Is It Normal to Daydream All the Time?

Is It Normal to Daydream All the Time? | Maladaptive Daydreaming explained.

Mind wandering has been called various names over the past 60 years such as daydreaming, thought intrusions, task irrelevant thoughts, spontaneous thought, internally generated thoughts, self-generated thought, zoning out, offline thought, unconscious thought and undirected thought etc.

Despite the variety of names, mind wandering happens when our attention drifts away from external tasks and perceptual input toward more private and internal streams of thoughts and images. // Insiderhttps://rjvillanueva.com/effective-covid-19-protocols-for-smes/

According to psychologists, we spend up to half of our mental activity on daydreams. They help us realise our goals, and reveal our innermost hopes, desires and fears. ‘Paradoxical though it sounds, daydreaming is what makes us organised,’ says Eric Klinger, professor of psychology at the University of Minnesota. ‘We think of daydreams as scatterbrained and unfocused, but one of the functions of daydreaming is to keep your life’s agenda in front of you; it reminds you of what’s coming up, it rehearses new situations, plans the future and scans past experiences so you can learn from them.’ // Psychologies

Maladaptive Daydreaming

However, daydreaming too much that lasts for an hour or more is called Maladaptive Daydreaming.

Maladaptive Daydreaming is not a mental disorder, but it is a psychiatric condition, it is also excessive daydreaming that the person is detached from its real-life and submerge in its alternate reality. 

People with this condition often have difficulty sleeping at night because they tend to imagine and foreplay the characters, plot, and setting in their minds as if they were the main character in that story. They remember it vividly as if it happened. 

But people who are struggling with this daydreaming are more likely having a hard time completing their daily tasks in school or work. Because they have this desire to continue the story they made in their imagination. It usually breaks a person’s daily routine or schedule.

Why do some people experience this? The answer would be is it is an escape. 

Many people face traumatic events such as sexual harassment, the loss of someone, facing life danger, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and others. They are more likely to have this condition since the mental state of a person will have to create something to defend itself from dealing with too much stress. (Defense Mechanism)

This article is made for educational purposes only. It is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. it is still better to seek their professional help.

Authors: Jekka Ko & Charlene Castelo

(Is It Normal to Daydream All the Time, Marvill.com)