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Post by lisa on May 29, 2019 17:06:49 GMT
Hello DIB, I'm to have found a community where I can openly speak about this issue and learn more from others who are dealing with the same experience. I am a 24 year old female who has been addicted to a daydreaming for as long as I could remember. I grew up in an abusive household and daydreaming became my way of escaping the physical abuse. My favorite thing to do even to this day was daydream a while before I went to sleep. As I child I began using my pillow to reinact different scenarios and conversations in my head, so much so and that missed sleep all together. I still experience this as an adult and I find that I prefer solitude so that I can enjoy daydreaming scenarios that I don't believe I can acquire in real life, or hope to but don't put in the effort. Much of my daydreams consists of me reenacting things that happen to me that I'm too afraid to change or speak up for. All in all I am realizing that it has inhibited me from being proactive. Also I feel like I end up being disappointed when things don't turn out as I've imagined. At this point in my life I am realizing that if I dont learn to control this part of myself I will never grow into my own bravery. The truth is that reality terrifies me and from an early age I was taught that I had no autonomy or power to change it. This is why I put up with things that do not serve me. At first, I come off as a very strong and independent person but when its time to establish boundaries and shy away and deal with it internally. This survival mechanism worked for me as a child but now it's not prohibiting me from making my dreams into a reality. If you share a similar relationship towards daydreaming, I would love to hear your thoughts and what brought you to acknowledge it was an issue. I haven't tried therapy yet but it's something that I'm really considering. Thank you for listening. Xoxo, Lisa
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Hello
May 29, 2019 17:27:09 GMT
Post by alvi on May 29, 2019 17:27:09 GMT
Welcome to the forum Lisa.
I also replay things that have happened to me in my past but with different outcomes to match what I would of liked to of happened.The fact that you have realised that daydreaming has stopped you from being proactive and creating changes in you life is a good thing. Knowing there is a problem is the first step to making changes and even if it takes time or is difficult there is a community here that will be happy to offer you help and support.
Take care
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Hello
May 29, 2019 18:10:19 GMT
Post by Sam on May 29, 2019 18:10:19 GMT
Welcome!
You're already very aware of the thought processes, patterns, and behaviors surrounding your daydreaming and that's very good. Awareness is the first step to change. I relate quite a bit to what you said about daydreaming scenarios that you don't feel capable of having in real life. I don't particularly feel like searching through all of my posts to find the one that mentioned it, but I remember saying something along the lines of "why put the time and effort into changing things and being different in your real life when you can get that instantly in your daydreams" a few months ago.
I don't want to turn you away from therapy because it can be quite helpful, especially in dealing with an abusive childhood, but if you do go to therapy, just know that your therapist may or may not know about or understand maladaptive daydreaming. Its a relatively newly recognized condition and not a lot of people know about it. But that doesn't mean that therapy won't be able to help you in other ways, so if you can see a therapist, I absolutely recommend it. If you learn to cope with the underlying cause of your daydreaming, you might find that the urge to daydream lessens.
Its good that you made your way here to the forum. Having this sense of community can help you feel less alone, which is a very good thing for people with MD because we often feel or are incredibly isolated and alone.
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Hello
May 29, 2019 18:36:56 GMT
Post by Dimmer on May 29, 2019 18:36:56 GMT
Welcome to the forum!
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