Blank Mind

A blank mind. Not much fun when giving a presentation at work or on a first date. Being stuck for words in any ‘performance’ situation fills people with dread. Thankfully, you can do something when your brain goes offline.

In this article:

What is a blank mind?
The role of anxiety
Mind blanking at work
The four-step strategy
An extra strategy

Blank mind syndrome

Strictly speaking, a blank mind itself is not a formal medical condition. So, it is a bit misleading to call this issue a syndrome or diagnosis. However, this problem may be associated with various health issues and cause more serious disruption (e.g., neurodegenerative condition, psychiatric disorder, burnout).

Researchers Ward and Wegner (1) tell us that mind-blanking involves a lack of conscious awareness. This phenomenon occurs when attention and perception stop working together. In other words, attention is not grabbing any 'inputs' (e.g., external sounds, bodily sensations) for your conscious awareness to do something with.

Your mind is nowhere, rather than 'elsewhere' (as in the case of mind-wandering).

My mind went blank

Many researchers argue that mind-blanking is a common mental state, albeit tricky to measure. Attention is one of many thinking or neurocognitive abilities. Examples of other skills include concentration, memory, problem-solving, and mental control. Mind blanking is associated with specific brain regions (Broca's area, hippocampus, anterior cingulate cortex; 2).

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. However, our poll (see below) reveals that 52% of people can’t pick when mind blanking will occur. This uncertainty can create a degree of anxiety around this problem. However, we have a four-step strategy to help.

I can’t think straight!!

So mind blanking is unavoidable, normal, and not necessarily a big problem. But the often unpredictable nature of this phenomenon can cause undue chaos through certain psychological responses.

Many people understandably push the panic button when the brain suddenly morphs into a barren cognitive wasteland. I often see this element emerge with mind-blanking. Specifically, people start to anxiously anticipate this problem through unhelpful thoughts such as:

What if it happens in my next meeting?

My colleagues will think I am incompetent

As anxiety increases, so does the chance of additional neurocognitive problems. Anxiety has a well-documented effect on several cognitive functions such as working memory (3). Unhelpful thoughts create ‘threat interference’ by grabbing our attentional resources (4). Instead of focusing on leading a team meeting, we are drawn towards predictions of catastrophe.

In this way, anxiety can create a self-fulfilling prophecy of impaired performance.

Work performance shocks

In some (but not all) cases, people start to question their abilities if mind blanking increases. A new, damaging narrative may even emerge. For example:

I’m not up to this job

I’m going to get found out

I am an imposter

Behaviour changes often occur in an attempt to compensate for perceived incompetence. You might over-prepare, start saying yes too often, or fail to delegate appropriately.

However, you can do something about this problem.

We can see how this scenario can be particularly problematic in performance environments like the workplace. Thankfully, there are techniques to address the mind blanking problem.

Combat mind blank anxiety

Pause, Breathe, Helpful Self-Talk, Reset.

These are the four steps I recommend when a person comes to me with mind blanking episodes.

Pause

The first response to mind blanking is to pause or slow yourself down.

Attempting to force a rapid response/reboot can lead to additional anxiety when the brain doesn't immediately respond. Pause in any way appropriate to the situation. Some options might include: Take a slow sip of water, tell people your mind has gone blank (it's common after all), or take a short break.

Breathe

Next, we need a strategy to calm down your body's alarm (fight, flight, freeze) system. Diaphragmatic breathing is a great way to achieve this.

Listen to a demonstration of this technique here:

Helpful Self-Talk

As stated below, mind-blanking happens to everyone. We may even be in a state of mind blanking up to 18% of the time (2). Normalising this mental event can be part of an effective response. Normalise through statements such as:

This happens to everyone, or
This is a normal consequence of exercising my brain

See PNAS article in references section below.

You can counter a tendency to catastrophise by saying:

This doesn't have to be a disaster
I can recover, or
This doesn't have to affect my performance

Reset

Depending on the situation, you usually have the option to reset or defer after mind blanking.

Reset involves restarting the activity in some way. For example, ask someone to repeat/rephrase a question, tell people 'We're going to take that from the top again', or write down some words/a diagram to summarise where you were before mind blanking.
Defer means you put off the mental task you were trying to perform until ready to continue. Deferring could involve asking someone else to speak or pausing the activity.

You can also try this expansion exercise to help reset your brain:

An extra strategy

A common psychological factor in mind blanking is negative self-talk about abilities. People hold all kinds of negative beliefs about their skills. Here are some examples:

‘I am a poor problem-solver’
‘I can’t think under pressure’
‘I’m not creative’
‘My colleagues are more talented’

These thoughts switch the brain into threat mode and mind blanking results. People incorrectly interpret a blank mind as evidence of skill deficits, rather than realising these thoughts have simply blocked access to these skills.

To get around this vicious cycle, as yourself:

‘How would I advise a friend/colleague in this situation ?’

Taking a scenario ‘out of your own body’ can neutralise negative self-talk. Once you have given this fictional person some advice, you can apply it to yourself.

Alternatively, you can learn more about thinking distortions that impair performance and wellbeing.

You must pay attention to your physical state. Cognitive performance can decline when you don’t take care of your body. For instance, even mild dehydration can reduce attention and short-term memory (5). Keep yourself adequately hydrated and eat a healthy diet.

Summary

Mind-blanking is common, and your response to this phenomenon is essential. Be aware of an unintentional tendency to raise the threat/fear level in some way, and try the Pause, Breathe, Helpful Self-Talk, Reset/Defer approach.

Listen to our podcast ‘Smart Conversations’

Learn more about neuroscience in this book by Frank Amthor and here’s a deep dive into breathing.

Apr 5 Strategies to combat a blank mind