#stog

(Stog) - when i'm alone and doing some sorta task at work and i'm just doing it to pass the time. i don't invent my own characters. i don't think I get attached? i like to act out situations in my head that are emotional (e.g. a fight or something w/ a chara) but it's only like acting in that moment. i don't like actually get angry and upset at these fictional ppl. i am attached to the characters in the movie or show I watch though, but isn't that normal to like fictional characters? i'm-

(Stog) -really aware of my daydreaming now and i don't know if i shouldn't be doing it?? everybody daydreams don't they? i like doing it but i don't take it seriously, i don't think these things are real, they don't stop me from completeing tasks. Very rarely i can't get to sleep sometimes because something is replaying in my head over and over but it's not me thinking about it on purpose and it's usually something random like a stupid jingle from and advert or thinking about what I did that day

Hi Stog,

This is a really interestingquestion! I think there’s a really fine line between normal daydreaming andmaladaptive daydreaming. The best way to figure out the difference between thetwo is to go over the signs of maladaptive daydreaming.

The signs may include:

Thedaydreaming is excessive and can be compared to an addiction;

Thisexcessive daydreaming started in childhood (in most cases);

Mediasuch as books, movies, videogames, etc. can trigger the daydreaming;

Youcould compare the daydreaming to a movie or novel, the daydreams are verydetailed and elaborate;

It’scommon to fall into repetitive moments while daydreaming, such as pacing,rocking, spinning, shaking something in their hand, etc;

Sometimesthe sufferer may make facial expressions, talk, laugh, cry or gesture whiledaydreaming. They do know the difference between their daydreams and reality,they just prefer the daydreams. However because they know their daydreamsaren’t real, they are different from people suffering from psychosis orschizophrenia;

Suffererswill spend hours in bed daydreaming and might have trouble falling asleep orgetting out of bed because of their daydreaming. The daydreaming can be to suchan extent that it causes the sufferers to neglect their basic needs (meals,showering, etc.).

(taken from our page onmaladaptive daydreaming)

So, looking at those signs,the biggest difference is really how disruptive the daydreaming is. It’s truethat most people daydream, but those with maladaptive daydreaming spend a lotmore time in their daydreaming, they don’t necessarily choose when they aregoing to daydream, and it gets in the way of their daily life. It takes up alot of their time and definitely goes beyond what typical daydreaming entails.Some people with maladaptive daydreaming don’t even realize in the moment thatthey are daydreaming and some would say they prefer daydreaming over reality.

Maladaptive daydreamingtechnically isn’t considered a diagnosable illness, but it’s still completelyvalid and you can still seek help for it. I can’t say whether you have it ornot, so you should consider seeking professional help to find out for sure.Even though maladaptive daydreaming isn’t something that can be diagnosed quiteyet, there are still treatment options for people who suffer from it. Thosetreatment options usually involve therapy (talk therapy, cognitive-behavioraltherapy, etc.) or medication in some cases. Because of that, if you areconcerned that you may be struggling with this, don’t be deterred from seekinghelp just because it’s not an official diagnosis yet. We have some informationabout getting help here if you’re wondering how you can reach out.

I hope this makes sense! Feelfree to let us know if there’s anything else that we can do to help.