I daydream too much and have basically lost all satisfaction with my real life. Ever since I was a kid I've had an overactive imagination but it has gotten so bad, there isn't a single day where I'm not daydreaming and living in a fantasyland. My daydreams are not particularly extraordinary, I don't wish to be a billionaire or an astronaut or to have superpowers. I simply just want to be happy and younger again. I spend a lot of time rethinking past mistakes and wishing I could start life over again. I could literally spend hours just daydreaming, I lose track of time and feel like I'm neglecting my real waking life. Can anyone relate? How did you fix this?
This isn't a bad thing and anyone who says it is is an NPC jealous that they can't live in a world of their own creation
>>34422898Idk, it doesn't feel very good and I feel like I'm lost in my own dreamworld. I have a perfect visual in my mind of how I want my life to be but no way to ever make it a reality. I'll never turn back time and I'll never get my perfect little life.
>>34422872>That one Lovecraft story where the guy got so lost in his own dream world he died so he could stay there. Great life, assuming you keep dreaming after you're dead.
>>34422982What's the name of the story? I'd genuinely love to read this. Sounds depressingly close to my situation. It'd be cool if you kept dreaming after you die or you reawaken in an alternare universe but this seems extremely unlikely lol.
>>34422872Cognitive Behavioral Therapy helps with this; I had this problem and a therapist told me you basically have to be self-vigilant.Start by thinking back to the last time you had a severe bout of Maladaptive Day Dreaming. Ask yourself these questions and answer them honestly.• What was I doing or experiencing before the MD began?• What triggered it?• What did I think about?• Did thinking in that way give me any positive outcome? (Always no)Identify these triggers by writing them down on paper and noticing them. Eventually you will notice a pattern. Maybe it occurs when you feel anxious, or when you are alone, walking to the store or forced to wait in line/traffic. Maybe it is when you are stressed.Then you can catch it. Now commit to catching yourself in the act. When you do realize you are about to have Maladaptive Daydreaming, say "Fuck this Shit I'm not doing that gay shit" or whatever phrase you want. Immediately take SOME action. If you are in your bedroom, go into your bathroom and clean something or start laundry. If you are in traffic, change the radio station and focus for 30 seconds on the content of the radio. If you are in line, look around and people watch, and try to imagine somebody's life. Distract yourself, maybe check your email.Eventually you will get better.If you have an overactive imagination, consider channeling the pent-up energy. Dogs get Zoomies and release their energy that way. Humans tend to express their creative energy through art. Writing is a common one. Committing to writing a well thought out story is a productive use of spare time that consumes a ton of brainpower.
>>34422932Part of the issue with fantasy is that it is predicated on perfection. That is why it is a fantasy. It is an expression of what would make us happy. Fantasy is normal. It dictates what we as humans strive towards. It motivates us, drives us, and gives humans vision. Living in fantasy is not. It makes us boring, sluggish, lazy and stupid. It is the struggle of life that makes us better. To struggle is to live.Your other issue is that you use fantasy as a crutch, and you are so absorbed in your fantasy you cannot even imagine a way out.My suggestion is an IRL questlog. Gameifying your life can help you.1: Get a journal or notebook.2: Get a piece of paper.3: Write out things you want to do tomorrow, in the next week, next two weeks, next month, next two months, next four months, next six months, and next year. BE REALISTIC. Getting fit takes a year. You can pass a class in six months.4: Take each objective and dedicate a few pages to it in your notebook, maybe three or four. Now return to itr once daily at the end of the night and reflect on what you did in FURTHERANCE of that objective. You can write steps in here. The goal is simply to break down your overall goals into manageable steps. That class you wrote down? Look at the syllabus and decide how much to study.5: Stay disciplined. Projects in your life are paramount goals, so do everything you can to accomplish them. Sometimes you will fall off the wagon, and sometimes life gets in the way (emergencies, illness, financial issues) that is fine, but do not make excuses everyday.
>>34423190>>34423213legitimately really good advice, thanks for this. I will try to act on this.
>>34423161Celephais (the "I" has 2 dots above)Sorry for the wait.
>>34422872My imaginary friend won't play with me any more.
>>34422872Are you daydreaming just to escape from reality because you hate your life? If so, then just fix your real life and you won’t feel the need to daydream.
>>34424529Maybe it's for the best>>34425449>Are you daydreaming just to escape from reality because you hate your life?it's a vicious cycle of both. I dislike my life so I daydream, but the more I daydream the more dissatisfied I become with my life. So it continues endlessly until nothing in real life comforts me anymore.
