often without thoroughly examining all available data. This can lead to errors in judgement as essential aspects might be overlooked.

So, while mental clarity is generally a valuable cognitive state, it’s also important to remain humble, open-minded, and careful in our thinking to avoid these pitfalls. Remember that clarity should not equate to infallibility.

We live in a society divided almond ideological lines. Our views on many social, economic, cultural, religious and sexual issues, just to name a few, are sometimes diametrically opposed to the views of our family, friends, neighbors, colleagues and countrymen. Is one side lacking mental clarity?  No.  Just like me and my family doctor and my podiatrist all were clear that my foot pain was caused by my foot, it wasn’t until I got additional information that it became clear that the problem stemmed from my back.

My clear mental thinking about my foot ailment was colored by many of the factors listed above.  My overconfidence and rushed judgement was based on a limited understanding of the workings and interconnectivity of my body.  I was clear and direct in my thinking but Wong in my assumptions, which led to an incorrect conclusion. Let my ordeal serve as a learning moment.

Mental clarity, marked by sharp focus, decisive thinking, and an orderly understanding of ideas, is a vital component in our cognitive arsenal that fuels our productivity, boosts our problem-solving skills, enhances our emotional well-being, and encourages better decision-making. It illuminates the path toward meaningful goal-oriented actions and fosters a harmonious balance between our personal and professional lives.

However, the very essence of mental clarity can sometimes lead us into cognitive traps of overconfidence, confirmation bias, simplistic thinking, and rushed judgments. To harness the full power of mental clarity while avoiding these pitfalls, we need to be vigilant in scrutinizing our mental processes. It is essential to maintain an open mind, continually challenge our perspectives, and invite diverse viewpoints. Furthermore, we must avoid conflating the feeling of mental clarity with correctness, acknowledging the human tendency to make errors even in the face of perceived clarity.

In a world of increasing complexity and constant information bombardment, mental clarity emerges as a guiding star, illuminating the way forward. But like any tool, its use is most effective when combined with a discerning, mindful approach. As such, let us celebrate mental clarity as an empowering cognitive state, recognizing its potential benefits while exercising caution to circumvent its potential pitfalls. The pursuit of mental clarity, then, becomes a journey of continual learning and unlearning, refining our understandings and narratives in the light of new insights and information.

John teaches Yin Yoga at F.L.O.W. in Abington, PA once a week, along with dedicating time to writing, playing piano, and enjoying time with his wife. To learn more about John, visit: https://flowwellnesscenter.org/ourteam