While sitting in my hour-long lectures, or going on a walk, or checking my phone, I often find my mind wandering without realizing it – as most people do. In fact, we spend about half of our time awake daydreaming. This is something that I’ve always been fascinated by: imagination, dreams, and daydreams.
Growing up, I would find myself in extremely immersive daydreams, often involving my imaginary friends in fictional worlds, and I would play out scenes in my head throughout the day. Although I stopped thinking about imaginary friends as I got older, in middle school, I started to enjoy creative writing, and I would write all kinds of stories. As I wrote these stories, I would often daydream scenes to help me write, so my immersive imagination didn’t fade away as I grew up.Â
I found that I really enjoyed daydreaming, and my daydreams often involved vivid scenes and storylines. I remember asking my friends and family if they daydreamed as well. They would tell me that they did, but when I brought up imagining these stories, I was surprised to find that none of my friends or family could relate. I kept it to myself, but it led me to wonder if my daydreaming habits were healthy, and I also began to wonder why I often felt compelled to imagine these scenarios, since I seemed to be the only person I knew who did.
This led me to the question: Is daydreaming helpful, or can it just be an escape from reality? According to psychological research, there are many different forms of daydreams. People often daydream about planning their future, current goals, or taking a break from reality. On the other hand, people can form excessive negative thoughts about the past or anxiety toward the future, which can lead to ruminating. Daydreaming can also be the inability to stay focused on one topic, leading to scattered thoughts. These types of daydreams are common, simple, usually short, and they can be beneficial or harmful if done frequently. Some people take the imagination a bit further and use visualization; the process of using mental images to understand and achieve goals – which leads to better results. In this case, daydreaming can be helpful. Others may ruminate for hours, causing them to worry about themselves or their future, which is unhealthy.
But what happens when people daydream excessively, blurring the lines between reality and their inner world? This is a real condition known as maladaptive daydreaming, which is described as extremely vivid, immersive daydreams involving fantasy worlds that get in the way of one’s daily life. It’s often used as a coping mechanism and tends to be compulsive. The scary part of this condition is that it not only becomes part of your life but also alters it completely. Someone who has maladaptive daydreams may spend more time daydreaming than actually living out their life, using it to replace social interaction and daily activities.Â
When I first learned about this condition, it sounded similar to what I experienced growing up: immersive, vivid daydreams with characters and storylines. The difference is that my daydreams didn’t take over my life, and I wouldn’t spend hours daydreaming. What I experienced fits more along the lines of immersive daydreaming, since it didn’t become compulsive, replacing my real life. More specifically, the inner world in these immersive dreams is often called paracosms, complex imaginary worlds created with their own geography, history, and more. Some authors, such as Charlotte Brontë, carry these inner fantasy worlds to aid in their writing.
It’s really interesting to me that there are so many different types of daydreams, whether they’re vivid storylines or scattered thoughts. They can help people utilize their creativity, take a mental break, and plan out their future, but they can also lead to future anxieties. If done compulsively, they can become a form of escapism. Someone who has maladaptive daydreams may find comfort in their inner world, completely ignoring their real life. Daydreams definitely can serve as a tool, but if they become constant and compulsive, they can morph into an unhealthy escape from reality.
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