Zoned out? It’s okay
HYDERABAD: Don’t we ache to steer away from certain situations, be left alone just for a bit and want to zone out for a few seconds? Our mind is flooded with thoughts all the time and there are moments when it just wants to take a break. In today’s busy world, this might seem impossible to do; thanks to FOMO (fear of missing out). But, experts say it’s okay to be zoned out, in fact, it is necessary if done consciously.
According to Dr. Srikanth Goggi, consultant clinical psychologist and vice-president of the Telangana Association of Clinical Psychologists, not everyone perceives a situation in the same way -- some may be threatened or perplexed, while some by be unaffected.
“Some people zone out as a safety mechanism as they don’t want to get into a problem or have any kind of affliction. It is the fight-or-flight response -- if a person is feeling threatened it is an auto-normal response where he fights or runs away. This is not under your voluntary or conscious control. This is an ineffective coping mechanism. How a person is suppressing the situation brings about the quality of response,” he says.
Pavani Mekala, a rehabilitation psychologist, explains the two sides of zoning out. “Zoning out, in other words, can also be called mind-wandering or daydreaming. It has two sides to it. First, when you intentionally take a mental break and choose to chill out.
This is a healthy coping mechanism wherein even when your working memory is active with another task, your mind partially works on solving the background issues that you are facing. Second, when you emotionally get overwhelmed with a situation. Instead of going for a fight-or-fight response, you freeze. This is when the mind automatically zones out. However, this can be unhealthy if it continues,” she says.
One can develop disassociation if this occurs more than once. Disassociation is a condition where there is a lack of association between thoughts, memory and sense of identity. “It is okay to zone out as long as you are aware that you are taking a break,” says Pavani.
Benefits to zoning out
- Keeps the creative juice flowing
- Expands perception and buys time for problem-solving
- Helps you look at your priorities and life goals holistically
- Helps avoid instant gratification and makes you go for a larger, more fulfilling goal