Triggers/ Daydreaming interfering with everday life?

[Ollie Dee]

Okay so I literally just found out what maladaptive daydreaming was ysterday. And I'm just taking a wild stab in the dark here, but I was reading about how there can be triggers and how mdd may get to the point were it starts to interfere with your everyday life.

 

And I think that might be what's going on for me, just in clusters.  I tend to dd about anything I watch on television or read in a book. I usually insert myself into what is happening and once I'm finished with that said book or show I continue the daydream in the same setting but with a different plot to my likng. Well I happen to really enjoy reading books or watching movies where the main character is usually in a hard place, usually accompanied by mental stress. I love reading books about troubled charctaers or watching a show or movie on someone who is being self-destructive.

 

I also do enjoy daydreaming about my own main character going through very hard times emotionally, and like to torture them psychologically and have them to the point of mental breakdowns. Not all my daydreams are like this but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have this kind of daydreaming or that I didn't like it.

 

Up until now (which hasn't been very long) I had kind of been thinking about refraining from reading books like the ones I described and watching things on t.v. like that as well beacause everytime I do I tend to absorb that characters lifestyle and feelings and often go into temporary fits of depression and even have lots of self desrtuctive thoughts (though I haven't acted on any).

 

And it's really scary to think about because of how much I love a story with the main character exhibiting things like feelings of being troubled, or feeling apathetic, and having self-destructive thoughts. I'm not really sure if this is what it meant by trigger but I do know when I read or watch things like this it has an impact on me and changes my way of being for sometime.

 

Thoughts?

Advice?

Similar situations?

[Ollie Dee]

oh crap -__- too soon?

I guess I'm still alone on this one...

[Ivy C.]

You aren't alone when it comes to having 'bad' daydreams. I daydream about the worst things imaginable and I definitively enjoy doing it. There are times I feel like crying for my main character, but I try not to let it get to that point, especially in a public setting. But even if I cry about it, it doesn't make me want to stop, but actually go on daydreaming.  I am unsure what my trigger is when it comes to daydreams like this, but I usually think about them right before I fall asleep or when I am very calm. It's kind of unnerving because this is what relaxes me, seeing my main characters in a rough spot. 'Action packed' daydreams happen when I'm in a lot of motion, listening to fast music (like dubstep or something of that nature), or am watching something extremely exciting on tv.

As for your triggers, I don't think you should be afraid of what triggers your daydreams. I believe that you should be aware of what your triggers are and remind yourself that your 'real' reality is here in the real world and not your daydream. When in public and start daydreaming, I think to myself the word reality and in a matter of seconds I'm back in the real world. Your daydreaming can affect your reality only if you are having trouble 'adapting' to the world around you. You can be super famous in your dreams, but if you get back to reality and realize that all of those nice things you once had isn't really there, it may make you feel upset and depressed. I've been at that stage in my life, when I realized my life in my dreams was just made up, but I learned to pick myself up and start working on a better reality for myself. If you find that your dreams interfere with your social life, don't do it while your socializing. It's very simple. Daydream when you are by yourself and without work to do, but still make time to go out and have fun in your real world, too.

Hope this helps, and sorry for the length C:

[Liza Maria Medina]

My main trigger is music, it doesn't have to be any one song and I get especially inspired by instrumental compositions. I will dream of something romantic if I listen to a love song or something fun if it's an upbeat pop song. Sometimes my fantasy has nothing to do with the music and it's just there in the background creating a nice haze for the trance I"m in. I also rock back and forth a lot so the rhythm of the music will change how hard or how long I rock. I also get triggered by books, movies and tv shows as well as some video games that are highly interactive like Mass Effect. I also get triggered by inactivity like riding in a car for a long period of time with nothing to do but stare out the window. I pretty much dream all day but it doesn' t get really bad unless I listen to music. 

I'm very new to this so I can't really give any advice, I sure wish I could but I've had it pretty bad for as long as I an remember and all I can say is to stay away from triggers. At least stay away for as long as you can in a day and then maybe go ahead at night before bed. I read a lot before I go to sleep and this is a good time to let your mind wander. 

[Roobles]

Don't worry your not alone. I dream of very disturbing daydreams of my charictors getting tortured emotionally and physically and killings and awfully things. This happens quiet regularly with my dd. and normally I am helpless in it to stop these things.

But I don't watch much television. I watch the occasional film but not scary ones I like happy feet an I don't drink or do any drugs at all. I read an occasional book but not much lol but I watch news and I notice that if u dd even if u do cut out all the triggers you still will find a place and way to dd. as all the material is actually in your head. Or if you hear something someone says that can be used as a trigger.

Can't help you in changing ur dd genre as I do this too a lot but I can tell u that ur not alone.

[Ollie Dee]

Thanks for all the replies guys :) means a lot to me.