How do you get through the Mental brick wall when learning to code.?

I like to go back and forth between learning code, starting new projects and using what I've learned to tweak existing projects. I also will look for other courses related to what I'm trying to learn; sometimes just seeing the information presented in a different way makes all of the difference. Of course check here on Treehouse first but then there are some free sites that offer courses as well like Rails for Zombies and CodeCademy

Also the last thing I will say is that everyone hits a wall, don't let it discourage you or keep you from continuing to pursue your goals.

Matthew, good news for you. It is exactly the same for everyone. As you start to learn programming, it's good to take breaks, and often as needed. Take a walk, do something different, fully take your mind away from coding if you feel stuck. The subconscious mind tends to work out the details as you become fluent, and the ideas stick.

Treehouse has a unique approach that delivers bite-sized material for you to digest slowly. It's a process, so try not to fret too much or think you're alone — you're most certainly not. The more you learn, the better you'll start to grasp new programming-related material in the future. Hope this inspires you to keep going. We all go through this, especially early on.

Thanks for the response and the links, I will definitely check those out. I'm at the stage where I have an idea for something I want to develop, but am worried I don't know enough to do it, so I try and learn more, then I feel bogged down by not doing something that is fun and interesting..

Thanks for the encouragement and your comment Dustin. I feel like I have been doing the track forever.. Im determined to get through it, how much of it I will understand is anyones guess. :)

Hammock Driven Development :-)

Here's a great talk about using your subconscious to solve tough problems:

Hammock Driven Development - Rich Hickey: http://youtu.be/f84n5oFoZBc

Matt, I know exactly how you feel. I recently went back to college to get a computer science degree (I'm 30) and I struggled a TON! One great piece of advice I got from the comp. science department chair, is the importance of taking a break and clearing your mind. If you're struggling with a logic problem, spending hours hemming and hawing while staring at your code, a lot of the times doesn't help at all. Walk away, clear your mind, think of something else completely. I remember one time I was struggling with a problem for pretty much an entire day, just staring at the computer trying to piece the puzzle together. It was either the next day or the day after, while I was showering in the morning and not thinking about code at all, it just came to me. And I've heard several similar stories from others as well. Don't drown yourself in information, sometimes you just have to clear your mind.

And if it's syntax which is your problem, that just comes down to practice practice practice. Challenge yourself and write down code with pen and paper.

Good luck to you sir!

Thank you for all of your feedback, it is very much appreciated.