Quick favor needed!!! If our videos have been helpful for you, could you consider picking a video from our channel and sharing it on your social media? If you did, let us know so we can thank you below!
No kidding, I cannot daydream when there's other people in the house, because if it is a sad scene I might cry for real, or laugh out loud if it's a funny scene, or make other noises if it's, ahem... another type of scene. Noises, facial expressions, picking up and setting down imaginary props (I can't just drop them or they might break), interacting with imaginary people, and walking around the house for an hour or more like a madman walking in circles in their cell. And if I stop walking the daydream freezes, and my head clears and I'm back to reality, even if the daydream is still there it's harder to interact with it. So it's kind of easier for me to stop daydreaming, I just stop moving. But then I find other methods to procrastinate, like typing overly long RU-vid comments XD
I sometimes catch myself day dreaming in public and I'm like talking to myself or dancing or something. and In my head I'm like I must look like a crazy person to everyone else. I'm like if I saw myself walking down the street I'd look at them CRAZY but I just can't seem to stop it. It's so easy for me to create my imaginary world when I need to escape the real world. I think people find it as cute but I can't tell if she's a weirdo cute or like she's cute you know. I've grown such self-hatred of myself over the years because I'd try so hard to get something done correctly and I just struggle so MUCH that i force myself in that daydreaming state and the cycle doesn't end. But Hopefully the tips in the comments help
@@notthatdandelionyoucrushed6753 I’m glad people know they’re not alone anymore I always thought I was weird because of it, like when I was a kid people told me I had an “over active imagination” so I didn’t think much of it but as a grew older I realized that something wasn’t right.
i will spend hours just listening to music and acting out the same scenarios with slight variations lmao. i have to physically act out my daydreams or else i don’t feel “satisfied” or something idk the right word.
@@asala469 I think it’s not recognized as one because doctors don’t know much about it but it can be very destructive, mine is and I’m sure it negatively affects most of our schedules and productivity. I think if you spend too much time doing it and it takes away from things in your life like social interaction or schoolwork or your job then you might want to go to a therapist.
Omg this! I get so frustrated and and angry like I finally got the right scene and feel or I’m at a really good part in a daydream and boom someone ruins it
i just found out about this today and every single thing people talk about is something that i struggle with too, i just deleted my 200+ songs from my phone, I'm hoping i can do it less if i don't listen to music
The hardest part is that I hate it but I love it. It’s the best part of my day and very addicting. But I sometimes feel less normal than others. I struggle being around others. And I’m a HEAVY pacer. It’s practically my exercise everyday.
Sameee like I have and fantasize me my world like I can see it and feel it and like your characters and such,I tend to do this everyday or well even more to 10 or more hours on end
I used to pace back and forth for years when daydreaming and my family would always ask me why and say I was weird, so now I trained myself to daydream while laying/sitting still. It was so hard to do that though.
@@SierraFarted for me it’s the opposite I’m super still and will be in a frozen position almost like I’m zoned out, but I sometimes can’t control my facial expressions 😅
haha i just give them jobs a, dimension traveler, their job is to live a life every workday, slightly different everyday, and suffer for another higher beings amusement
YES!!! I thought that I was the only one that paces around while listening to music and daydreaming at the same time!!! I'm not!!! I'm comforted in knowing that there's more people like me...
The scariest part of the daydreaming for me is when you feel it about to start and you know it's too late to stop. Some negative event in the day has made you start overthinking, you start looking for a song to listen to, you start to find a secluded place to act out all the dream bits, the scenario starts invading your thoughts, you start rocking/pacing/mumbling, your real world obligations aren't as urgent anymore, etc.
Do y'all ever just have a nice daydream, and then when it's over you're like "okay, let's take it from the top but this time a little to the left" and the next time you daydream it you make it SLIGHTLY different then before or am I just crazy
😂😂 or I like I imagine a big set and I’m sitting in the director’s chair with the whole outfit and like the thing that makes your voice louder and I’m just ordering my characters on how to do the scenes and there are even people moving cameras and equipment around or you like pause everything like I can do that better
or when you daydream SO hard you repeat that same scene you perfect (only once) in your head and never get it the same as before. and you keep trying but then your mind goes blank and then you switch to some other daydream? ngl... I don't even want this "MD" to ever go away😂
It's because we don't like our real life 😂 me i used to play songs and i imagine my self performing pretty and sexy and and people are screaming and other celebraties unto me and they like me and i imagine my self wealthy and rocking expensive things well in real life I'm ugly unattractive and broke hhhhh 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@milamame2058 jajjajsjsjs I also imagine myself performing and being a super celebrity with tons of fans, super pretty and talented But in real life well…
I often getting caught smiling or laughing by myself or suddenly getting hyped, energetic, or mad and surprised the other people near me. It's really embarrassing >\\\\
I feel that getting caught is sooooo embarrassing. Especially my full out ones when I think I’m alone where I’m pacing and talking and making facial expressions and stuff. I’m v scared of getting seen because I’m fully aware that I prolly look like I’m insane lol.
@@elizabethvangieson2139 right! It's so hard to explain too! Like what am I supposed to say to the other person!? "I was just imagining a boy who saw both his parents jump of a bridge, howling and crying. Like a crazy person ahaha"
it happens all the time! i usually walk around while day dreaming. I usually used to throw around a tennis ball while daydreaming but now i stopped that so it has reduced a bit. I used to feel so alone doing this because i thought i was the only one . Seeing this comment section made me feel more comfortable knowing that other people have had similar experiences
SAMEE but it’s not maladaptive but if I’m thinking about them crying I will start to cry but if it’s something happy I’ll start smiling and I sit in the front of my classssss
And a not so fun fact about my experience with maladaptive daydreaming, is that I've been constantly daydreaming since I was a little kid, but my daydreams evolved to a creative fantasy world to a alternate reality where i'm a better version of myself and a lot of people love me. And it got to a point where I've put my real life in second place and I'm forgetting who I am
That's just normal. Everyone has done it before. It's a little embarrassing. Doesn't mean that you're daydreaming about that person either. Just lost in thought.
@@inapologies9375 But then you might look like you’re staring at the ground...menacingly(intensely). That of course depends on what you’re daydreaming about.
I daydream so much that at this point I feel like I'm going crazy. And what's more Embarrassing is when you are daydreaming and someone just Interrupts you.
Yeah last year I tried to force myself to stop, because I always relied on my comfort made-up character and it was unhealthy. It didn't work, but now it's different
I sometimes cry alone about the fact that I still know that my daydreams aren't true and will never come true but I'll just continue daydreaming anyways
I don't want them to be true b cse now I can't control what I day dream about and I see my bestie's funeral cse in real life she is sick and I argue with my family. But in real world we made peace it's messed up if u still can control what u daydream about u need to stop it immediately before it get worse it will completely ruin ur life
I'm so lonely I spend my time imagining myself in everyday life situations with people I make up. I hug them, argue with them, laugh with them, then open my eyes and cry because it's all in my head.
I've done the research and at this point, it's one of those things where if I don't have it, it's going to be such a surprise. I've been daydreaming for hours since I was so young, I always doze off in class for it, it definitely takes a 5-minute task and makes it thirty. At this point, if you do think you have it, say you have it.
@@fiveelevenevan It's been a childhood fear of mine since like 4th grade that one day I'll just ... daydream and then begin pacing or just losing any sense of reality and then make a fool of myself.
Here’s my experience. It started around the age of ten, I created Spotify playlists for each reality I created. For me, I would lay down in my bed and listen to the playlists. Ig was around the age I first started watching anime, so I usually daydreamed about that. It started to get out of hand a year later. I skipped meals to daydream, I faked being sick to daydream, I didn’t even wanna hang out with my friends because my reality was so so so much better.
@@theabominator2152 It started when I was eleven, now I’m twelve and it’s still happening… I thought I was too young and a bit insane, but don’t worry, you’re the only young person I guess I’m also glad to know that there’s people my age having similar symptoms :>
Damn, i thought i was the only one who day dreams from anime ,for me , seeing the amazing world of anime and how good the life their would be and i would create my own character in that world and self insert myself in that character, i would make the characters 200 times better than me and i don't know how i can stop it, it's just soo damn satisfying to self insert my own character as myself in the anime and stuff and i feel so good but ik that it's becoming clear that this is getting in my way of work so ....... I really don't wanna stop this but if i don't, i don't think i ll be able to concentrate on my studies
@@yve4889 dont feel alone me too i literally go on pinterest and download thousands of pictures and if i am in like anime Daydream i go to them and then if i am in drama Daydreaming i went to them like too much😂
@@kushal4610 i am like going crazy in daydreaming...like if dont mind..i wanna ask some thing do like want to stop?! It of you are trying please tell me some tips that too!☺️
Glad I'm not the only one who does this. My daydreams are just me inserting myself into various books I've read or movies/TV shows I've watched. I don't do it because I hate my real life or anything, it's just fun.
@@hannahbrennan2131 Same. I call it media daydreaming. I'm either in their world or they come to "mine". I can't agree on the hating life part, but it's definitely fun.
Me as a maladaptive daydreamer: • imagining how I wish I would look like • wearing the best clothes • scenarios of my crush that'll never happen • creating people and having a close connection towards them even though they're not real that it feels like I'm living a double life. • being able to sing and dance and perform any other skill that looks cool • depending on the song, it shapes my thoughts based on the mood • having super powers or being part of a show as if I'm a character. • being in an anime and being in a relationship with a 2D character • going to a bts concert and imagining myself with an army bomb and screaming the fanchant Sometimes I feel like I should write a novel with the whole story just writing itself from my day dreams because of music. And while I'm in this state I start pacing around and around in my room for hours and I get startled when someone walks in the room and I come back to reality. I've noticed that I do hand gestures and facial expressions too. I'd rather daydream than do my hw any day. I guess it's my only escape from real life.
Nothing's wrong with most of them, especially the first few. I think about what I want my life and looks to be like, except I've been planning. Perhaps you should plan, too?
I’ve been crying because I did this my entire middle school and high school Experience. When I stopped at the beginning of college I realize just how much time I was disassociating with people and just how big the impact was on me. I remember walking in circles or in my rooms listening to music as a way of drowning myself in a new world. It was rlly interesting when I decided to stop, I felt my brain change because it was so used to disassociate so easily
@@tweddia8251 not fully, it’s still a healthy “cooping mechanism” rather than other cooping mechanisms. However I do time myself now before goin down the rabbit holes
@@boltbadblades5247 me too..ive been this disorder when i was a teenager i'm trying to quit it but i can't i Hope that i will have the courage someday....i Hope that you will too
I “woke up” two years ago. I had no idea it was impacting my life so heavily. I really had to force myself to stay out of it and I still think about it occasionally, but crocheting has kept me awake. I daydream a little when I’m stressed but it’s more of a real situation where I sort out my problems instead of an escape. The waking world is weird but I want to be here for the ride.
@@ruizerma8307 yes completely, maybe it was never MD or I was never addicted to daydream but when I used to day dream I could control it. As if now I don’t daydream basically only at night when I’m bored but even that I rarely do
@@Dreamer-rg4eb Could you please give me some advice? I feel like absolute CRAP because I'm wasting my life away bc of this. I can't be bothered to respond to people that care about me, I even stopped doing things I used to love before; like drawing,painting and reading. My guitar has pounds of dust on it by now. All day everyday, I just listen to edit audios and live in a pathetic reality😭 I wanna get better so bad and sorry if im rambling
its also very addictive, i feel like i like my daydreams more than my real life ive been daydreaming for almost 4 years and its really hard to let go of something that makes me happy.
YESS!!! But it’s really hard trying to focus on sleeping when I could be acting out the day dream...especially driving, I put so much focus in driving and school to not day dream
I will literally just put on music and then just space out for like hours about the story I’ve been thinking about for 4 years. It happens a lot during classes too where and I’ll just ignore everything around me. It’s always the thing I think about before I go to sleep. I’m not going to lie when I say it’s sometimes the highlight of my day thinking about my story and I sometimes feel like I choose that over doing more productive things like talking to people (which is very odd to me because I prefer being around people vs myself). I have no idea if this is MD or not but it’s really nice finding similarities with others in the comments
When You are Daydreaming And Then You See Something ( Or Hear Something Like A Song ) Which Does Not Allow You To Enter The Previous Story, Then You Start Creating A New Universe In Your Imagination World With That, Has It Ever Happened ?
So... you're saying that there's an actual, scientific reason for why I used to lock myself in my room to run around and act out daydreams for hours when I was a kid, which is what I called "Imagining" at the time? And I only discovered that there's a term for this after 18 years of existence?? And that I'm not the only one who goes through this weird-ass thing?????
Am I the only one who daydreams about characters from books/Netflix shows and make up your own scenarios of what happens to them. It also makes you NEVER BORED because you can always do that.
YES! I used to not ever be able to sit still but now i just spend hours walking around my room giddily thinking about a fan fic i make up about some character(s)
am i the only one that has a maladaptize daydreaming that i talk as the characters i make when daydreaming? i do that especially when i'm alone at home, bathroom, or my bedroom. not talking tho, more like whispering.
As a psychology student, I wanted to do a qualitative research on MD but I just couldn't find enough people to do participate on my study. I hope that after a year when I graduate I will find those people and interview them and do my thesis. Thank you so much for this, from psychtogo I found out that I had MD and u could just imagine how I felt when I found this out, what a relief.
here are the 5 signs of maladaptive daydreaming: _note: maladaptive daydreaming is not classified as a mental disorder, and this video is not intended to point to a certifiable diagnosis_ 1. you get so caught up in daydreaming that you forget where you are 2. you feel distressed from the amount of time you spend daydreaming 3. you would rather daydream than talk to people 4. maladaptive daydreaming changes your perception of the world 5. you cannot control your daydreaming
Oooooh, great topic. Yes, sometimes people get sucked into their fantasy world and it can feel safer than the real world. It can feel like an escape, but if it is excessive, can lead to other problems unfortunately 🥺♥️
I used to day dream all the time. In quarantine I was so bored that I used to day dream more often than usual. I didn't want to face the real world afterwards. But yeah now here I am . But I still do day dream. But not as much as before . I most of the time just day dream about those things that would never gonna happen. It was actually hard for me to get back to real world. It isn't easy at all to get free from that . I am still bonded with that . But at least I don't have that now . And all of those in the video matched with my behavior ago . But I still want to go back in that life again. And Day dreaming all day is actually kinda fun .
I always been a daydreamer right from childhood. But about the time when I was 13, things began to change. My urge to daydream grew rapidly and could not be easily suppressed. I started doing physical actions like dressing, sitting, talking and making facial expressions to match my mood. It was always right before I went to sleep and right after I got up. Sometimes it even happened when I was in class or trying to study even for an exam! It reduced my productivity as I would waste hours daydreaming and reduce my will to get up in the morning. However, it is important to note that I daydreamed only when alone. My daydreams are vivid, detailed with interesting plots and scenes. They always star ME being in a situation I know I never really will. It also usually has my friends as side roles and some imaginary characters. Sometimes in my dreams, I am a completely different person, with whom I would be disgusted IRL. I haven't yet had the courage to disclose my dreams to anyone. The daydreams sound real enough to give me immense pleasure and satisfaction, but I always know the difference between reality and fantasy. Whenever it is that I get a new story to daydream about, the new daydream would be very intense and that would last for a few days after which the thrill I get out of it would diminish. My daydreams are repetitive going through the same details on repeat. But once I grow out of it I usually never again revert back to the same dream, instead I move on to another. My daydreams perhaps has influenced me and changed me as a person in real life. After I grow out of a dream, I usually learn a lesson out of it. I have dreamt once because of a certain trigger in real life and I reversed what happened (or exaggerated it in another case) but when I grew out of it, I felt less resentment about it IRL and it stopped bothering me anymore. The effects of MD are mixed. I don't really know if it is good or bad. But I know that I can never stop it altogether. I keep it in limits and ensure it doesn't affect me during the day and actually set aside time for it at night. Because I'm a different person in my dreams I keep doing reality checks in life just to ensure I don't lose myself, my morals and personality in the process.
@@anteater9408 Oh my gosh I am 100% exactly the same as you 😳 Its good to know we're not alone because sometimes I do think I waste a lot of time at night/morning in my thoughts. But its actually been a good coping mechanism which relaxes me during difficult situations, so it has positives too.
I do this for hours when I am alone. People close to me have witnessed seeing me interact in my dream. I talk, laugh, walk, grab things in mid-air and I seriously don't know what to do. This happens so often. I can get stuck in one for hours.
I'll catch myself doing that so often. One of the things I used to do pre-covid was going to the gym. I would just listen to music while daydreaming and sometimes I'd do this in public and pray that nobody was listening. I think I made a small noise once and someone looked over and I tried to pretend it never happened.
@@jkal1987 R I G H T ? Sometimes I can't sleep because 1. My mind is too focused on doing something that it can't calm down to sleep or 2. the situations in my head aren't the relaxation I need so my body gets worried and then I get pumped with adrenaline.
Correction, maladaptive daydreaming doesn't allow you to see your daydreams, it just let's you feel very immersed into the daydream, when people say stuff like that, it sometimes give people the wrong idea, maladaptive daydreaming is not schizophrenia, ethier way, it was probably a miscommunication and that's very forgivable, I love your content, keep it up
pls i was putting my shoes on earlier and complaining that my shoes wouldn't fit to the characters in my day dreams so it took me 20 minutes to put them on cause i was talking so much
It's so weird that you are quite aware that you are daydreaming but just can't stop because you feel the need to finish the story or scene that you are daydreaming
Yes. I'll test myself away from my daydream to go, say, play a game. But then I feel an urge to slip back into the daydream, so I end up just going back into my room so I can continue the story and talk to my....ehhh..... imaginary friends, ig I'll call them
Before I knew what maladaptive daydreaming was I used to feel so alone and embarrassed about doing it but now I that I know it's more common than I thought and I can relate to other people about it I feel SO much better❤
Maladaptive daydreaming is a symptom of autism and It's sad how people with autism think that they're normal...when ever they have to copy people (in public)
My experience with this: I pace around my room for hours every day making up scenarios to go with music. I always used to read stories and then fantasize about other possible endings and stuff like that. I also make hand gestures and sometimes jump if i get excited or will actually start crying if something sad happens. I have one other version of myself- basically the person I am not allowed to be/cannot be. She’s out as gender fluid and lesbian, he has dyed hair, and he’s super creative and I spend so much time thinking about them whenever I make a mistake and I think what would Heather (the name of my character- inspired by the song Heather) would do and i’m not sure if it’s healthy
Exactly , i put on music on my headphones and just walk in circles in my room and daydream the version on me that i cant be in real life And like sometimes i get so into it whatever happens in it (day dreaming ) affects me irl
I have another version of myself too! Her name is just spirit and usually in my daydreams she's either a human or an anthropomorphic animal (that's because spirit is my fursona).
İm in daydream LİTERALLY every minute. With music or not, it doesn't matter to me. I feel better in my own world. Actually, it's not the real me. Just some cool characters with extraordinary events that i made
I feel the same. I started when I was 13 and it's just gotten more frequent. I rarely ever just have regular thoughts, and when I do, they're happening at the same time that I'm daydreaming. When I'm watching a show or movie I like, it gets easier but with shows I usually daydream about being in the show and follow along at the same time. I used to only daydream with music, and I still really prefer to, but I don't need it anymore.
I am 16. This is impacting me so badly and I don't know how to get help. I don't want to tell my mom and I don't know how to stop. I can't find a good way to just suppress it just so I can study.
@@vivekramgathi2679 if u want to end it, be busy. Do some activities, or your hobbies. It's the best way. I don't really want it to end, bcuz it makes me feel safe and strong
@@gassanzade I daydreamed a lot growing up (adhd, always zoning out and being in my own head). When I was 13 I started creating a character who was an idealized version of myself and she's been with me since then. I wish you all the best and I hope you're okay.
1:13 You get so caught up in daydreaming, you forget where you are 1:29 You feel distressed from the amount of time you've spent daydreaming 2:06 You would rather daydream than talk to people 2:25 Maladaptive dreaming changes your perception of the world 3:04 You can't control your daydreaming
It makes it weird when you walked through countless streets and can't remember a single part of who you passed or shops because your body went autopilot with small safety spacial awareness because you're daydreaming SO much
I always daydream while listening to music that fits the day dream. I also make faces that the character I'm focusing on would make, the character is usually one from an anime or something like that. I make up stories that would fit with the character. I do that for most of the day. 🥱
the thing is even though i know that my daydreaming interferes with my life a lot, i still don't want to leave my imaginary world because i feel safe there, it's like my small universe and it makes me feel so much better about myself
It’s really interesting how everyone is sharing their stories of maladaptive daydreaming I think it has become more of a serious issue for us “Gen-Z” kids and older generation who usually find themselves lonely.
Well yes i was a real loner,i was the youngest and my siblings didnt interact with me much,the only things i had to distract was paper, pencil and a tv were i watched cartoons,so i spent almost of all days daydreaming my own universes.
Me I suffer from this because of trauma I’ve been through as a kid daydreaming made me happier when I was depressed and lonely I still suffer from this and I’m 20 yrs old it’s my escape from reality it changes my perception of horrible situations making it better when in reality it’s completely worse
If someone was able to hear my music through my headphones, they'd hear me listening to the same few seconds over and over for like 30 minutes bc I just need to get this one part of the story right
Kinda wish I could go to school with you guys in the comments so I wouldn't look like such a freak where I am. :( I'm genuinely grateful for face masks because no one can see the expressions I'm making and the things I'm saying in my daydreams. The world in my head is infinitely better than the world outside and sometimes I don't think I'd be here without it.
I get anxiety when I don’t do it, I start feeling agitated and try to stay still and focus on what I’m originally doing- but when it’s in public or a friends house; it becomes super difficult. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to live with anyone
It happens to me all the time, i try to do something like reading and it's hard.. It feel like the people in my daydreams are telling me too come back to my alternative reality. When i try to do something productive it just gives me this urge to lay in my bed and daydream all day.
There have been tests for it. It’s trial & error based. You first have to get a psychiatrist who understands this MD. Then you ask about the drug. I have never used it because I can’t find anyone who even believes me.
I'm so glad I discovered this term because I now know there are people like me out there who experience this kind of stuff. For me, I tend to run around my house even sometimes silently speaking because it's what my characters say. I have been doubting whether or not it's serious enough to warrant the name MD but seeing as I use daydreams to kind of forget about and procrastinate on my homework, this might be the right term for me. Music is usually what sets off the daydreams so I would just put on a song and go around the house daydreaming.
@@luckystone2293 Me too! I always thought that it was just a "me" thing, but then I searched the internet and found out about Maladaptive Dreaming. I kinda feel happy and relieved since I am not alone and there are people who are going through the same things as me
@@efa2909 I am super surprised to see these comments right now. all this time I didn't even want to search for what is going on with me. I would like to make an online community where we can share our experiences and advice to each other. What would you say? I have to get rid of this literally I cant do anything else in my life
I do exactly the same. Sometimes my parents ask me what I'm doing and why do I walk around the house with headphones on my ears all the time. I don't know how to explain it to them, it's just part of my life. And I can't get rid of it :/
when i’m daydreaming i walk too. not in a small circle because it is too small i have to have a bigger route like the whole house. with music i walk around the house over and over daydreaming. it scares me tbh
Yes that's it. In the older video of this channel that talks about maladaptive daydreaming, everyone is talking about doing the exactly same thing. Pacing, listening to music, whispering to yourself, shaking your hands, making facial expressions, feeling the emotions that your characters are feeling, and all that. For me it's a euphoric experience, but also addicting, and that scares me cause I obviously need to stay in reality so I can go on with my life. And once I go back to active daydreaming (not just when I'm distracted, but this one with the pacing and the music), it's really hard to wipe it out of my days again. It affects mood and all. Also, sooooo much time spent in it, and not in the real world... That's not something I want for me :( I wanted to get rid of it for years. I finally could after like ten years (9~19), but quarantine is making it come back, since I've been inside my house for months, with not a lot of stimuli in the outside of me. I'm 21 now :/ Its heaven and hell at the same time...I feel so good, part of something unique, but then also so empty cause nothing really happened, just inside my head, and i lost time I could have spent in reality, actually doing something.
@@ingredi8409 i really really relate to the end part of what you said. it’s so amazing but none of it is real. your emotions based on something that’s not real. everything is unsatisfying and you get those moments of something all in your head.
I live in my dream world. I have made up people with their own stories that I’ve had for years. I’d rather lay down and close my eyes and daydream than going and crafting, or doing chores, or interacting with my family. I have my days where I just want to lay in bed all day and dream. There are days that I’m ok, and I can be productive. I go to work, but I space out a lot. I thought that was normal.
I needed this. I thought I was going insane when I stepped back and realized how often I daydreamed. I would pace around the house, mouthing dialogue to myself, cry, laugh... It got to the point where I was taking scenes from my own life and plopping fictional characters in my place. I can't listen to songs or audios without obsessing over a fictional character(s) that the song would fit...
@@cadennemcdaris788 I dont know how the life is without daydreaming ,I do it the most of the day as long as I can remember. I've almost teared my achilles tendon but now I can normal walk again ,I am addicted to it and can't stop.I've lived in a lot of daydream worlds ,in so many caracters .It is felling as real as realife
I feel like a whole production team. I’m the writer, the director, the cameraman, the actor, everything. This maladaptive daydreaming, I feel more is my asset. The plot that automatically comes into my mind shocks me most of the time. I write them down after and gosh, it made good books.
Welp... I do daydream all the days, but I can stop it if I want, and when I daydream I just start walking on circles in my living room (and in all my apartament) and this sometimes give some foot pain, but I really just love daydreaming so I continue, but I always thought that everyone did it... This video is really helpful, *happy time traveler noises* :)
I've been daydreaming since I was 5 and I remember always telling my mom about how I told stories to myself in my head. It's always been a sort of coping mechanism for me, but since I was preoccupied with other things I usually only did it when I was bored in class or right before I went to sleep. When I was 14 I started acting out my daydreams, but instead of inserting myself in other fictional universes I pretended I *was* the characters and it really fucked up my sense of identity. I started acting like these characters, and it made me feel like I had no personality when I wasn't immersing myself in daydreams. I noticed how bad it was getting when I was basing my decisions off of what the characters in my head would do, and I also constantly felt like I was being watched by these characters. It's not like I don't know how crazy it sounds to feel like fake people are watching me, but it's so hard to not feel like that when I've been pretending to be another person for months on end. I'm finally starting to control it, and I'm trying to catch myself when I start daydreaming since I slip into my daydreams without even realizing. I'm not insane, I can tell the difference between reality and the shit I make up in my head, but it genuinely makes me feel so isolated knowing that no one in my life understands what I'm going through and I'm so embarrassed to admit I've been pretending to be a different person in a fictional universe for about 2 years now. It's like an addiction, and even though I know it's not healthy I feel so comfortable in my daydreams because I've been doing it for so long. Anyways to whoever sees this thank you for reading my rant, and I hope you find some comfort in knowing you're not alone. Remember the characters we're "with" aren't real, and we should all work towards interacting with fiction in a healthy way and use coping mechanisms that aren't detrimental to our mental health :)
@@youandmehateher6596 honestly it took me a while to get over that and I'm still trying to work through it, but something that really helped me is mindfulness exercises. they help a lot with feeling grounded and when you really focus on your surroundings you'll realize that no one else is there and there's no one watching you. believe me I know how hard it is and it takes time, but it's definitely possible to get over the fear that people are watching you. if it gets to a point where it's unbearable I recommend seeing a therapist because this can lead to severe paranoia, but I'm sure you can manage it on your own :) good luck
I have it as long as I can remember, so I can't tell the stard of it maby when I was 3 jears old or something. I daydreme the most of the day ,I can do it especally good while listenig to music or at nightime in my bed ,I tryed to replace real sleeping to daydreming . I also jump while doing this in a specific way .I can do this for hours, I dont know how long ,because I need to do other things in reallife too (I live with my family).I almost teared my achilles tendon and couldn't walk good because of this ,now it healed. I'am addicted to this so bad, I had so many caracters and worlds I lived in (in some worlds for a couple of jears )every Version of myself has their on backstory and experinces. At some points I lived at more than one world at the same time, which stole me so much time .I can't imagen how it is to live a life without it . (Sorry for my bad english )
Oh, so that's what it was!! I have felt like these characters were analysing and judging my every move, pushing myself even further to stop being who I actually am. For the longest time I thought I had schizophrenia and that I was just.. *gone* , telling myself how I was past repair even though that was so far from the truth. Anyhow, I'm oh so glad to know I'm not alone
I relate to this so much! I'm literally always looking forward to bedtime when I can be alone with my imaginary life and repeating the same scenarios over and over again with slight variations.. also on a different note, this reminded me of Bridge to Terabithia when leslie and her friend would imagine their fantasy world and it was so real that they literally could feel and hear things that weren't there...
Me too I actually have to go to bed early like at 7 or something then I daydream untill like 10 then fall asleep And It sometimes continues in my actual dream
omg I thought this was abnormal but I can relate to you word for word (minus the bridge to terabithia reference) I literally live in my head and I get so mad whenever someone interrupts me just as I'm getting to the major plot point that I worked on for hours. i could, and have, sat there for hours on end just thinking before. its my escape.
I’m constantly getting caught talking to myself when I’m alone by my family and it’s so embarrassing. Also coming out of a day dream and realising I’ve managed to walk into a completely different room without realising is a regular thing too😩
Have you ever acted out scenarios for 3+ hours because I remember I day dreamed from 7:00 to 10:00 one time while sitting in a dark room and not looking at my phone once and then my aunt was worried about me
Oh yeah. Do you sometimes, like, hyperfocus on something in your dreams? That happens to me and it's really scary, since I can't snap out of it for a while.
I think this applies to me. I have a constant stream of potential scenarios playing in my head and sometimes I join in, which occasionally means that I talk out loud or move in ways that fit the world in my head, but not in my physcial surroundings. I try my best not to do it in public, which is one of many reasons for why I like to be alone so much.
When I start daydreaming in bed when I can't sleep, I sit up or when I'm trying to do something, I suddenly stop in the middle of it and walk around . It would probably be hard to explain when someone sees me when I daydream
I remember when I was younger and had no idea that I had mdd someone asked me, "Why do you run around all the time?" (because running in circles for god knows how long was a MEGA trigger) and I responded with "It helps me imagine". Every time I think about it, it makes me cringe SO hard my head goes in my asshole
@@sillyloser8302 YES!!!! One person I know called me out with me walking back and forth one time and the person said I looked like I was an autistic child he saw in a movie. I'm not autistic as far as I know and that was really offensive... I literally didn't know how to explain why I do it
When I start to day dream I feel like I HAVE to move, walk in my 'tack' I have in my room (around a table and beside my bed, repeat for however long). If I dont move around it feels like th daydream stutters, for lack of a better way to put it, and it bugs me. If i'm doing my college work and I start to day dream I'll mouth the words, if I'm at my desk I need to get up and walk around the room (online college) and then come back. I day dream when I'm hiking my local trails (scared the crap out of me one time I was in my head so much I didn't see a deer and somehow it didn't see me until I was about five feet from it).
@@didi-ve4jy Oh dear....please come out of this trap.....Iam guessing you are too young as you said that you are in school.....Please don't continue this and control your mind or else it will be a great misery in the future.....
One side effect of OCD, or obsessive compulsive disorder, a disorder I was diagnosed with when I was very young, is intrusive thoughts that can come in various forms. It ranges from incessant unwanted thoughts to full on scenarios that have never actually happened to you. I have both, and actually can't remember the last time I wasn't thinking about something random It's especially infuriating when I find myself wandering around for 30+ minutes straight and whispering to myself when I could be doing something more productive
Just cuz u daydream a lot and are really creative, it doesn’t mean you have MD, so u don’t have to worry☺️The reason why I say this is because, I was diagnosed with MD, and I Dream all the time, I hear stuff I daydream , see stuff, but in reality it’s not real. I also can’t control what I dream about, sometimes I dream about killing people, having a sickness, stabbing my arms and legs, and sometimes even feel the pain. If your symptoms match those of mine, seek help from a loved one😊
Wait, you guys do the same?! For years I thought something was off with me, glad to know that people out there knows how this feels instead of being insulted and even demonized
I finally feel less weird now that I found my people. Also, to someone’s who’s showing no signs of these. Please don’t start or think just because we’re relating and laughing to one another in the comments doesn’t mean you should pretend to have MDD. We’re just relating to each other’s struggles and cope. It’s not as fun as we’re making it sounds because we get so trapped in our world we forget about our reality. So please, don’t start. You’ll go down a rabbit hole bye 👋🏽.
I’m so glad to see there’s a lot of others having similar experiences as me. In my case, I’m always still me but due to whatever show or movie I’m getting inspiration from, I’ll basically replace a character with myself and go along with what I think I’d do in those situations. This causes me to spend most of my free time in my room imagining myself in these crazy situations with people that don’t exist, and stops me from even talking to actual people such as my friends. It’s a bummer we can’t make any of it a reality, but maybe somehow this can help us learn more about ourselves in other ways other than the fact that we may have MD.
I have a mental illness i don't know what you call it.when there is a football world cup i become the greatest player in my thoughts and enjoy my stardom . it happens with me from a small age .if there is tennis tournament i become the best tennis player and in my mind and thoughts i enjoy being that person actually I don't like my reality and I enjoy everything in my thoughts.similarly be it any sporting event i become the best player in my thoughts and enjoy the stardom,i feel happy and I don't even know i m doing this.if i like a car i think that i have already bought the car and i m enjoying the ride of it.i don't know what it is .. I don't like being myself.i remember when i was a teen like 15 i became a prophet of God in my thoughts and i enjoyed it because prophet is a powerful personality.that time i thought of myself as a prophet of God in my subconscious mind.i m sad now and i have no Life plans no social interaction no sex drive no children no future goals ..just this delusional thoughts that pop out of nowhere..i have depression and anxiety..heart beat paltipitations etc😞😭😭😭
I had this thing ever since I was little, I didn’t like talking to people in general, I didn’t have much friends. And so I created fantasy friends that I imagine/dream that I hang out with.
@@koral4684 for me it has become impossible to control it like literally i have an exam tomorrow and no matter how hard i tried to not zone out today, i did and i am so scared for what is going to happen to me in future😭
Well I'm the same, when I was little I was a very shy and lonely kid. So I decided to make my own fantasy world..and yeah it's hard to stop it but i need to stop it
I always played by myslef as a kid, playing multiplayer board games by myself like Monopoly each of the little pieces had their own personalities. And I would play against them for a "prize" which was just monopoly money-
This definitely needs to be more researched and I’d be more than happy to be a test subject for them to base their research off of because fucking hell. I wonder if it’s related to ADHD.
@@faerie5926 I really suspect that I have ADHD and I’m also certain I have the condition. I’m no scientist but this condition seems to be a coping mechanism that becomes compulsive. Like many copes it’s to escape the reality of your life. People have said that when their life had improved this condition went away.
Pacing around my room dreaming for hours every evening is literally the only thing I look forward to each day. It's so addicting. And then when I come back to reality I am reminded that I exist and am wasting my life away doing this instead of my obligations and I feel ashamed but I know I'll do it again the next day because distracting myself is the only thing that makes me feel better. Idk what to do anymore
Here are some advice if you're struggling: • limit yourself to one character world that you have • If you're stuck on a daydream try to slowly switching to your Daydream You and picturing what you should be doing to give you more inspo • Give yourself an specific time to daydream (like before bed) and resist the urge to do it, think about how much freedom you will have to daydream after AND • keep your Phone Notes or something to write down really fast what you want to daydream about so you can postpone it for the time you're allowed to (Sometimes I give it in when I get the thought that I won't have this great idea later so I have to daydream about it immediately) • Drink cold water if the urge is big and you really need to work on something I know it's hard and some days are worse than others but tbh once I settled on things I noticed that triggered my daydreams I practiced and now I can control it a little bit better 🙂 Also don't worry, your brain is smart and will save the story you want to imagine later =)
Thank you so much buddy!!! THANK YOU! ❤️ After watching this video I was gonna search for how to control MD. This is quite tough 😞 when I start daydreaming before going to sleep, at 11pm, I can't get out of it and keep on doing till 3am... I can't sleep, and my head gets cramped up with so many things by 3 am that my head aches and difficult to fall alseep after sometime I get so tired that I Don't realise that I fell asleep until 7am when my alarm goes off. This sleep deprivation doesn't let me work the whole day. I am so tired that I feel daydreaming is better than doing any job. I cant study either. And end up daydreaming and pushing my stuff more towards deadline. It's so exhausting! I know it's because of MD but still I keep doing it....hushh!! Felt like sharing it, I am somewhat relieved to see that it's not just me. I am gonna work on that! Thanks 💚
The problem is, we cannot control where or when we would daydream. A movie or a music will trigger it. Hell, I was taking the train and I watch a father cuddling and kissing his baby and it triggered my daydream. Next thing I know, 2 hours has past and I'm at the other side of the city, far away from my intended stop.
@@ShadowMoon878 yeah I know what you mean, is really really hard but after some practice i got some progress and I can control it better, not fully obviously, I don't think I ever will but its better than nothing I guess
It’s so embarrassing when I’m talking aloud because I’m day dreaming about talking to someone and then a family member is like “Who’re you talking to?” And I’m like “...myself...” I’m lucky enough to not have it too severe, and it usually happens at night when I’m in bed before I sleep. Problem is it gets in the way of me sleeping, because I don’t wanna end it yet. It also happens when I listen to music.
That is the worst T^T I hate when I’m daydreaming and I accidentally make a face or say something out loud and there’s people around What I do sometimes is say “oh I need to sneeze” and pretend a sneeze is coming and that it just disappeared 👍
I got used to putting on bluff when they ask who are you talking to by saying, "I'm talking to myself because I make great company" And in my mind, it's true, and to them it's funny. Win win.
Maladaptive Daydreamer here, I'm always so grateful when you guys do videos on MD! Y'all always do your stuff so well and it's hard to get lots of information on MD!
I just want to say this: yes, everyone daydreams, and you're probably doing it more than usual if you're going through a hard time in life as a coping mechanism but please don't go around taking this signs lightly. The thing about maladaptive daydreaming is that consumes your whole life and you're addicted to it because it makes you feel good or understood. It affects your daily tasks and doesn't care about school or work, it gives you headaches and nausea and constant dissociation from the world, sometimes I would imagine some grotesque violent intrusive things, and even so it's enjoyable because is your brain making you feel better, whether it is by imaging something happy or something that wil make you feel understood. My point is, everyone CAN have these symptoms and should be treated to feel more grounded but MD takes it kinda to a higher level and it's annoying (not trying to invalidate anyone btw but I want to spread more awareness on it) Also it makes you feel like an amazing storyteller for writing stories or make art but the result can't really match the deep level of realism your brain can make, I wish it was like that tho lmao
Yes exactly. I don’t like when people talk about maladaptive daydreaming like it’s fun. I can’t stop doing it and I end up hating myself afterwards. And it absolutely RUINS my brain. It feels like my brain is ripping into shreds and can’t function effectively. I just recently read a text on excessive daydreaming and apparently it leads to a huge drop in intelligence and that’s true because ever since I developed MD, I’ve gotten dumber and dumber and I struggle to even form the most basic sentences. When I speak, I sound like a 5 year old who hasn’t learnt any vocabulary because that’s how damaged my brain has gotten at this point. Not to mention the massive impact this has had on my studies.
@@fs1383 I feel the same, and I think the worst part is that is not even classified as an illness, I've come with some rules on my own to try to control it but there's no actual help I can access to
@@fs1383 I commented them and is around the Top Comments in here, but if you don't find them pass me ur username of instagram or something, where I can dm you, they helped me after some practice, not fully but it's better than nothing
As an artist who have maladaptive daydreaming it does give me a good story idea on how I make manga, in my personal experience I did have fun with my daydream for hours but it’s always like this cycle over again like it’s in my daily life, I’m not upset or anything it’s just I have to control my daydreaming and reality, I’ve been in a rough times and usually I struggle with family issues a lot which I hate I had several mental breakdowns and it was not fun, idk if it’s just me but daydreaming kind of makes me feel a bit better for me, it’s not healthy of course but I’m trying to control it
I've been making up a story in my head ever since I was seven or eight years old. it's been eight years and Its STILL the same story but with a hell lot of alterations and more mature than what it was. I fantasize about the characters and feel EVERYTHING. it's horrible when my parents stop me mid day dream and ask me to stop wasting time.
i'm similar; i've always inserted myself into the stories/films/tv shows i liked, and i would always be trying to find ways that that same character/version of myself could exist in all those worlds, not just have them all be seperate versions of me. i've revised and added and scrubbed out storylines and backstories and changed the roles i actually had in each story i was using, but it's functionally been the same story for most of my life. i literally cannot fathom not having it, and the idea of day dreaming with a new self-insert character is so deeply unappealing because i've just become too attached to the one i already have and all the development she's gone through.
same, when i was younger i was super into undertale and my daydreams straight looked like a bad fanfic-- the worst part is im so emotionally invested in the characters that i can't let go of them..,,, so whenever people ask me about my daydreams its so awkward
@@madem_devine1254 yeah I try to daydream as much as i can but I sleep so fast that I have to bend myself in uncomfortable positions in order to stay awake lol
