1mh
New Daydreamer
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Post by 1mh on Feb 23, 2019 23:04:20 GMT
I guess I'll just jump right in to it. I've always been a pretty quiet and shy person even as a kid with an overactive imagination that I guess I never grew out of. I didn't even know about maldaptive daydreaming until just recently this year but the more I read about the more I think that I may have it I've always daydreamed and would act them out as kid but I grew out of it for middle school and than in highscool it started up again but not nearly as severe as it is now. I used to write and make up stories so I would always daydream about my characters and try and develop the plot but I just chalked it up to something writers do , often times while walking around or when I got bored of lectures I would get lost in these stories, I didn't really act them out back than though. I did like lip sync to songs at home though, usually in the bathroom, and pretend I was part of an up and coming band this could take up to 30 minutes. Now that I'm in college I feel likes it gotten worse and I'm guessing it must be the stress and me just wanting to put off work. I'll daydream about anything, most of it is just old story ideas from being a superhero to a detective or something simple like a struggling journalist. However my most commons ones will have to do with shows or books I'm into, I'll make up my own characters to follow along the plot and if there's a scene that illicit's some kind of strong emotion (humor,happy,s ad, angry) I have to stop the show or book until I've found some way to inject my made up character into the scene or it'll start to bug me. Sometimes I'll reenact past events and do the stuff I wish I had done at the time like saying the thing I wish I did in an argument or I'll just make up scenarios I would like to happen. I use to not think it was such a negative thing like I could be doing something worse you know but I feel like this just eats up so much time. I do it whenever I get bored and I've come to realize that I get bored really easily and am just easily distracted from school work and lectures. I don't know if it's worth going to a therapist cause from what I've read this seems to be a new thing or at least they just came up with a term for it but not many treatments and it doesn't seem to come off as a serious thing, plus I think I would be too embarrass to admit this to anyone let alone a therapist. But yeah idk it's just comforting to know that I'm not the only one who does and it feels good to just get it off my chest and admit it somewhere. I dont have add or adhd I got tested for it back in elementary, I did go through a rough patch my sophomore year with anxiety but that was a period where I didn't really daydream at all so I don't think that has to do with it. But yeah I dont really know if this counts as MDD or not, I've thought about writing them down but like I said I have such a short attention span and get bored really easily plus I'm afraid someone might find it if I did write these down. I've noticed that the characters I make up have traits I wish I had, like I said I'm pretty quiet until you get to know, but these personas are usually either cool and collected, quick witted, confident, outspoken,etc just things I wish I was more like. I guess any tips or advice on how to prevent it from interfering with school/work would be nice, thanks for reading if you made it this far .
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yasmine
Active Daydreamer
i see mdd as a gift but i want to reduce it cause it starts looking like a curse
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Yikes
Feb 24, 2019 11:49:11 GMT
Post by yasmine on Feb 24, 2019 11:49:11 GMT
I guess I'll just jump right in to it. I've always been a pretty quiet and shy person even as a kid with an overactive imagination that I guess I never grew out of. I didn't even know about maldaptive daydreaming until just recently this year but the more I read about the more I think that I may have it I've always daydreamed and would act them out as kid but I grew out of it for middle school and than in highscool it started up again but not nearly as severe as it is now. I used to write and make up stories so I would always daydream about my characters and try and develop the plot but I just chalked it up to something writers do , often times while walking around or when I got bored of lectures I would get lost in these stories, I didn't really act them out back than though. I did like lip sync to songs at home though, usually in the bathroom, and pretend I was part of an up and coming band this could take up to 30 minutes. Now that I'm in college I feel likes it gotten worse and I'm guessing it must be the stress and me just wanting to put off work. I'll daydream about anything, most of it is just old story ideas from being a superhero to a detective or something simple like a struggling journalist. However my most commons ones will have to do with shows or books I'm into, I'll make up my own characters to follow along the plot and if there's a scene that illicit's some kind of strong emotion (humor,happy,s ad, angry) I have to stop the show or book until I've found some way to inject my made up character into the scene or it'll start to bug me. Sometimes I'll reenact past events and do the stuff I wish I had done at the time like saying the thing I wish I did in an argument or I'll just make up scenarios I would like to happen. I use to not think it was such a negative thing like I could be doing something worse you know but I feel like this just eats up so much time. I do it whenever I get bored and I've come to realize that I get bored really easily and am just easily distracted from school work and lectures. I don't know if it's worth going to a therapist cause from what I've read this seems to be a new thing or at least they just came up with a term for it but not many treatments and it doesn't seem to come off as a serious thing, plus I think I would be too embarrass to admit this to anyone let alone a therapist. But yeah idk it's just comforting to know that I'm not the only one who does and it feels good to just get it off my chest and admit it somewhere. I dont have add or adhd I got tested for it back in elementary, I did go through a rough patch my sophomore year with anxiety but that was a period where I didn't really daydream at all so I don't think that has to do with it. But yeah I dont really know if this counts as MDD or not, I've thought about writing them down but like I said I have such a short attention span and get bored really easily plus I'm afraid someone might find it if I did write these down. I've noticed that the characters I make up have traits I wish I had, like I said I'm pretty quiet until you get to know, but these personas are usually either cool and collected, quick witted, confident, outspoken,etc just things I wish I was more like. I guess any tips or advice on how to prevent it from interfering with school/work would be nice, thanks for reading if you made it this far . hey. dont be afraid or think this is something you shouldnt be talking about a terapist wasnt worth it for me he said thats its normal to daydream and send me home but having someone tot talk with is always good even just telling your dreams as a story. i do this with my sister and i think it really helpes. well as i have the problem too that it is interfering with school etc. i dont really have advice i did write my daydreams down but daydreaming is more fun then writing so i stopped therefor i have dyslexia so writing isnt really easy for me. i guesds what i want to say is try and talk to someone if you are not comfortable enough with that write down how much you dd how many times you daydream when you dd and keep trac of it and try to slowly reduce it just by stopping sooner then you actually want and by getting out the way of things that trigger you. and while reading your story i think books and movies are really what trigger you. and the most important thing dont try to force just try making peace with it
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yasmine
Active Daydreamer
i see mdd as a gift but i want to reduce it cause it starts looking like a curse
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Yikes
Feb 24, 2019 11:49:47 GMT
Post by yasmine on Feb 24, 2019 11:49:47 GMT
I guess I'll just jump right in to it. I've always been a pretty quiet and shy person even as a kid with an overactive imagination that I guess I never grew out of. I didn't even know about maldaptive daydreaming until just recently this year but the more I read about the more I think that I may have it I've always daydreamed and would act them out as kid but I grew out of it for middle school and than in highscool it started up again but not nearly as severe as it is now. I used to write and make up stories so I would always daydream about my characters and try and develop the plot but I just chalked it up to something writers do , often times while walking around or when I got bored of lectures I would get lost in these stories, I didn't really act them out back than though. I did like lip sync to songs at home though, usually in the bathroom, and pretend I was part of an up and coming band this could take up to 30 minutes. Now that I'm in college I feel likes it gotten worse and I'm guessing it must be the stress and me just wanting to put off work. I'll daydream about anything, most of it is just old story ideas from being a superhero to a detective or something simple like a struggling journalist. However my most commons ones will have to do with shows or books I'm into, I'll make up my own characters to follow along the plot and if there's a scene that illicit's some kind of strong emotion (humor,happy,s ad, angry) I have to stop the show or book until I've found some way to inject my made up character into the scene or it'll start to bug me. Sometimes I'll reenact past events and do the stuff I wish I had done at the time like saying the thing I wish I did in an argument or I'll just make up scenarios I would like to happen. I use to not think it was such a negative thing like I could be doing something worse you know but I feel like this just eats up so much time. I do it whenever I get bored and I've come to realize that I get bored really easily and am just easily distracted from school work and lectures. I don't know if it's worth going to a therapist cause from what I've read this seems to be a new thing or at least they just came up with a term for it but not many treatments and it doesn't seem to come off as a serious thing, plus I think I would be too embarrass to admit this to anyone let alone a therapist. But yeah idk it's just comforting to know that I'm not the only one who does and it feels good to just get it off my chest and admit it somewhere. I dont have add or adhd I got tested for it back in elementary, I did go through a rough patch my sophomore year with anxiety but that was a period where I didn't really daydream at all so I don't think that has to do with it. But yeah I dont really know if this counts as MDD or not, I've thought about writing them down but like I said I have such a short attention span and get bored really easily plus I'm afraid someone might find it if I did write these down. I've noticed that the characters I make up have traits I wish I had, like I said I'm pretty quiet until you get to know, but these personas are usually either cool and collected, quick witted, confident, outspoken,etc just things I wish I was more like. I guess any tips or advice on how to prevent it from interfering with school/work would be nice, thanks for reading if you made it this far . oh yeah welkom to the forum
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Yikes
Feb 24, 2019 19:18:46 GMT
Post by alvi on Feb 24, 2019 19:18:46 GMT
Hi, Welcome to the forum.
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Yikes
Feb 25, 2019 4:14:20 GMT
Post by Sam on Feb 25, 2019 4:14:20 GMT
I guess I'll just jump right in to it. I've always been a pretty quiet and shy person even as a kid with an overactive imagination that I guess I never grew out of. I didn't even know about maldaptive daydreaming until just recently this year but the more I read about the more I think that I may have it I've always daydreamed and would act them out as kid but I grew out of it for middle school and than in highscool it started up again but not nearly as severe as it is now. I used to write and make up stories so I would always daydream about my characters and try and develop the plot but I just chalked it up to something writers do , often times while walking around or when I got bored of lectures I would get lost in these stories, I didn't really act them out back than though. I did like lip sync to songs at home though, usually in the bathroom, and pretend I was part of an up and coming band this could take up to 30 minutes. Now that I'm in college I feel likes it gotten worse and I'm guessing it must be the stress and me just wanting to put off work. I'll daydream about anything, most of it is just old story ideas from being a superhero to a detective or something simple like a struggling journalist. However my most commons ones will have to do with shows or books I'm into, I'll make up my own characters to follow along the plot and if there's a scene that illicit's some kind of strong emotion (humor,happy,s ad, angry) I have to stop the show or book until I've found some way to inject my made up character into the scene or it'll start to bug me. Sometimes I'll reenact past events and do the stuff I wish I had done at the time like saying the thing I wish I did in an argument or I'll just make up scenarios I would like to happen. I use to not think it was such a negative thing like I could be doing something worse you know but I feel like this just eats up so much time. I do it whenever I get bored and I've come to realize that I get bored really easily and am just easily distracted from school work and lectures. I don't know if it's worth going to a therapist cause from what I've read this seems to be a new thing or at least they just came up with a term for it but not many treatments and it doesn't seem to come off as a serious thing, plus I think I would be too embarrass to admit this to anyone let alone a therapist. But yeah idk it's just comforting to know that I'm not the only one who does and it feels good to just get it off my chest and admit it somewhere. I dont have add or adhd I got tested for it back in elementary, I did go through a rough patch my sophomore year with anxiety but that was a period where I didn't really daydream at all so I don't think that has to do with it. But yeah I dont really know if this counts as MDD or not, I've thought about writing them down but like I said I have such a short attention span and get bored really easily plus I'm afraid someone might find it if I did write these down. I've noticed that the characters I make up have traits I wish I had, like I said I'm pretty quiet until you get to know, but these personas are usually either cool and collected, quick witted, confident, outspoken,etc just things I wish I was more like. I guess any tips or advice on how to prevent it from interfering with school/work would be nice, thanks for reading if you made it this far . While I wouldn't say that your story fits mine perfectly (mine includes a lot more anxiety and isolation), its still pretty similar to how I feel. I have a couple of comments. First, the whole "injecting your character into media scenes" thing. I do that exact thing. I also walk around daydreaming about different things, during or after a scene like that to release some of the adrenaline that it causes. Sometimes it can take me a whole day just to watch one movie because I keep stopping to get up and daydream. Second, worrying about someone finding notes that you make about your daydreaming. I write down the content of my daydreams as an attempt to use habit reversal training on them, but like you, I don't really like the idea of someone being able to find the notes and read them. So I put them in a password protected word document. Its not perfect, and you do have to manually save the document or risk losing it (I wrote more about that specific issue in this thread), but its much safer than just writing things down on a piece of paper. Third, giving your characters traits that you wish you had. I do this too. My characters are usually an idealized version of myself, and they often give me traits that I wish I had in real life. It allows me to make up for things that I don't like about myself in real life. But it also keeps me from making changes that would potentially lead to me having those traits in real life. If your quietness is caused by social anxiety, perhaps working on that would lead you to be more outgoing in real life, which would give you less incentive to daydream about having those traits. I know that I, personally, can get myself stuck in a deep depression just by realizing that I don't really have those traits that my characters do. So logically, working to have those traits in real life might lessen the pull of your daydreaming. Which brings me to my fourth and final comment. There's no "cure" for maladaptive daydreaming, as daydreaming is a natural function that you definitely don't want to eliminate. There are some ways for you to daydream less so that it eats up less of your time and affects your life less. Mindfulness can help. It teaches you to be in the present moment, even when you're feeling intense emotions or sensations, like sadness or anxiety or even the urge to daydream (which can be overwhelming). I mentioned trying to get the traits that your characters have. Personally, I've found that the differences between my characters and me usually represent insecurities that I have and even things that actually cause my daydreaming. I'm very lonely in real life, so I often daydream about having friends who care about me. A way to fix that problem in my real life that's causing me to daydream would be to work on cultivating close interpersonal relationships. If I have close interpersonal relationships then it follows logically that I'd have less incentive to daydream as a way to fill that void in my life. I also mentioned, and linked, a thread that I posted on using habit reversal training to work on my maladaptive daydreaming. There's also a "daydream less challenge" on @/beyonddaydreaming 's Instagram page that I find helpful. I'm sure there are more techniques, those are just the ones that I've personally found to be helpful (and that I can actually remember right now, my memory is notoriously bad). If you look around the forum you're sure to find others. Sorry this got super long, but welcome to the forum. I'm usually around here somewhere, so if you have any questions feel free to message me :)
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Yikes
Feb 26, 2019 19:59:59 GMT
Post by Lucy on Feb 26, 2019 19:59:59 GMT
However my most commons ones will have to do with shows or books I'm into, I'll make up my own characters to follow along the plot and if there's a scene that illicit's some kind of strong emotion (humor,happy,s ad, angry) I have to stop the show or book until I've found some way to inject my made up character into the scene or it'll start to bug me. Sometimes I'll reenact past events and do the stuff I wish I had done at the time like saying the thing I wish I did in an argument or I'll just make up scenarios I would like to happen. I use to not think it was such a negative thing like I could be doing something worse you know but I feel like this just eats up so much time. I do it whenever I get bored and I've come to realize that I get bored really easily and am just easily distracted from school work and lectures. First, the whole "injecting your character into media scenes" thing. I do that exact thing. I also walk around daydreaming about different things, during or after a scene like that to release some of the adrenaline that it causes. Sometimes it can take me a whole day just to watch one movie because I keep stopping to get up and daydream. Third, giving your characters traits that you wish you had. I do this too. My characters are usually an idealized version of myself, and they often give me traits that I wish I had in real life. It allows me to make up for things that I don't like about myself in real life. But it also keeps me from making changes that would potentially lead to me having those traits in real life. If your quietness is caused by social anxiety, perhaps working on that would lead you to be more outgoing in real life, which would give you less incentive to daydream about having those traits. I know that I, personally, can get myself stuck in a deep depression just by realizing that I don't really have those traits that my characters do. So logically, working to have those traits in real life might lessen the pull of your daydreaming. I do the same thing too. I have this character in my head who is my ideal self. When I'm watching a film I'll see a scene that I want to put my character in and I'll get so about daydreaming after the film that I don't pay attention to the film at all and have no idea what the plot is. I never saw this as a bad thing either, I guess because I didn't really think too much it as it felt harmless and I enjoyed it. But I see now that instead of wishing I was this character that's in my head and constantly wanting to be her instead of me, I should try and be that person in real life. So, at the moment I'm trying to become the person that I want to be. For example, the idealised me is physically strong which I've always wanted to be because I'm literally so weak and my arms are like twigs :D so I've decided to start doing some sort of exercise to make me stronger. So like Sam said maybe you could start working on traits that you're character has and try giving yourself those traits? Feel free to message me if you need a chat and welcome to the forum!
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Yikes
Feb 28, 2019 13:10:15 GMT
via mobile
Post by haileyd123 on Feb 28, 2019 13:10:15 GMT
I think it would benefit going to see a therapist! From my personal experience and reading, I’ve noticed that MDD may stem from another mental disorder. I have severe depression, and when I become depressed, I tend to daydream more. The theory I conjured was that once I help my depression, then it would cut back on my daydreaming habits. Sadly, my guardians don’t really believe in therapy and I haven’t been able to get the help I need. Hope this helps!
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