RevenantPerfection

Dreams have only one owner at a time. That's why dreamers are lonely. - Erma Bombeck

[catchymemes]

Credit: @juliehangart

[life-as-a-stupidwhore]

[acai27]

I am terrified of growing old and getting dementia like my grandmother, because what if I become consumed by my inner world and people see me talking about it, without me realizing what I'm doing? How such a deeply personal part of me would be exposed to the world.... That is my greatest fear.

[astra-foxes-deactivated20140819]

So I agree with the fact that people with Maladaptive Daydreaming know the difference between reality and fiction.

I’m just wondering if I’m the only one who has a hard time putting priorities straight.

Recently I’ve just been working on this little world in my head… like in minecraft, how you...

[acai27]

You are definitely not alone! I would definitely consider this an addiction, and although it isn't physically harmful like most addictions, it can be so detrimental to one's productivity. What makes it even more difficult is that this addiction is freely available whenever you need it. No cost, just imagination and time.

I personally have had trouble creating and maintaining a balance between real life and my inner world - by the way, I like your reference to Minecraft (or should we say MINDcraft, ha!)!

I have found that even if you haven't told anyone in your life about this, it is so nice to talk to SOMEONE, especially someone who "gets it" and knows where you're coming from. Tumblr seems to be a good place to reach out, we are here for each other!m

[acai27]

The root of addiction

When your dreams make your heart race…

[acai27]

Word of the Day: Limerence

"Limerence is an involuntary state of mind which results from a romantic attraction to another person combined with an overwhelming, obsessive need to have one's feelings reciprocated." "In cases of unrequited limerence, transient relief may be found by vividly imagining reciprocation from the limerent object." "At their most severe, intrusive limerent thoughts can occupy an individual's waking hours completely, resulting - like severe addiction- in significant or complete disruption of the limerent's normal interests and activities, including work or family." Source: Wikipedia Hmm, this sounds familiar. If your maladaptive daydreaming often involves romantic fantasies and relationships, you might want to check this page out. It is interesting!

[killerqueendopamine]

Constant daydreams. I can’t even pretend to be interesting in my blog. I can’t even pretend to do anything but go to work, do my required writing and school work (the bare minimum and sometimes not that), and the rest is daydreaming.

I don’t know why the restaurant/retail industry causes me to daydream more than professional healthcare/corporate did, but I’m like daydreaming 8000% more. 

[acai27]

Yup same here! Schoolwork is severely suffering right now, it seems as though I can't even get the bare minimum in. Which sucks because I love my classes and don't want to let down my professors.

I "struck gold" with inspiration this weekend: found the right music and immediately slipped into a new scene. And, OMG did it feel good! But now I am worried that I will only be pushed further behind in school. All I want to do is stay home and find out what happens next....

[acai27]

I think I just offended someone. He was telling me something about his daughter getting a speeding ticket, my response: "oh, that's nice!" I am clearly not present today.

[acai27]

My daydreams are dark, most of the time. But there are some more lighthearted dreams...

Would you say that the darkness of your daydreams are affected more or less by your outside reality? Sometimes when my real life gets hard to handle, my daydreams get darker, but also strangely more comforting. It helps because when I have to deal with more "obstacles" in my dream world, it helps me forget about my real troubles. It probably sounds unhealthy, but when I have issues that I can't even control, sometimes escaping them keeps me (somewhat) sane. At least for a little while.

[gremloblin-deactivated20171225]

sometimes i think MDD is a byproduct of loneliness

seeking approval from fictional people

[acai27]

Always Learning New Things

I am currently googling the average speed of trains in Great Britain. Why? Because when I am fantasizing, details are important - it makes it more "real" to me. Sometimes, when I need background information, I spend hours researching just to get as much inspiration as I can. So, by that logic, daydreaming makes me smarter! I like that idea :-) Okay, gotta go back to England now ;-)

[killerqueendopamine]

Daydreaming scenarios so powerful and gripping that they make you sad because they are not real.

[acai27]

Disgusted with myself today

I had a complete emotional breakdown. I am so overwhelmed with things in my life right now. Why? Because I have let my procrastination take over and have ignored too many responsibilities for too long. And when the list of things gets bigger, the more I want to ignore it. Like my homework. I know there is no reason to not do it, so why is it so difficult?!?

[acai27]

I also consider my daydreams to be like my therapy. They seemed to always intensify or deal with more conflict and emotional things when I was going through a crisis. In some ways, I feel like it helped me mature in my teen years because I was learning how to handle situations like death, divorce, rape, extramarital affairs, and drug abuse.

First of all, I am really sorry that you went through such terrible things. And yes, I have noticed that my stories sometimes reflect the outside world and the things that I am going through at the time. I know that many people would question whether or not this “escapism” is healthy, because we don’t learn to deal with problems on our own. But in my opinion, my daydreams become a much healthier coping mechanism than, say, drugs or alcohol, which many people use to cope with their own problems. Yes, it can be just as addictive - if not physically then mentally - but I think a lot of the time it fuels my creativity and makes me so happy.

If you think about it, everyone is fucked up in their own way and we all have ways to deal with things. I don’t regret mine because I think if I didn’t have it I would just end up doing hurting myself more.

[killerqueendopamine]

I just saw this! haha. 

Yes, some might say we live in a fantasy world or we don’t deal with problems. But it’s quite the opposite! Because of my “fantasy” world, I matured in certain ways and learned how to cope with problems. Like you said, everyone has their way of dealing with things. Sometimes, it makes me sad that the scenarios aren’t real, other times it’s just an outlet, other times it’s just this great place to be creative. All in all, I’m glad that I have it. My life seems so empty without it.

[acai27]

Exactly! I feel terrible and a little guilty knowing that many people truly suffer with their md, while I accept it as a big part of my daily life. Yes, I struggle with concentration in school and work, but I have somehow managed to function so far.

I would also say that my real life is very normal, and for that I realize how lucky I am. I have a wonderful fiance and a supporting family. None of them know about my daydreaming, and I am determined that they never will. This makes it easier for them and me. Sometimes I feel like I am awful for hiding it from him - especially when I have explicitly romantic "relationships" with certain characters. But I know he probably has secrets too. Why fix something that isn't broken yet? ;-)

[manual]

[totaldigress]

[deletingmyself]

[acai27]

Question for you dreamers out there:

How closely do your daydreams reflect your real life? I don't necessarily mean regarding specific content, but more general atmosphere. For example: When you're dealing with tough moments in real life, are your dreams darker and more ominous, or are they more happy and idealistic (like real escapism)? I am very curious to see what your experiences are like! If you feel comfortable giving specific examples I would love to hear them!