Love or Loathe your daydream?

[Tiffany]

Am I the only one who does not hate my daydreaming?

It has given me wonderful ideas and feelings for as long as I remember, like heart warming films that make you go 'awww' and you feel great about. When you watch them, do you hate them too because they took up over an hour of your time and weren't real? I understand that, like all "mental disorders", when it affects your daily life then it is a problem. But does this disorder affect everyone's lives like that? I am an introvert (perhaps because of my daydreaming) so my social life is minimal and I have few friends - but I can chat perfectly fine with new people and am happier not socialising - and I am perfectly happy by this. I was bullied in school and my daydreaming was an escape - I believe it affected my life then. When I would shut off to the world, live in my dreamland, and only emerge to eat, play games, watch movies, visit friends, chat on phone etc.

At first, a few years ago, I was anxious about this daydreaming, and ashamed that I did it and like almost everyone else, didn't know I was not an isolated case. After discovering it had a name, and that other people around the world also have it, a HUGE relief came over me. Now years on, I have come to realise its not so bad. I socialise (when I wan't - not when people think I am being a hermit) read books, listen to music, cook, clean, work full time, shop, teach and then daydream when I am bored or need muse because I decided to write mine down. My stories have been so elaborate, so complex - something I believe worthy of a novel (not to be published but written down for my own personal use)

I use to be too scared to learn to drive too, for fear while listening to music in the car I will drift off into daydreamland. However I drive, and have no problems with it, not even when waiting at a set of lights and have my favourite music blasting. I daydream for an hour at least a day (mostly 2 hours) and I don't care to change it. With no kids and very little commitments, this might be adding to my accepting attitude though. I can go for days without daydreaming, but I believe I would get anxious after two weeks - I see my daydreaming not as a vice to hate, but one to embrace and use to my own advantage. It kills time, I feel good and I choose to do it again.

Does anyone else feel this way? How do you truly feel about your DD and how does it affect you?

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

This has been discussed many times on here.  I even made a video about the debate years ago.  Daydreaming is neither all good nor all bad.  It has positive and negative side effects.  

[Tiffany]

Sorry I hadn't seen any of them, and have read all articles 10 pages back. So I figured if it wasn't there it wouldn't hurt to bring it up again if it had been (for new people who hadn't had a chance to discuss it - and also couldn't find it). I also haven't seen (nor searched) for videos regarding it, so it wouldn't have mattered if you made it years ago or yesterday - I missed it too :S

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

This has been discussed many times on here.  I even made a video about the debate years ago.  Daydreaming is neither all good nor all bad.  It has positive and negative side effects.  

[tiziana]

Well, I think to love it a lot sometimes because they made me laugh and surprise me...and they can get me A LOT of ideas...daydreaming made possibile a lot of things..and created the artist that I am now. But I hate it when it takes me away the whole day...it happened so easy and so often. At that point, it's frustrating. Usually, when I daydream a lot, sometimes, not always, my daydream falls in a very sad part of my story...it seems that my brain wants to make me stop causing these sadness parts in my daydream (that happened in real life...) and then I cry so much...and you know, when your daydream is starting to get bad...you wanna stop! Anyway...I love and Hate my daydream...:) Sorry for my English >< I hope that I get you the idea...

[J Peters]

I don't hate mine at all - they've been a source of love,  friendship, adventure and comfort to me for 40+ years. When I was younger, even though I did love my DDs, I wished I could stop because I could see how they were  interfering in my real life and stopping me from doing a lot.  But now, I'm past middle age and don't think I'd stop even if I could.  Reality can't compete with my DDs.

[Robwynge]

The "maladaptive" part of "maladaptive daydreaming" means that MD is harming your life in some way ("mal" come from Latin and means "bad").  Is your DD giving you trouble in school, on the job, in social relationships, in family relationships, or in your love life?  Is there a general sense that your DD habit is keeping you from being the person you want to be?  If none of these things have been harmed by the daydreaming habit and you don't feel DD is holding you back, then it's probably not "maladaptive" for you.    

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Right.  Normal daydreaming is healthy.  However, even if your daydreaming is controlled and not maladaptive, that doesn't mean you shouldn't keep an eye on it.  Be sure to keep it under control because if it does get out of control, the effects can be disastrous.  

[Tiffany]

What I do is not daydream. My sister daydreams. 1-5 minutes max. Sits there, staring into space with no expression. I daydream compulsively (if bored), elaborately and extensively for an hour or so at a time ... after work, almost entirely in the shower, or several times if I have nothing planned on the weekend and no-one is over and all complete with the symptoms: muttering/mumbling, pacing/rocking, elaborate plots, facial expression, crying, laughing, attached to characters etc.

But I don't daydream when I am distracted (by visitors, driving, working etc), or under stress and it doesn't interfer with my life (anymore). I've been doing it since about 3 - I only know this because I burned the kitchen down because of it :S. As I've had it worse before, I will be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't fall back.

Do they have another name for it or different types of MD? One where it is Maladaptive exactly by symptoms but not maladaptive in exact word translation?

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Dr. Cynthia Schupak and Jayne Bigelsen called it "Compulsive Daydreaming" in their study.  That's probably a more accurate description.  I was just too lazy (from daydreaming) to change it on the main page, and I also worry about people not being able to find the page if I change the name.  I should probably say both.  

Tiffany said:

What I do is not daydream. My sister daydreams. 1-5 minutes max. Sits there, staring into space with no expression. I daydream compulsively (if bored), elaborately and extensively for an hour or so at a time ... after work, almost entirely in the shower, or several times if I have nothing planned on the weekend and no-one is over and all complete with the symptoms: muttering/mumbling, pacing/rocking, elaborate plots, facial expression, crying, laughing, attached to characters etc.

But I don't daydream when I am distracted (by visitors, driving, working etc), or under stress and it doesn't interfer with my life (anymore). I've been doing it since about 3 - I only know this because I burned the kitchen down because of it :S. As I've had it worse before, I will be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't fall back.

Do they have another name for it or different types of MD? One where it is Maladaptive exactly by symptoms but not maladaptive in exact word translation?

[Cordellia Amethyste Rose]

Ok, I just changed it to include both.  Hopefully that helps.  

Cordellia Amethyste Rose said:

Dr. Cynthia Schupak and Jayne Bigelsen called it "Compulsive Daydreaming" in their study.  That's probably a more accurate description.  I was just too lazy (from daydreaming) to change it on the main page, and I also worry about people not being able to find the page if I change the name.  I should probably say both.  

Tiffany said:

What I do is not daydream. My sister daydreams. 1-5 minutes max. Sits there, staring into space with no expression. I daydream compulsively (if bored), elaborately and extensively for an hour or so at a time ... after work, almost entirely in the shower, or several times if I have nothing planned on the weekend and no-one is over and all complete with the symptoms: muttering/mumbling, pacing/rocking, elaborate plots, facial expression, crying, laughing, attached to characters etc.

But I don't daydream when I am distracted (by visitors, driving, working etc), or under stress and it doesn't interfer with my life (anymore). I've been doing it since about 3 - I only know this because I burned the kitchen down because of it :S. As I've had it worse before, I will be sure to keep an eye on it so it doesn't fall back.

Do they have another name for it or different types of MD? One where it is Maladaptive exactly by symptoms but not maladaptive in exact word translation?

[OhMyMagenta]

I don't hate my daydreaming at all. Quite the opposite, actually. It keeps me sane in my very hectic life and gives me something to look forward to.

[Michele Cotton]

I like my DDs. I think life would be so boring without them. They fill time and make everything interesting and they are a creative outlet. But I wish I could find a way to participate in real life and still have my DDs. 

[greyartist]

I hate it. It negatively affects every aspect of my life. I did not grow up doing it, if I had I might would have better control. To me it is intrusive thoughts, stealing my concentration, attention, and bringing depression.