Like many innate reactions we humans experience day-to-day, the 'mind blank' is actually one of the age-old fight-or-flight mechanisms we developed to survive; based on feelings of anxiety, the brain attempts to shield itself from the situation it's currently facing, in order to mitigate the stress said situation is ...
Mind-blanking—when our minds are seemingly “nowhere”—is defined by a lack of conscious awareness. During periods of blankness, the individual is not focally aware of any stimuli, either internal or external.
In other words, mind blanking is a normal neurocognitive phenomenon. Mind blanking can occur spontaneously (without clear reason) or when the brain is overloaded. In either case, performance is not necessarily affected in an adverse way (1). In other words, mind blanking doesn't have to be disastrous.
An absence seizure causes you to blank out or stare into space for a few seconds. They can also be called petit mal seizures. Absence seizures are most common in children and typically don't cause any long-term problems. These types of seizures are often set off by a period of hyperventilation.
The takeaway is that even though theres an intuitively appealing image of people with ADHD simply being distracted because they bounce from one idea to the next, its important to keep in mind that both mind wandering and blank thoughts are associated with ADHD.
Some mental health conditions that may cause anxiety and brain fog include: depression. anxiety disorders, such as generalized anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
There is a rare condition in which people claim to experience no thoughts or have no inner monologue. This could be a symptom of trauma, depersonalization, or other dissociative disorders. But worry not, if you are experiencing this, there are ways to overcome this condition.
Mind blanking is a distinct mental state linked to a recurrent brain profile of globally positive connectivity during ongoing mentation.
When you 'go blank', it's usually because you are talking too quickly – thoughts are coming out of your mouth as soon as they are produced. When this is happening, your pace is too fast for you and your audience.
Brain fog can be a symptom of a nutrient deficiency, sleep disorder, bacterial overgrowth from overconsumption of sugar, depression, or even a thyroid condition. Other common brain fog causes include eating too much and too often, inactivity, not getting enough sleep, chronic stress, and a poor diet.
Possible reasons for indecisiveness
You are trying to make the perfect decision. You do not want to make a misstep. The thought of things not going as planned is intolerable. The idea of your decision possibly being 'wrong' stops you from moving forward.
Everyone spaces out from time to time. While spacing out can simply be a sign that you are sleep deprived, stressed, or distracted, it can also be due to a transient ischemic attack, seizure, hypotension, hypoglycemia, migraine, transient global amnesia, fatigue, narcolepsy, or drug misuse.
Thought blocking is not usually a cause for concern. It can happen to anyone at any time due to factors such as tiredness or stress. However, it can also be a symptom of a more serious mental health condition, such as schizophrenia.
Blank Mind Syndrome
Sometimes, people feel like their brain is empty because they can't seem to focus on anything. This is called “blank mind syndrome” and it's pretty common. There are a few things that can cause blank mind syndrome, including: – Not getting enough sleep. – Not taking breaks throughout the day.
Differences in emotions in people with ADHD can lead to 'shutdowns', where someone is so overwhelmed with emotions that they space out, may find it hard to speak or move and may struggle to articulate what they are feeling until they can process their emotions.
People with ADHD will have at least two or three of the following challenges: difficulty staying on task, paying attention, daydreaming or tuning out, organizational issues, and hyper-focus, which causes us to lose track of time. ADHD-ers are often highly sensitive and empathic.
vacillating Add to list Share. Other forms: vacillatingly. If someone can't make up their mind, you can call that person vacillating.
Stress. Stress is one of the “usual suspects” when you can't seem to stop thinking. Stress causes your body to release cortisol, and cortisol helps you stay alert. This means that your brain stays alert, too — even when you don't want it to.
feel isolated — disinterested in the company of family and friends, or withdrawing from usual daily activities. feel overwhelmed — unable to concentrate or make decisions. be moody — feeling low or depression; feeling burnt out; emotional outbursts of uncontrollable anger, fear, helplessness or crying.
It is currently a behavior that's become hardwired due to past trauma. And right now, it is out of your mind's control. Freezing up is a primal response that becomes activated within your nervous system whenever your body is subtly reminded of past trauma.