What are you doing when you need to day dream?

[Ellie Hale]

Are you watching a movie when you begin to day dream? Reading a book, playing a game? Or are you talking a walk when you MD is triggered? And do you let yourself day dream or do you try and stop yourself? I am really curious about what triggers it for other people because i know when my MD gets triggered it really hard to make it go away and its almost twice as bad when im suppose to be doing something important. I really want to hear your stories! 

[BilboBaggins]

I'm doing just about anything usually. I don't often try to stop myself, even when I know I should (when in class and such)...well , honestly I almost never try to stop myself. Generally I get up, get ready for school (shower, pack stuff, make breakfast) all while daydreaming. I do it while waiting for class to start, during class, driving home, while doing homework, working out, etc... it's really quite ridiculous. I think the only times that I don't daydream are when I'm super busy at work (i work at a coffee shop) or in a good conversation, things that are mentally stimulating I suppose. I need constant mental and visual stimulation, otherwise my mind drifts into neverland..  it's strange though, because I know all evidence points otherwise, but I other than occasionally falling behind in school, (and I think that's more a lack of motivation) I don't find it to be a problem that I spend so much time in my head. Part of me knows it is .. but the other part just won't accept it! It's the gift/curse :)

[Rashomon Effect]

I feel I have made good progress controlling daydreams. They do still come back at me like uninvited guest who barge in speaking loudly. Usually when I am cooking or in the kitchen. I don't know why. Maybe because most of the day I have been focused on work and when I go in the kitchen that is the first opportunity for my mind to wander.

I wear a watch with a stopwatch function. I will start it when I catch myself daydreaming. That action often interrupts the daydream enough for me to push it out of my mind. Sometimes I will say, "STOP," aloud. I understand for people amongst others, the second method  may not be the best option. But it does interrupt the daydream.

I will allow my mind to wander while jogging or walking. Controlling daydreams and holding focus is like exercise. The more you do of it the better you will get. That has been my experience anyway.

[nelson]

Do I have triggers? Sure. Music, pics of a pretty girl, etc. But there is no particular thing I'm doing when I daydream. I could be doing pretty much ANYTHING when a daydream intrudes. Sometimes I try to force myself to stop, but Moët of the time I don't because what I'm daydreaming is often a damn sight better than what I'm doing in real life.

[greyartist]

I'm also an anytime, all the time person. Only when I am really busy at work or in a conversation with someone does it hide in the background. I go to sleep daydreaming, get up DDing, while I'm getting ready, eating breakfast, I run a scene over and over in my head until I have to stop what I'm doing to concentrate on the daydream enough to make the scene finish so it can continue.  I am often working at my PC listening to talk radio or audiobooks to keep my mind occupied but still catch myself sitting with my eyes closed lost in a daydream.

[Drake]

Anything and everything. I daydream 24/7. I'm even doing it now!

[littleschrodinger'scat]

I pretty much never stop daydreaming, so anything.

[Dusty]

It generally happens when:

-I'm listening to music

-lying in bed

-waiting for the bus

-sometimes during my more boring classes

-sometimes while "studying"

My self-narrative daydreams are almost totally constant though, except for when I am very tired (or daydreaming about something else).

[Laila]

Same with Drake, though music tends to make my DDs more intense. If I have no inspiration or anything, I still DD old stuff, even if it's not exciting at the time. I just can't stop. xD

[Libby]

You are more positive about this than me. I think of it like my brain has a drive to fantasize. I have done a ton of little experiments on myself to try to control it and what I realize is, I can't just stop it. I am mentally unable to just stop it. My brain will either be in fantasy mode or not. I can definitely give into it and stay in fantasy mode for a spell, like what might happen to you if you didn't fiddle with your watch in an attempt to bring yourself out, or I can try to fight it by focusing so much on reality that my fantasy brain just simply can't ignore it and the fantasy drive subsides.. Sometimes that works, but not always. And when it does work, is that me in control of this? I don't think so, i think it's more me finding a way to cope with it. I'm not craving it like an alcoholic might crave liquor, it's not an addiction. It's not a comfort or a way to cope. It is just what my brain does. I am not prepared to say that I am controlling my daydreams. Let's say I'm in the kitchen after a day at work with very little fantasy activity going and I start daydreaming. Say I give into it by allowing all of my thoughts to focus on the fantasy, letting the fantasy take center stage. I would probably get nothing else accomplished that day except daydreaming and gathering(which is what I call Internet searches for the sole purpose of finding images or info to help along my fantasy).
Now lets say that I know that I can't give in. I have things to do. I have a life. So, I try to fight it. Maybe I focus so much on reality that my fantasy brain can't ignore it and can't fully hijack my brain. I call this success because I'm able to get things done and function. However, for the rest of the night the fantasy will still creep up. If I'm looking in the refrigerator my favorite fantasy characters are there for a moment watching me or talking to each other. Then they are gone. If I tell a funny joke, someone in my fantasy life will pop up for a sec and I'll tell it to them, not outright but in daydream. Then they are gone or maybe they don't pop up. Maybe they will stay out and 100% of my brain will be on reality that night. The point is I'm not in control. I'm coping with it. I just wish when my mind starts to wander i could stop immediately rather than tricking my brain into not not doing what it wants to do. I want even more control, then I'll say I'm controlling it.
To answer the question about triggers. The default mode for my brain is fantasy. I swear anything can trigger it. Seeing a pair of boots I want, hearing a funny joke, hearing interesting news. There are some sure fire triggers like music, books, or tv/movies that have even the slightest impact on me. However, all triggers aside my bran still wants to default to daydreams. The reality is I can't avoid the triggers. I'm not a hermit or a recluse and the world just happening can trigger my fantasy brain. I've given a lot of thought as to is it mood based and honestly I don't think for me it is. I can be happy, sad, rich, poor, thin, fat, pretty, or ugly and I still have to fight away my "other life."



Roger Lyda said:

I feel I have made good progress controlling daydreams. They do still come back at me like uninvited guest who barge in speaking loudly. Usually when I am cooking or in the kitchen. I don't know why. Maybe because most of the day I have been focused on work and when I go in the kitchen that is the first opportunity for my mind to wander.

I wear a watch with a stopwatch function. I will start it when I catch myself daydreaming. That action often interrupts the daydream enough for me to push it out of my mind. Sometimes I will say, "STOP," aloud. I understand for people amongst others, the second method  may not be the best option. But it does interrupt the daydream.

I will allow my mind to wander while jogging or walking. Controlling daydreams and holding focus is like exercise. The more you do of it the better you will get. That has been my experience anyway.

[Patra Sealey]

My MD triggers.. pretty much all the time !

I think the only times when I'm not daydreaming is when I focusing really hard in class or talking with friends

Other than that I daydream when listening to music, reading, watching tv .. just standing around ..

Anytime :D

But one thing that I really really like is that I'm able to daydream and focus on what I'm doing at the same time so things don't become life threatening or dangerous for me

There are times though when it becomes annoying and affects me in negative ways like right now, it's 1am and I still haven't finish my English assignment but I can't seem to stop daydreaming ..

Hmmm.. Maybe daydreaming and procrastination go hand-in-hand together ...

[Jessie]

I need constant mental and/or visual stimulation, too, or I start daydreaming. This is why I can't focus in school - it's just not interesting enough, and I go into Fantasy Land. However, I don't believe I daydream all the time. I'm more on the mild end of the spectrum of MD, because I have a good outlet for it - I write every chance that I get.

If I'm listening to music, though, I'm daydreaming. And I listen to music about 80% of the time, every day. Wait...maybe I DO daydream all the time. Dx

BilboBaggins said:

I'm doing just about anything usually. I don't often try to stop myself, even when I know I should (when in class and such)...well , honestly I almost never try to stop myself. Generally I get up, get ready for school (shower, pack stuff, make breakfast) all while daydreaming. I do it while waiting for class to start, during class, driving home, while doing homework, working out, etc... it's really quite ridiculous. I think the only times that I don't daydream are when I'm super busy at work (i work at a coffee shop) or in a good conversation, things that are mentally stimulating I suppose. I need constant mental and visual stimulation, otherwise my mind drifts into neverland..  it's strange though, because I know all evidence points otherwise, but I other than occasionally falling behind in school, (and I think that's more a lack of motivation) I don't find it to be a problem that I spend so much time in my head. Part of me knows it is .. but the other part just won't accept it! It's the gift/curse :)

[Beef]

I just sit in silence and stare into space, movies and music actually distract me from daydreaming which is why i like to listen to my ipod in class.