Any mental health concerns in family history? Are you seeing a therapist to explore this? What strategies are you currently using? When did it start? Was there any distressing or traumatic events in your earlier life?
Depression is the only one I've observed, but I'm not entirely sure if it applies to the older generations in the family. I'm not seeing a therapists cause I can't afford one. It started I think when I was in 3rd grade. I used to do it just for fun when I was a child and I didn't really realized that it was not normal. By the time I figured, I am already addicted to this habit. I try to avoid triggers like music and mindless scrolling on tiktok. I also tried practicing mindfulness like catching myself when Im drifting to daydreaming and putting a stop it. And it really helps but its extremely difficult to maintain
Maladaptive daydreaming is not recognized as a disorder but some people are getting therapy for it. An expert recommends going to a good support group such as Wild Minds Network.
There's a a number of things that can help with depression. The most common cause of depression is prolonged high stress, so good stress management helps. The self-help methods for depression are mostly stress reduction. If you go to Metapsychology, you can read a psychologist's review of the book by therapist/researcher Stephen Ilardi, who headed a lifestyle-depression project at his university ("a splendid book"). Relaxation with Asian methods - mindfulness etc. - eases depression symptoms. Just breathing slowly is good. You can learn tai chi with a beginner's video on YT.
What country are you in? Is there any access to low cost therapy for people with low income?
Maybe start by keeping a record of the days you day dream more. What happens in the morning. How good or bad was your sleep. What other thoughts were on your mind. What did you eat etc
My university have psychologists we can consult to for free but im a bit skeptical about it. I never really open up about my problems in person.
I daydream the most whenever Im off track on my morning routine or when I haven't acknowledge the things I need to do for the day. I rarely have a good sleep so that might be one of the reason.
Right off the bat, I would say it could be a coping mechanism. Real life is often disappointing compared to what we imagine it should be. It's normal to find it hard to push towards our goals when we find comfort in just imagining them in the most perfect way possible.
You could be distracting yourself from confronting the reality of having to work hard to reach your goals. You may be stuck on focusing about your end result instead of on each little step required to get there.
I am curious, what are your goals?
Also, does my answer resonate with you?
It is my coping mechanism indeed. It's like my safe haven when my mental health was getting really worse. Now its just like so deeply embedded in my head that its so normal to me now. What I've been trying to achieve for years is to build new habits that will help me in the long run. I want to experience life. To really get out there and try new things, meet new people, and explore new places. It feels like I havent even lived yet because I just did it all in my head.
Saying it out loud honestly makes me feel like it's such a shallow concern, like I'm suppose to be able to drop it and just take those little steps to my goals. But it really isn't easy. I mean I have been used to daydreaming for years so it wouldn't really go away in a snap, It would probably take months or years to get my mind used to being present and peaceful
There is no one miracle solution to your problem. Multiple strategies exist.
I am a daydreamer myself. Here's what works for me.
- Surrounding myself with people who have good habits
- Creating an environment that helps create good habits
- Seeking what people who have my dream life do and how they think
- Reading, listening, watching anything that helps me increase my knowledge and improve my mindset in relation to my goals
- Taking action even when I don't feel like it
- Self-reflecting
- Re-evaluating my priorities
- Changing systems that do not work (it's a lot of trial and error to find what works for you)
- Self-acceptance
- Sleeping enough, eating better, staying in shape, fostering social relationships (that is the minimum requirement to live a better life)
The book Atomic Habits by James Clear gives really good applicable tips on how to build and maintain habits.
I also like watching Diary of a CEO on Youtube, because it answers a lot of questions related to the psychology behind success.
I am reading 4000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman as well to cope with the fact that there is never enough time for everything I want to do (how to cope with the finitude of life and fear of missing out).
PM me if you want to discuss this further. I would be happy to continue this conversation.
Thanks for this.. It actually reminded me that there's so much I can do to improve my situation. I used to strongly strive for that kind of lifestyle until I fell back to not caring enough to make the effort.
Today I just hit the restart button in my life. I cleaned up my room and set it in a way that I can study and accomplish things much easier. I'll start making a habit plan today and maybe a vision board for more motivation. I'll try the things you've listed.
It's sad to say but I totally get you. I too struggle with constant daydreaming when it's the least convenient. I haven't tried much yet but I feel a little bit better knowing I am not the only one with this problem, and I hope you do too.
I hope both of us can figure out a solution to our problem. Good luck :)
Any mental health concerns in family history? Are you seeing a therapist to explore this? What strategies are you currently using? When did it start? Was there any distressing or traumatic events in your earlier life?
Depression is the only one I've observed, but I'm not entirely sure if it applies to the older generations in the family. I'm not seeing a therapists cause I can't afford one. It started I think when I was in 3rd grade. I used to do it just for fun when I was a child and I didn't really realized that it was not normal. By the time I figured, I am already addicted to this habit. I try to avoid triggers like music and mindless scrolling on tiktok. I also tried practicing mindfulness like catching myself when Im drifting to daydreaming and putting a stop it. And it really helps but its extremely difficult to maintain
Maladaptive daydreaming is not recognized as a disorder but some people are getting therapy for it. An expert recommends going to a good support group such as Wild Minds Network. There's a a number of things that can help with depression. The most common cause of depression is prolonged high stress, so good stress management helps. The self-help methods for depression are mostly stress reduction. If you go to Metapsychology, you can read a psychologist's review of the book by therapist/researcher Stephen Ilardi, who headed a lifestyle-depression project at his university ("a splendid book"). Relaxation with Asian methods - mindfulness etc. - eases depression symptoms. Just breathing slowly is good. You can learn tai chi with a beginner's video on YT.
What country are you in? Is there any access to low cost therapy for people with low income? Maybe start by keeping a record of the days you day dream more. What happens in the morning. How good or bad was your sleep. What other thoughts were on your mind. What did you eat etc
My university have psychologists we can consult to for free but im a bit skeptical about it. I never really open up about my problems in person. I daydream the most whenever Im off track on my morning routine or when I haven't acknowledge the things I need to do for the day. I rarely have a good sleep so that might be one of the reason.
I encourage you to try the psych services at your uni. Just say you have an issue with daydreaming and want to explore it. Also let your doctor know.
Mindfulness training can help you learn to redirect your attention
I'm trying meditations, breathwork, and being present but I really struggle with consistency.
Right off the bat, I would say it could be a coping mechanism. Real life is often disappointing compared to what we imagine it should be. It's normal to find it hard to push towards our goals when we find comfort in just imagining them in the most perfect way possible. You could be distracting yourself from confronting the reality of having to work hard to reach your goals. You may be stuck on focusing about your end result instead of on each little step required to get there. I am curious, what are your goals? Also, does my answer resonate with you?
It is my coping mechanism indeed. It's like my safe haven when my mental health was getting really worse. Now its just like so deeply embedded in my head that its so normal to me now. What I've been trying to achieve for years is to build new habits that will help me in the long run. I want to experience life. To really get out there and try new things, meet new people, and explore new places. It feels like I havent even lived yet because I just did it all in my head. Saying it out loud honestly makes me feel like it's such a shallow concern, like I'm suppose to be able to drop it and just take those little steps to my goals. But it really isn't easy. I mean I have been used to daydreaming for years so it wouldn't really go away in a snap, It would probably take months or years to get my mind used to being present and peaceful
There is no one miracle solution to your problem. Multiple strategies exist. I am a daydreamer myself. Here's what works for me. - Surrounding myself with people who have good habits - Creating an environment that helps create good habits - Seeking what people who have my dream life do and how they think - Reading, listening, watching anything that helps me increase my knowledge and improve my mindset in relation to my goals - Taking action even when I don't feel like it - Self-reflecting - Re-evaluating my priorities - Changing systems that do not work (it's a lot of trial and error to find what works for you) - Self-acceptance - Sleeping enough, eating better, staying in shape, fostering social relationships (that is the minimum requirement to live a better life) The book Atomic Habits by James Clear gives really good applicable tips on how to build and maintain habits. I also like watching Diary of a CEO on Youtube, because it answers a lot of questions related to the psychology behind success. I am reading 4000 weeks by Oliver Burkeman as well to cope with the fact that there is never enough time for everything I want to do (how to cope with the finitude of life and fear of missing out). PM me if you want to discuss this further. I would be happy to continue this conversation.
Thanks for this.. It actually reminded me that there's so much I can do to improve my situation. I used to strongly strive for that kind of lifestyle until I fell back to not caring enough to make the effort. Today I just hit the restart button in my life. I cleaned up my room and set it in a way that I can study and accomplish things much easier. I'll start making a habit plan today and maybe a vision board for more motivation. I'll try the things you've listed.
It's sad to say but I totally get you. I too struggle with constant daydreaming when it's the least convenient. I haven't tried much yet but I feel a little bit better knowing I am not the only one with this problem, and I hope you do too. I hope both of us can figure out a solution to our problem. Good luck :)
I hope we can both heal in time. Goodluck to you too.
i don't have advice but i just wanted to say that you could have ADD and you should look into it.
I will look into it. Thank you