Discussion Anyone else suffering from maladaptive daydreaming?

[sourcreamonion]

I'm literally fighting myself to focus and work when I obsessively daydream, and when I mean obsessively, I mean nearly every hour.

And I feel so bad because yes, I'm supposed to be focusing, I don't know why I can't, but this totally unrealistic scenario in my head is the only thought I'll be fixated on for five business days. And any other knowledge is nonexistent.

 

[botanormal]

This is genuinely what I'm doing right now! It can be so hard to focus on things because of it, I really get what you're going through, it can be such a struggle sometimes. I wish I had some advice that could help you, but honestly I'm not even sure how to deal with it myself. Just know that you're not alone, and I understand your pain.

 

[Lmd]

The only way I found its practice being a robot. When I had free time I spent it doing meditation lying in my bed with the head totally empty. It's soo hard to get at first but whe I finally achieved it for long times I could later put the head totally empty and doing things without thinking too much and gaining some focus. Anyway now I don't do anything with my life and I'm daydreaming again so I totally lost it and when I was doing it I was exhausted at the end because of the pressure but maybe this experience can help you giving some ideas and doing things better

 

[AllReturnsToNothing]

I can't get to sleep most nights because I'll just start daydreaming instead of actually sleeping. And it isn't even the same thing as regular dreaming because I'm still aware that I'm lying in bed and awake and what's happening is in my head disconnected from reality. They aren't even fun daydreams either. They usually consist of me arguing fruitlessly with someone else to try and justify my existence. I never win. I never lose either but that's because it never ends until I either get up and do something else or get extremely lucky and actually fall asleep. Wish I could just fall asleep forever so I don't have to keep justifying my existence in vain anymore.

 

[Serenedeath02]

Throughout my childhood, I grappled with maladaptive daydreaming. I was unable to hear a song without automatically entering into a vivid daydream. I formed relationships with people that didn't exist, created an entire reality within my head, and generally used my characters to feel loved or accepted. Sometimes, when my parent would fly into a rage, I would daydream about having an argument with one of my characters before making up with them. Needless to say, I spent countless hours a day daydreaming and would oftentimes 'wake up' with a headache.

The only thing that brought me out of maladaptive daydreaming was when I fell in love around two years ago (although limerence is probably a more fitting term) with a person that I never met. I felt such a rush of emotion that I no longer felt the need to compulsively daydream. This sounds terrible, but due to how cruel life has been, sometimes I wish that I still had the loving romantic interest and family that I created within my head.

Intriguingly, my daydreams shifted over the years based on the media I was watching. I remember the first time I daydreamed maladaptively was when I was around five, after my parents got a divorce. It was extremely difficult to watch anything without being triggered and dazing off.

 

[LonelyDude15]

I also deal with maladaptive daydreaming. Sometimes I find it helpful to change my surroundings to help refocus my thoughts. Writing a ending to your internal story is also a way to help give yourself closure so you can move on with other things.

 

[lost guy]

I have suffered from maladaptive daydreaming off and on for most of my life. As a kid, I understood it to be rather normal. But as I got older I noticed that it interfered with my life.

I always referred to it as going off into La La Land." I would spend a lot of time warped in very detailed and elaborate fantasies that usually depicted me to have much greater success in life and acceptance from my peers.

A few years ago, I would run on a treadmill for exercise daily. That was a good place to zone out and watch the movie in my mind. It also kept me on the treadmill longer. But lately, I have become more depressed and have noticed that my daydreaming has significantly decreased with that.

 

[Serenedeath02]

I have suffered from maladaptive daydreaming off and on for most of my life. As a kid, I understood it to be rather normal. But as I got older I noticed that it interfered with my life.

I always referred to it as going off into La La Land." I would spend a lot of time warped in very detailed and elaborate fantasies that usually depicted me to have much greater success in life and acceptance from my peers.

A few years ago, I would run on a treadmill for exercise daily. That was a good place to zone out and watch the movie in my mind. It also kept me on the treadmill longer. But lately, I have become more depressed and have noticed that my daydreaming has significantly decreased with that.

That was a part of it too...Like you, in my own daydreams, I would be more important and successful than I was in real life.

 

[Deleted member 20852]

I've had it all my life and it's what I've just spent the last 2 hours doing. Music always triggers it and I usually pace as well. I'd do it all day if I could I know it's not real but it feels more real than this shitty world. I also love my characters more than anyone in real life. how sad.

 

[DominusWreck]

Throughout my childhood, I grappled with maladaptive daydreaming. I was unable to hear a song without automatically entering into a vivid daydream. I formed relationships with people that didn't exist, created an entire reality within my head, and generally used my characters to feel loved or accepted. Sometimes, when my parent would fly into a rage, I would daydream about having an argument with one of my characters before making up with them. Needless to say, I spent countless hours a day daydreaming and would oftentimes 'wake up' with a headache.

The only thing that brought me out of maladaptive daydreaming was when I fell in love around two years ago (although limerence is probably a more fitting term) with a person that I never met. I felt such a rush of emotion that I no longer felt the need to compulsively daydream. This sounds terrible, but due to how cruel life has been, sometimes I wish that I still had the loving romantic interest and family that I created within my head.

Intriguingly, my daydreams shifted over the years based on the media I was watching. I remember the first time I daydreamed maladaptively was when I was around five, after my parents got a divorce. It was extremely difficult to watch anything without being triggered and dazing off.

Wow man, you summed it up pretty good. It begun as an escape mechanism and then it developed into this all encompassing thing .

I don't know how regular people listen to music coz I always daydream when I am listening...

Fruitless arguments, jokes, shallow dialogues, romantic relationships
All in my head.

I am in my late 20ies and I've still got it. Never liked reality anyway tho....

 

[awfullife]

Yes this is becoming a problem. At first it was cute and harmless and now its 80% of my day. Its addictive. Must be firing off some dopamine or something. I'm doing this way too much.

 

[AnxietyAttack44]

it is definitely becoming a problem for me as well, as it takes away from reality, time and healthy interests, but when reality is as shitty as it is and overall pain is unbearable, my little secret fantasy world is helping me to move on and maybe even fight for another day. if only there was a way to make that world into a reality and reality into simple bad fragment of imagination..

 

[wonderworld]

i do, i spend hours of doing it, i have to do it, when i was living with my ex I couldn't daydream and it fucked with my mood, I love daydream

 

[confused-gemini]

Always I think it has always been the way i cope but now it's sort of fucking up my life because I know my life will never be as perfect as my day dreams are

 

[ohhgeeitsme]

I've been dealing with this my entire life. I hate it when I'm in public somewhere and I notice I've actually been moving my lips while doing it, because in my mind, I'm in the middle of a conversation. Or I'll catch myself oddly smiling, alone, like an insane person. This is something that was always of great comfort in the past, but not so much anymore. I would almost always daydream about things that still seemed possible. Now as I'm getting older, I'm realizing most of these things aren't going to happen and so it's starting to become a painful habit but one I can't seem to snap out of it.

 

[Makko]

Daydreaming is by far my most important source of entertainment. It also has a negative impact on my everyday performance. I'm willing to take any negative side effects though. My fantasy world is like a vital organ and I'm not removing it.

 

[aneurysm]

I have been suffering from it ever since I was a child. Never went away. I cannot live without my fantasy worlds.

 

[ana]

I never realised there was a name for what I have been dealing with since I was young.

I literally have a full on narrative 24/7 that I can't shut off. It's very, very detailed and it develops parallel to my real life. I have imaginary friends in this world that I have known for ages and that grew up with me. Sometimes the line between them and my real friends blur. It's not an actual perfect world either, so I guess you could say it's not a coping mechanism anymore, but maybe it started as one. I don't actually remember.

I think this thing might be the culprit of why sometimes I don't feel real.

 

[Makko]

I never realised there was a name for what I have been dealing with since I was young.

I literally have a full on narrative 24/7 that I can't shut off. It's very, very detailed and it develops parallel to my real life. I have imaginary friends in this world that I have known for ages and that grew up with me. Sometimes the line between them and my real friends blur. It's not an actual perfect world either, so I guess you could say it's not a coping mechanism anymore, but maybe it started as one. I don't actually remember.

I think this thing might be the culprit of why sometimes I don't feel real.

Feeling real is fairly overrated. Nothing real can ever come close to our imagination. Deep daydreaming is almost a supernatural power.

 

[Luchs]

I have had the same problem a few years ago, though it went away. Now I have started to wish that it never left, that I entered some schizo alternate reality in my mind, in which I could actually lead a worthwhile life.

 

[Teas]

Reality is cruel. If daydreaming makes you feel better, go for it. I especially like daydreaming while listening to music. As long as it gets me out of this sad excuse of reality, I'm fine with that.

 

[Scribble Fan]

I'm hopelessly addicted to maladaptive daydreaming, have been for years now. It's just so easy to choose my fantasyland over reality.

I'm not sure what I'd do without the quick escape.

 

[moonchild]

Daydreaming is by far my most important source of entertainment. It also has a negative impact on my everyday performance. I'm willing to take any negative side effects though. My fantasy world is like a vital organ and I'm not removing it.

This is pretty much how I feel about it. I started paroxetine last summer, and it completely ruined daydreaming for me. I still felt the need to do it, but it was just unsatisfying and frustrating. The paroxetine didn't help anyway so it's not a big deal, but it would've had to be a miracle drug for me to not stop taking it.

 

[Makko]

This is pretty much how I feel about it. I started paroxetine last summer, and it completely ruined daydreaming for me. I still felt the need to do it, but it was just unsatisfying and frustrating. The paroxetine didn't help anyway so it's not a big deal, but it would've had to be a miracle drug for me to not stop taking it.

This is why I'm scared of psycho pills. The torment I have now can't possibly be compared to the torment of having my imagination shut off.

 

[moonchild]

This is why I'm scared of psycho pills. The torment I have now can't possibly be compared to the torment of having my imagination shut off.

I didn't even know it could happen. But yeah, quite terrible to not even be able to escape into your own head.