What do you all to stop or limit yourself from daydreaming?

[Bethan]

So, this is my first time here, so I'm a little nervous I guess, aha. I'm nearly 100% sure I suffer with Maladaptive Daydreaming and I have for as long as I can remember. I've never told a soul about it, apart from now but I would much appreciate it if someone could enlighten me on how I can limit or even stop my daydreaming? I leave school next year and I know it will distract me from my exams so if anyone could help me with any things that they do to stop daydreaming, it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance,
Bethan x

[KHR]

For me, I got rid of everything, Tv, video games, music etc. And it has helped alot, really the only time I daydream is when I go back to those things (It's really hard with the internet to stay away.) But I still pace around when thinking, even when it's not exactly daydreaming so it still gets in the way. But anyways getting rid of those stuff was more a product of my religion than anything.

[Amid]

Hi , I know it's gonna be hard for you but if you want to reduce the time of daydreaming first thing  to do is avoiding triggers! try to set a little little goals for yourself and stick in completing them. they helped me a lot! I also take Sertraline (Zoloft) and Wellbutrin (recently) I think Zoloft helps me to control myself.

and  it's so important to never let yourself to be alone, I mean go and join in some club and enjoy your life that way.

I'm a highschool student and i know how it feels to have MD and do school stuff too!

you are not alone, whenever you needed someone to talk with, we are here!

xoxo,

Amid

[Jonathan Eagle]

I prefer to be more constructive with my daydreaming. E.g daydreaming requires pace and movement so I usually jog whist doing so. The best way to 'break' the illusion your fantasies however is interacting with other people. It sucks but MD for me personally has been an excellent way for me to relieve stress and deal with the rat race of life.

[Catauxgory]

Hey Bethan, To stop daydreaming I recommend you begin with removing or limiting your exposure to triggers. I agree with others who posted that this will do a lot to curb your daydreaming. But I think it's more than that. It's really hard to just dismiss a trigger. It takes will power that few people possess.  So I advise confronting a trigger.

Take something that sets you off, any little detail, song, movie, person, place or thing that leads you into daydreaming, and think for a minute about WHY that thing has such a hold over you. Ask what it is about that thing that inspires you, captivates you, makes you want to daydream. What drew you to it in the first place? How did it change for you over time? Typically, for me, a trigger was something that added immeasurably to my daydreaming life. Over time, that same trigger became the source of sadness and extreme frustration over the fact that I couldn't STOP daydreaming. It may be very hard to put into words all the things that a specific trigger means to you, but you can at least become aware of your emotions around a specific trigger.

Once you have answered these questions, you will be back in charge of your trigger. The ball will be in your court and you will not be vulnerable to chasing after a ball and going and daydreaming.

The other thing I advise in stopping daydreaming is not to be to hard on yourself. It takes time to process through a huge change in your life like stopping daydreaming. Start small. Start with ONE THING that you'd like to be different in your daydreaming experience, your daydreaming life. And soon the differences you have achieved will begin to add up and you will find you are daydreaming less, and daydreams will have less hold over you.