Blanking – the forgotten symptom?

[Anonymous]

I’ve been thinking about it, blanking, and I think I have an explanation. You know, when you get from one destination to another on a regular bases, on automatic mode? Totally zoned out? Upon arriving to your destination you don’t remember going from point A to point B? Well I think we do the same with the ‘blanking’ problem. We zone out as when on a routine outing. Except of course, here it’s not on a routine type of action.

I’ve gotten myself pretty much ‘routined’ because I found that it prevents me from forgetting or losen things to often. So, I zone out often on routine routes. I think, and maybe I’m wrong, that when your brain gets to zone out so regularly, maybe you are more prone for these kind of zone out periods in a context that is not routine. That would explain why we are so weirded out by it.

If I am right, it is really scary to know you can zone out just about on any given occasion and not remember what you did

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[Anonymous]

Kazuo: Here is some information on Aspberger’s:

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/asperger%27s_syndrome?open

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[wawabyjohnah]

I thought I was getting early onset alzheimers or something similar due to my ‘blanking’ and forgetfulness. Drives me nuts. Especially when in the middle of a conversation, I can’t remember what the hell I was talking about. Very embarrassing.

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[Anonymous]

I think these “blank” moments are when our mind “went somewhere else” for a short time. I often forget, when I’m showering, if I washed a particular part of me, so I end up washing my face, leg, etc twice. I didn’t know anyone else experienced this. On another topic, I was just wondering if anyone else here grinds their teeth at night, or ever finds themselves doing something like that during the day?

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[Anonymous]

I wear a nightguard at night for jaw clenching at night. Dentist was concerned that i would wear out my teeth. Always had this issue. Much worse when i am getting very poor quality sleep.

And yeah on blanking out. I call it “brain death”

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[Anonymous]

I blank a lot. In the past, I would have to drive back to work and check to make sure I’d locked the door. I have trouble remembering to pay close attention to locking it, and if anyone talks to me while I’m locking it, I will not pay attention for sure. It still happens a lot, people watching our house or my workplace would be chuckling watching me drive away, then drive back and check the lock.

Years ago I was given tickets to a Cincinnati Reds baseball game and twice to the Cincinnati Opera House (I was on a summer music scholarship at U of C), and I was more interested in the people around me, the food (at the game), the beautiful opera house, etc. Can’t remember paying much attention to the game or the opera. I’m not a big opera fan and not a sports fan at all, but it’s typical for me, unless I’m really really interested, other things will distract me. So blanking out is, for me, distraction in some way, I just don’t know what the distraction is or when I’m being distracted.

Yes to wondering if I’ve washed parts of myself in the shower and having to do it over again just in case. That happens a lot, even when I’m trying to pay attention.

I don’t think it’s a question of simplying our lives as Dr J said earlier, that has nothing to do with it. It’s not under our control.

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[Anonymous]

Finally made an account just for this post. I haven’t been officially diagnosed but my neurologist says it very obvious I have ADHD or ADD but he wants to make sure I have nothing else like Epilepsy. I also have severe migraines so I’m pretty sure these “blank outs” happen whenever I take the medication for them o_o. Pretty sure I’ve taken double doses of it many many times. Good thing it wouldn’t be an overdose though. That’s probably the worst blank out I have but… blank outs are so common for me.

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[Anonymous]

What I meant to say when I wrote my post that much of my life is a blank slate. I don’t remember a lot of it. It’s frustrating not to have memories of growing up, going to school, did I ever study? etc

It could also be narcoleptic sleep attacks too, not certain what the cause is.

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[Anonymous]

Oh yeah, gotta love the blanking episodes LOL Happens all the time, at the most inconvenient times of course, and I have (along with my husband’s recollections) formulated an idea that kind of explains why and when I can expect that “blankness” to happen. It’s usually when I’m trying to force that “normalness” upon myself, working on something that is not my forte, so to speak. Conversing with other people (I’m not all that comfortable expressing myself verbally) because I’m not very sociable and I don’t like small talk at all. At work, it’s usually when I’m trying to focus on projects that require a lot of self-discipline to organize my work. Or, it happens when I’m a little stressed or rushed, trying to get out of the house on time for an appointment or trying to get to work (I take public transportation). Public transportation is stressful because of all the people crowding my space and that constant murmur of voices but I can pretty much block that out with my iPod. Getting people out of “my space” is not possible so I remain uncomfortable throughout the trip, fighting my anxiety the whole time, and finally arriving at work pretty worn out emotionally and sometimes physically. I used to drive to work, but the road rage I was experiencing was scary and all-consuming, so I stopped driving almost altogether. I will drive very short distances during non-busy times of the day, but certainly not on any busy roads or times. Making long trips, which for me is anything more than 15 minutes:), is really really really difficult. When I have made long trips, my husband has to pull over A LOT so I can get out of the vehicle, walk around and focus myself. After all these years, we both know that a trip in the car will take double the predicted time:) Flying is also a problem, with anything over a 4 hour flight creating a great deal of physical pain. So, when we do fly, I make sure we do not book direct flights that take more than 4 hours, and I try to find layovers that are not more than 2 hours. Going anywhere is a real pain, and blanking happens almost constantly during any kind of trip. I wouldn’t recognize a route to anywhere that I’ve been a hundred times, no matter how short the trip, I still need detailed instructions written down:) BTW, I am on medication for ADD but even the meds don’t prevent blanking. Just a fact of life for me!

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[Anonymous]

je goyer – for me too, the public transportation… it’s a hell everyday! Too many people all crammed up in a bus. Feels like they’re all trying to get at me. I used to arrive at the office completely angered. What I do now is leave about an hour earlier than I need to. I get in the bus at the beginning of rush hour and it’s not full. I can even have a seat most of the times. Arriving at the office an hour earlier, I read the paper while listening to my MP3 with a good green tea cup to help me relax for the day. For the ride back at the end of the day, I have no choice but to deal with it. If there’s was a time when I’d like to blank out, it’s on the way back home at rush hour.

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[Anonymous]

hey, are we talking about blanking out or blocking out here? do you forget that you’ve been in these situations or what you did?

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[Shadow Nexus]

It will be somewhere doing something and forget why I am there. I always put my stuff in the same place. I will looking for things and find I’v put them in a place I have no memory of putting it there. I will go into a room and forget why I went there. I will go back to where I started to find out why I went there in the first place. It happens so often. Put my keys somewhere and have no memory of putting them there. Being late since I have to search for them. It’s a real pain in the ass. :p

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[Anonymous]

filmbuff, I don’t lose things (usually) because I am obsessive about putting things in the same place. When I lose things, they are really lost.

I can go from one room to the next and totally forget why I’m there. I go back to ‘the scene of the crime’ too. I can’t remember conversations that my husband and I said we’ve had (that totally works against me, he can say we talked about it, thankfully I think he’s usually honest).

I always thought it was bad memory, if I don’t act on a thought right away, I will lose it by the time I go to the other room to act on it, or go to write it down, or go to speak it. The thought of blanking out puts a different spin on it.

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[munchkin]

As a kid I used to get to school and mysteriously not have my lunchbox – I forgot it was in my hand and just dropped it on the ground along the way. This happened quite a few times! I definitely will start thinking/talking about something and lose consciousness of everything else – miss my exit on the freeway, miss my stop on the train, trip & fall, fail to realize I’m boring the other person to death… 😆

I do think there may be 2 different things being described, though – because I also just stand there when I’m supposed to be picking out which kind of cheese to buy, and just zone out on nothing! It’s like, I get exhausted with trying to make a decision and my mind just checks out for a minute or two – taking a rest?? Anyway, people sure do look at me funny sometimes when that happens… As far as I know, I don’t get distracted or hyperfocus on anything, I just go into a meditative type state… weird!

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[Anonymous]

Oh gosh, I just remembered this embarrassing blanking moment when I was 16. I was at a friend’s party in a big hall and everyone was dancing, but I don’t dance so I was just standing at the side. I started to look at the lights and zoned out for a few minutes before someone got my attention and said “Maggy, are you ok?”. Everyone was already at their tables for food and I was the only one standing there xD

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[Author]

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