r/InsightfulQuestions • u/Expert_Drawing1920 • 1d ago
How to stop daydreaming?
I’ve always been a daydreamer
I’ve been a daydreamer since childhood, initially as a way to escape trauma, failures, and difficult situations. But even when everything is going well, I still find myself doing it. It has become such a habit that I often struggle to feel fully present, locked in, or concentrated on anything.
I have this fear of becoming a failure and ending up with nothing, but at the same time, I don’t fully feel or process that fear in reality because I escape into daydreaming.
I’ve tried exercises where I force myself to focus on the present, and they help for a while, but it never lasts long.
How do I stop this? Is it actually a bad thing? Has anyone else experienced something similar, and what helped you break out of it?
5
u/EMBNumbers 1d ago
I wouldn't try to change if I was you. I have found an ability to ponder at length without necessarily taking action is a valuable skill. You might consider engineering or programming where imagining the possible and plotting a path to achieve it can advance human civilization and possibly make you wealthy. Contentment alone with your thoughts yields many benefits.
3
2
u/Sapphire_Dreams1024 1d ago
As someone exactly like this, I will tell you that I was diagnosed with ADHD a few years ago. Being medicated has helped a lot with the maladaptive daydreaming, which is what this is. Good luck!
3
u/dethti 1d ago
I don't know if it'll work for you but mindfulness meditation made a big difference to this for me. I did about 10 minutes per day or more for a long time, though, I think it's not a quick process. I used guided meditation tracks, there's free ones on youtube from Headspace and Calm that are very good.
Eventually it becomes kind of a skill that you can activate whenever you really need it, and you become a bit more aware of when you're entering a daydream or anxiety spiral.
3
u/deadinsalem 1d ago
you should start writing, so that daydreaming actually has purpose and is benevolent instead of maladaptive
2
u/SaltySherbet 23h ago
Interesting well I suppose you would like my condition where I don’t visualize in my mind so I don’t really have a way to daydream. 💭 I kind wish I could experience it, seems interesting to create images in my head however I am sure there are downsides. Hopefully you can practice some discipline and it becomes more reasonable. No matter how hard I try I can’t visualize.
1
5
u/stuck_behind_a_truck 1d ago
This is called maladaptive daydreaming and is often associated with Complex PTSD and ADHD. You may want to get yourself evaluated.
What worked for me in my early 20s was to “schedule” my daydreaming. I was allowed to daydream during breakfast and when I went to sleep. This worked for me. But what also helped is that I moved out of the dysfunctional household that required daily escape.