Just like to introduce Myself. :)

[Dylan Beler]

Hi everyone!

 

My name is Dylan, I'm 25 now and only recently became aware that I'm not the only person in the world that does this thing we're calling maladaptive daydreaming.

I've been at it since as far back as I can remember, there was no turning point for me unlike allot of you, it's just something I've always done but I can say for certain that it's becoming more frequent as time goes on.

I had a very happy childhood, there's nothing I should have wanted to "escape" from and yet I've always felt this need to immerse myself in these fantastical adventures. Sure I've always had friends and family and good health but the urge jump into fantasy land has always been so strong I've never been able to resist.

At first I had to move physically to really get into it, I would run in circles, sometimes for several minutes, sometimes for hours, it must have looked so weird to people who saw me but over time I developed the ability to do it without moving at all.

Now it happens automatically, often I don't even notice I've been daydreaming until I've spent my whole day doing it. It's gotten in the way of school and work and everything else as I'm sure many of you can relate to.

I sometimes worry I'll never live up to my potential in life. I've always been interested in drawing and writing but it's getting harder and harder to concentrate enough to build a career or to do anything really.

I'm optomistic though. I've gone through my share of depression and guilt and now I'm trying really hard to force myself to be more "normal" and get some things done. I'll never want to stop completely but for now I really have to learn some ways to tone it down a bit and foccus on the most important years of my life.

I'm really happy to learn that I'm not alone here. You people must know what I've gone through better than anyone else and I look forward to talking to you and learning more about this troublesome yet wonderful thing we all share.

[April West]

Thank you !!! I know other people have said this before - but thank you for creating this forum and for supporting everyone!!!! :-) I would love to start seeing this (and using it) as a gift



Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Welcome. You're not alone. You're not a freak. As for your social life.......that's 2 more people than I hang out with on a regular basis. Our minds work differently, and I'm sure when you feel comfortable enough to open up and notice.......you'll discover a lot of good things about your mind too. I'm sure you'll realize that you've got a lot of gifts. I hope you'll stop judging yourself soon. There are so many worse things you could be doing than daydreaming. I mean you could be addicted to meth and out robbing people at gunpoint. People don't judge meth addicts because they know they're sick. We've got an addiction that's as much of a gift as it is a hindrance.........and it doesn't involve hurting anyone but ourselves. I've found social media to be very helpful. I open up and say whatever's on my mind.........and it turns out some people find me interesting. Who knew? Just try to have fun and do whatever feels comfortable. We're here for you. No one's going to judge you here.



April West said:

Hi... April isn’t my real name. I’ve never talked to anyone about this before - I am so embarrassed/ashamed of my daydreaming addiction (I know I shouldn’t be, haven’t quite gotten to the acceptance stage yet...). Anyway, I’m 23 and really lost, scared, confused, feel completely helpless. I have tried a few things – keeping a diary and analysing triggers and the causes behind the daydreams, going to a psychologist for my depression, alternative therapy, time plans and goal setting, reading self help books...

I mainly daydream because I am lonely... I have always been very shy, quiet, socially awkward, and hate being around people most of the time. I don’t have a lot of friends (God, there’s really only 2 people I hang out with :-( I don’t feel I am capable of making new friends... I’ve avoided the whole facebook/twitter/online craze, so I’ve never joined a forum like this before (apologies in advance for anything stupid I do/say :-)

Anyway, my plan is to join some clubs/take some courses/get a part time job/talk to people online... (I’m not working or studying right now, which keeps me isolated, which I actually love, but it’s so not healthy...) Anyway, that’s (part of) my life story...

[Skylar Grey]

yes i couldve sworn that i was the only one! it had never occured to me but now i realize how many people i can relate to and it wells me up with joy :D. im only 14 and my life.. ok its not great but ok its pretty terrible right now but it use to be perfectly fine and i would still daydream. but now things are awful and i still daydream just as much. and truth be told... i dont wanna stop. i know its not reality but i truly do love it. is it that much of a problem? i dont know what to think anymore!