Help Maladaptive Daydreaming

[spinningship]

I've made a lot of progress recently on getting out of depression with the help of therapy and lsd. Before I didn't even realize I was depressed I almost thought it was just logical for me to be depressed about my life. Now looking back in hindsight I can see clearer. I never thought I'd be able to get to this stage.

One thing that lingers is maladaptive daydreaming, not as much as before, but I have a tendency to listen to music on loop while daydreaming about being famous or accomplishing something or performing, even though none of those things are realistic or even things I deep down actually want for myself. It's like a habit i've gotten into and it wastes so much fucking time. I'll spend an hour in like a trance like state listening to one looping song just losing time.

And it's like there is actual stuff I could be doing like preparing for uni exams or getting a cv together to get an internship. And I get some of that done but it's hard when I waste so much time without even realizing i'm doing it.

While I was depressed maladaptive daydreaming was constant, it was basically all I thought about all day, I couldn't walk for 2 minutes without having a fantasy in my head. It's probably half of why I couldn't recognize my own depression. I'm not sure if this plays a role but i'm autistic + adhd and i've heard adhd people often get sucked into this.

 

[martinso67]

I struggle too sometimes with maladaptive daydreaming.
It's good that you try your best to treat it. The first step was the hardest

 

[DeathToSpiesSMERSH]

It can very well be a part of you AuDHD as well, it's common for people like us to slip in to daydreaming and being up in the clouds. Are you medicated at all for the ADHD aspects?

 

[iwantdeath6969]

i have a lot of issues with this too, just staring into space unable to stop daydreaming for hours sometimes. since i've gotten on vyvanse it's helped with that though

 

[7thundercloud]

I have this same exact issue. I think it probably does have to do with depression and autism. I think it is a coping skill for me. If I'm sad and have no one to confide in (I never do), I daydream about characters that are going through tough times and being comforted... I forget about my depression but man it affects my life and the way I view myself. I feel like I just end up hating myself more for not looking like my fictional characters or behaving like them.

 

[spinningship]

I have this same exact issue. I think it probably does have to do with depression and autism. I think it is a coping skill for me. If I'm sad and have no one to confide in (I never do), I daydream about characters that are going through tough times and being comforted... I forget about my depression but man it affects my life and the way I view myself. I feel like I just end up hating myself more for not looking like my fictional characters or behaving like them.

Same. I make up so many fictional versions of myself that are able to just work and achieve impossible things to me and I get the dopamine almost as if I had actually done those things. Or yeah I daydream about being able to vent to people. It sound so fucked writing it down. I imagine I would go completely bonkers if I tried to stop myself from doing it completely though, like when people get ocd about having certain thoughts. I think it burns me out from getting dopamine for acheiving real things since they always fall short.

 

[Parnate]

I've made a lot of progress recently on getting out of depression with the help of therapy and lsd. Before I didn't even realize I was depressed I almost thought it was just logical for me to be depressed about my life. Now looking back in hindsight I can see clearer. I never thought I'd be able to get to this stage.

One thing that lingers is maladaptive daydreaming, not as much as before, but I have a tendency to listen to music on loop while daydreaming about being famous or accomplishing something or performing, even though none of those things are realistic or even things I deep down actually want for myself. It's like a habit i've gotten into and it wastes so much fucking time. I'll spend an hour in like a trance like state listening to one looping song just losing time.

And it's like there is actual stuff I could be doing like preparing for uni exams or getting a cv together to get an internship. And I get some of that done but it's hard when I waste so much time without even realizing i'm doing it.

While I was depressed maladaptive daydreaming was constant, it was basically all I thought about all day, I couldn't walk for 2 minutes without having a fantasy in my head. It's probably half of why I couldn't recognize my own depression. I'm not sure if this plays a role but i'm autistic + adhd and i've heard adhd people often get sucked into this.

Maladaptive daydreaming masked my depression too. Btw how is lsd helping your depression? How frequently do you need to have it? What dosage? How long do the effects last ?

 

[CPY]

This is one the things I have that I don't see as a disease.I've always done this exact same things ever since I was a child.I daydream while listening to music and pacing back and forth. I still do it at 23 years old and it has helped me overcome miserable states in my life like when I was bullied in middle school

My mind used to be steel refuge against the cruel world but now it has been ruined by ocd

 

[spinningship]

Maladaptive daydreaming masked my depression too. Btw how is lsd helping your depression? How frequently do you need to have it? What dosage? How long do the effects last ?

I took it once but its effect on me has been very long-lasting because it's helped me break out of patterns of thoughts and understand the nature of emotions and my feelings better.

I never plan on taking it again because it ruined my life while also giving me life look at it like a phoenix dying and re-emerging from the ashes it's not the type of thing you wanna do on the regular. Psychosis is a very real side effect.

I know people have managed to help treat their depression through micro-dosing though I wouldn't know anything about that