Pretending that my life is a movie to cope.

[greekyfish10]

This may sound weird but ever since I was 11 years old I've been coping with my struggles by pretending that my life is a movie. I mean, it's kind of more complicated than that but like I'll basically have a starting point where I'll start the pretending and then I'll keep going with it as long as I can but eventually I'll have to stop because living like that is too hard. Because while I'm pretending that it's a movie, I'll be able to do things and like be productive which I normally am unable to do or at least it's really hard to. And if it weren't for this coping mechanism, I don't think I would be here today because it has really helped me. Has anyone else done this or heard of this way of coping? I honestly feel like it's probably a normal thing.

 

[TimeToBiteTheDust]

Sometimes I pretend that reality doesn't exist. That I'm in a simulation. People who surround me are created by my mind and my mind is the only thing that really exist. It's called solipsism.

 

[muffin222]

Interesting. I did this for years as a young child as a coping mechanism for my unbearable pain and living circumstances. I've googled to try to see if anyone else has done this, but I've found very, very little information on Google. Thank you for posting this- you're not alone in having used this coping strategy. It's incredible the ways our brains can help keep us functioning

 

[stygal]

When I was going through a lot of trauma as a relatively young child I coped by pretending I was a princess from an alien planet far away and soon my real relatives were going to get me and take me back "home" and I could leave behind my human form.
I also had a few imaginary friends (in the form of animals) who helped me fight off either real life troubles or other imaginary foes hindering me to get back to my planet. It latest up until 5th grade I think.

 

[Hirokami]

When I was a kid, I always pretended I was in a SciFi movie as an escape. My mom even noticed how often I get in a daze. I do it less nowadays but it helps to pretend I'm in another world when I'm feeling really bad.

 

[AN IDIOT'S END]

I try to pretend my life will look like a big heroic story in the grand scheme of things... it really helps me get work done and feel ok when I'm pretending I'm some sort of modern intellectual Gilgamesh or whatever. Not too sure if it's healthy, though.

 

[Wayfaerer]

Since I entered this state as of spring 2019, I began maladaptive daydreaming to cope that everything was going to come to and end before life had actually started. I imagine(d) if that good point I was at was shifted 4 years in the past from that point. I would think about all the cool things I'd be doing right now instead of planning to McFucking kill myself. I even window shop online looking at stuff that I would want if I knew I wasn't going to be dead in the near-future. Of course, when suicide became the end goal, I stopped buying things altogether.

It's so dumb lol

 

[Mentalmick]

I used to daydream about being a demon smashing the world and everyone in it to bits.

 

[WornOutLife]

Sometimes I pretend that reality doesn't exist. That I'm in a simulation. People who surround me are created by my mind and my mind is the only thing that really exist. It's called solipsism.

I do exactly this!

 

[NeverGoodEnuff]

I do have imaginary conversations with certain people. I know those conversations will never take place IRL so it is probably the most honest.

I had a very major meltdown after a confrontation with my sister a couple of months ago. It was the worst thing I have ever experienced. I was completely out of control. Never have I experienced something like that. Some tiny part of me actually thought, "You are completely losing it, going crazy." It occurred to me that my sister may call the police for a "wellness check". I was peeking out the curtains (it was night time), paranoid and extremely afraid. So I pretended they were in my driveway, getting out of their car, ringing the doorbell. I put a smile on my face, very ultra calmly opened the door, "Yes, Officers?" We had a "conversation", I invited them in for coffee, apologized for my "crazy" sister, for taking them away from their important duties for such a trivial family affair. In my imagination, they sat at my kitchen table while I tidied up the kitchen (I actually did do that) and we chatted about how families have their idiosyncrasies, how dangerous their jobs were, how thankful I was that they were there to protect our little community, straight out of some 1950's Leave It To Beaver type TV show. It was all pretend but it was very successful in calming me down, amazingly so.

I say, whatever works, do it.