Do you ever just have a blank mind?

Yes, especially if I'm really tired or overwhelmed by something.
 
Night Owl said:
Do you ever just have a blank mind?

I.e. In the course of the day, or during conversation, does your mind just 'go blank'?

This is a common occurrence for me. It doesn't trouble me, though it can make conversations a little awkward at times for the other person haha. I usually just say: sorry my mind is blank, I'd say something if I had something to say. At least that's something. It's a blankness of mind that dominates, whilst after an interval I then begin a mental commentary - a narration voice over if you will - like one who walks into an empty room... "So... my mind is blank ey, what can I say... okay, still nothing... there's no movement at the station... I'll just wait it out or wait until they say something I can latch unto."

Hence here I am drawing a distinction between conscious higher cognitive processing and what one might call lower cognitive processing - experientially, they're both tangibly different in a very clear and distinct manner. Perhaps the terms active thinking and passive thinking descriptively help. All of these terms might be used with slightly different understandings attached in the scientific and psychology field, than I am using them here, but perhaps people can relate (or not) to the blankness of mind I am describing. Bearing in mind I am not speaking of a state of mind I bring about through conscious efforts, i.e. It's not a result of eastern style meditation, it is just a natural phenomena/occurrence in my daily experience - it's never disabling or disorientating, quite the opposite really, though socially awkward at times, and it's too hard to say 'how long' such 'episodes' or moments last, but never too long, and sensory or mental stimuli can get me out of it.
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Hi...my mind doesn't go blank. Folks do however tell me I'm hard to follow in conversation because I talk three or four conversations at once lol. My mind races to try and 'paint' a verbal picture for the person talking with. People tell me their imagination is more expansive after talking with me.
 
bellisima said:
it does happen to me too. usually when i'm stressed. i even asked a friend if it's possible to lose memory and become "blank" when you think too much. :|
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Yes, I think this happens to me as well. Your mind is overloaded, so it starts forgetting basic information, because it feels as if it's processing too much at once, so it does a complete dump, leaving your mind feeling like it's pulp.

sprinkles said:
Yes. I enjoy it. It means my mind is taking a break.
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Yes, it's heavenly when my mind is not thinking. I long for those moments. They make me feel truly at peace. *drools*
 
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Gist said:
Yes, I think this happens to me as well. Your is overloaded, so it starts forgetting basic information, because it feels as if it's processing too much at once, so it does a complete dump, leaving your mind feeling like it's pulp.
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i think my mind came to a complete dump HAHAHA
 
Sandie33 said:
Hi...my mind doesn't go blank. Folks do however tell me I'm hard to follow in conversation because I talk three or four conversations at once lol. My mind races to try and 'paint' a verbal picture for the person talking with. People tell me their imagination is more expansive after talking with me.
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haha -- I do the multiconversation thing too. text and chat gets all crazy, but it's efficient =)
 
Sriracha said:
Yup, but only if the other person is not engaging me in conversation. Lengthy monologues are difficult.
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This happened a few days ago and I could feel boredom beginning to set in on my face which potentially (if untreated :)) could lead to a blank mind. I struggle with people who don't stop to take a breath or go from one subject to another without actually engaging in a two-way/group exchange (depending on the setting)....that's when the mind goes blank (I've lost interest). Most of the time, I'm aware that I'm doing it - other times I just don't care (easier to get away with it in a group setting). Fortunately on this occasion, after what seemed like ages, I swiftly engaged in conversation with someone else and I was back on track. Phew!
 
Isabella said:
This happened a few days ago and I could feel boredom beginning to set in on my face which potentially (if untreated :)) could lead to a blank mind. I struggle with people who don't stop to take a breath or go from one subject to another without actually engaging in a two-way/group exchange (depending on the setting)....that's when the mind goes blank (I've lost interest). Most of the time, I'm aware that I'm doing it - other times I just don't care (easier to get away with it in a group setting). Fortunately on this occasion, after what seemed like ages, I swiftly engaged in conversation with someone else and I was back on track. Phew!
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I also had the opposite happen. I was getting to know the new neighbor across her kitchen table. Conversation was very nice until she said she was a psychologist. Then all of a sudden, my perception is that "think" I'm being psychoanalyzed and this wave of nervousness overcame me. She asked me a question and I could not put my words together right ... my mind was completely blank. I sat there with my hands over my eyes for a couple seconds to collect myself. It was extremely strange and I can say doesn't happen often. Very very awkward for me.
 
Yes, this happens to me a lot. Especially when in conversation with more than one person. My mind just flies out of the window. It also happens when I feel very stressed or when I have been studying too much.
 
Sriracha said:
I also had the opposite happen. I was getting to know the new neighbor across her kitchen table. Conversation was very nice until she said she was a psychologist. Then all of a sudden, my perception is that "think" I'm being psychoanalyzed and this wave of nervousness overcame me. She asked me a question and I could not put my words together right ... my mind was completely blank. I sat there with my hands over my eyes for a couple seconds to collect myself. It was extremely strange and I can say doesn't happen often. Very very awkward for me.
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She was definitely making notes - psychologists never have a day off! ;) Thanks for the giggles
 
Isabella said:
I struggle with people who don't stop to take a breath or go from one subject to another without actually engaging in a two-way/group exchange (depending on the setting)....that's when the mind goes blank (I've lost interest).
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So when they talk at you, not with you. :)
 
aeon said:
So when they talk at you, not with you. :)
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Yes and no ;) Yes there are some people who have no desire to engage in a conversation but just talk at you (or periodically and randomly at anyone else they can find) and I have no hesitation about what to do in these cases.

In the situation I described, I don't believe he was intentionally talking at me but after nearly 30 mins of actively listening I got exhausted. In addition, I was also aware out of the corner of my eye that there was another person who was sat on their own and I was trying to find ways to include them in the conversation. Anyway, I didn't offend him because I got a friendly "thank you hug" at the end of the evening. :)

So the moral of the story is that when I'm exhausted - I blank/zone out.
 
I rarely ever have a completely blank mind. I'm the type who always has thoughts swirling around in my head. The only time my mind is blank is when I make a conscious effort to do so, such as in activities like yoga or meditation. Setting aside time to relax my mind is important to me.
 
This happens to me quite frequently. The trigger is emotionally charged content that I am unable to handle, so my mind shuts off as a sort of defense mechanism. Sometimes paying attention is too difficult as well.
 
I quite often zone out ( especially if I'm a passenger in a car ) people can often think I'm in a mood as I tend to just stare out my window and into the horizon.

But when I do some basic meditation, I've managed ( on rare occasions ) to completely silence my mind. To the point where I can't feel/hear my breath and can't feel my body. It's incredible but rare for me to experience it. Even when I come back to myself I feel like I've been washed ashore in a massive ocean of total relaxation.

Plus I think with the 24/7 lifestyle and technology at our disposal, it's good to hit the off switch every now and then. Or flick it into auto-pilot.
 
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