The Morning My Mind Went Blank: Understanding Low-Power Mode Days

I woke up today feeling completely off. I couldn’t put my finger on it. Nothing felt wrong, but nothing felt right either. As I drove to work, absolutely nothing sounded appealing. Not eating. Not drinking. Not talking. Not even listening to music. I ended up driving for a full 30 minutes in total silence because I didn’t want anything stimulating my brain. 

I just sat in the quiet and rolled with it. In fact, there were several points where I started telling myself.." OK.. that's enough! Time to start pulling out of this so I can get on with my day". And I knew that I could, but I chose not to. I chose to remain in that space

A small part of me wondered if this was depression creeping in or if I was somehow spiraling. But deep down, I knew I wasn’t. I know myself well enough to recognize when something is seriously wrong versus when something just feels “off.” So I started analyzing the feeling. I paid attention to what it was and what it wasn’t. I did a little reading, a little self-checking, and I realized something important.

This wasn’t depression. It wasn’t sadness. It was my mind shifting into a low-power mode. A temporary reset that happens when you’ve been carrying stress or responsibilities for a while. Sometimes the brain just pulls back, flattens everything out for a bit, and says, “Give me a minute.”

After about half an hour, I finally got out of my car. I stopped at my local Wawa, grabbed a coffee, a breakfast sandwich, and even a lottery ticket. Honestly, doing anything at that point would have probably started lifting me out of it, and it did. I continued the rest of my commute, and every mile closer to work felt like I was gaining the energy and strength to take on the day. I don’t think it mattered much what I did, and no single action snapped me out of it. I think my brain just needed to downshift for a while.

If you ever wake up feeling this way, don’t panic. It doesn’t always mean something is wrong. Sometimes it’s simply your mind taking a breather before it gets going again.

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