hi! im erin ❤️

Welcome to the forum!

In general, I consider daydreaming to be maladaptive if it interferes with your ability to function in real life (like getting school or work stuff done or maintaining healthy interpersonal relationships) and/or it causes you significant distress.

Some people daydream more, or more vividly, than "normal," but they don't necessarily have maladaptive daydreaming. The keyword there is "maladaptive." If its vivid and you have repetitive movements but you are able to control it, its more likely just immersive daydreaming. The problem with maladaptive daydreams aren't that they are vivid or whatever, its that you feel powerless to resist the urge to daydream and it essentially controls your life. Behaviorally, its very similar to addictions.

That doesn't mean your daydreaming can't become maladaptive. We often start daydreaming maladaptively as a way to cope with trauma or comorbid mental illnesses, so its always good to make sure you're paying attention to your ability to control your daydreams and function in real life. That way if you notice your daydreaming becoming unhealthy, you can take steps to deal with that; applying other coping skills, journalling, mindfulness, etc.