Help Any advice on how to stop maladaptive daydreaming?

[manslxt]

I hate daydreaming, it's tiring and all I do is pace around and imagine scenarios I wish I could animate, but I have nothing else to do. It doesn't help that I do story writing, so that's an excuse to keep doing it. that it'll "help inspire me", pacing around listening to the same 7 audios on repeat for 4 hours. It's frustrating and It just makes me feel worse.
vcing with friends and playing games with them used to help, but now all of a sudden when I'm talking to them I start to get stressed because I haven't done it that day. I've even left call a couple times just to daydream.

Does anyone have some advice on how to stop?

 

[poached]

I hate daydreaming...It doesn't help that I do story writing.

Does anyone have some advice on how to stop?

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;
Rudyard killing If


There's no reason to hate daydreaming especially if you write. It's the amount that you are doing that's the problem

I've found that rigorous exercise (weights or cardio) can help me get out of my own head at times.

 

[jinx <3]

I've found that rigorous exercise (weights or cardio) can help me get out of my own head at times.

I've also found that exercise helps with escaping your thoughts, even just intense walking.

I daydream to escape often, and sometimes it's all that I want to do. I've found that spending time with very close friends helps, also doing something mentally stimulating like puzzles can help. Sorry that I don't have much advice, hopefully it gets better <3.

 

[Celerity]

Man, if you find a solution, I'd be very interested in hearing it. All I do nowadays is maladaptively daydream.

 

[LibertyLily]

My advice? Don't stop maladaptive daydreaming if you don't want to.

Society always makes a big deal about time being wasted.

But what is time for except to be wasted?

 

[nozomu]

Do you happen to have childhood PTSD/a difficult childhood? If so, doing the daily practice as suggested by the "Crappy Childhood Fairy" on YouTube might help you be more regulated and therefore more productive

 

[Mirrory Me]

I think it's normal to lose yourself in the middle of thoughts and dreams, by immersing in whatever dream you're living at that current moment. It can be healthy and it doesn't necessarily take us away from reality, even if we notice, for example, that we isolate ourselves. Some of us need more space for ourselves, especially when writing or doing some other creative activities. And perhaps your mind would feel better if you looked for something new to listen to.

 

[CrystallicEyes]

I hate daydreaming, it's tiring and all I do is pace around and imagine scenarios I wish I could animate, but I have nothing else to do. It doesn't help that I do story writing, so that's an excuse to keep doing it. that it'll "help inspire me", pacing around listening to the same 7 audios on repeat for 4 hours. It's frustrating and It just makes me feel worse.
vcing with friends and playing games with them used to help, but now all of a sudden when I'm talking to them I start to get stressed because I haven't done it that day. I've even left call a couple times just to daydream.

Does anyone have some advice on how to stop?

I feel you @mansxlt. As a maladaptive daydreamer myself, I used to find it as a very entertaining way to distract myself from life's worries. Fast forward later, it's absolutely horrendous. You're stuck in a whole cycle between losing yourself in your daydreams because it distracts you, but the moment you 'come back', all you feel is guilt for wasting your time pacing around your room. Then the cycle just repeats again.

To be honest, the best thing that works for me is distracting myself— I try to keep myself busy, like reading a book, to keep the urges away, even though it's so hard to ignore them. It took a few months for me to reduce it down, as it takes practice to try and drag yourself away from the scenarios, but hey, whatever works. Sometimes I do a combo of both, like exercising while maladaptive daydreaming, as I'm doing something 'productive' while still being able to satisfy the urges.

Sending all my well wishes for you, I hope that you'll be able to find a way that works best for you.