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Maladaptive daydreaming?

In fifth grade or so, I wished I could do it for hours at a time. Being mentally present was exhausting. I could only do it for ten-fifteen minutes at a time, though. I got better and it became my escape for the rest of school – even at uni, when it might have been more practical to just stay present and listen even though I knew at least the beginning of the lecture.

But then, I have daydreamed my whole life. Literally. When I was four I made up stories in my head and imagined them happen. They were not entirely coherent and in retrospect very much based on stories I already knew. It seems to be a good substitute for physical stimming, which I was never allowed to do. So mental stimming.
 
I used to spend hours running in circles to music and getting lost in my imaginary world. These days I'm preoccupied with arts, crafts & even a little game development, so I don't spend nearly as much time in my own imaginary world as I did when I was younger.

However, I still need to retreat to that world every once in awhile because it makes me very happy and makes me feel better about life in general.

Reconnecting with the fictional characters who "live" in my world feels similar to visiting my real-life family members after I haven't seen them in a long time. Even my mom once referred to the characters in my world as my "second family". :)
 
I do it all the time, but I find it hard to daydream without music or some other white noise such as rain or the hum of the clothes dryer. I don't pace much but I do stim a lot, also I noticed that I daydream deeply becoming oblivious to whats going on around me and I can be very easily startled in this state.
 
I pace constantly to help me think but find that I do it significantly less when I am in less stressful situations. also only do it when no one else is around because it seems to make people uncomfortable.
 
How interesting, I didn't realise there was a term for this! I believe I do it too for hours at a time, generally at work though. I spend about 10 hours per day on my feet walking from a measuring area to cutting and fitting areas. Because my job is a craft which I have been doing for years and I'm very good at, I can allocate a minimum amount of brain power to it. I work alone so I can almost switch off and find myself daydreaming about different scenarios or how I could have done something better, or role playing situations at home or elsewhere which went well, or badly. I also don't like listening to music at work I prefer audiobooks.

Yesterday for example I was listening to a new biography about Leonardo Da Vinci and it was so descriptive and well written. I daydreamed most of the day about myself in his workshop, watching him paint or draw, listening to his observations and thoughts on painting, science and anatomy etc etc. Before I knew it it was time to go home and while it had been a good day and I'd achieved a lot at work, I didn't feel like I'd been at work at all, it almost felt like I'd spent the day with a master and genius!
 
Starfire said:
How interesting, I didn't realise there was a term for this! I believe I do it too for hours at a time, generally at work though. I spend about 10 hours per day on my feet walking from a measuring area to cutting and fitting areas. Because my job is a craft which I have been doing for years and I'm very good at, I can allocate a minimum amount of brain power to it. I work alone so I can almost switch off and find myself daydreaming about different scenarios or how I could have done something better, or role playing situations at home or elsewhere which went well, or badly. I also don't like listening to music at work I prefer audiobooks.

Yesterday for example I was listening to a new biography about Leonardo Da Vinci and it was so descriptive and well written. I daydreamed most of the day about myself in his workshop, watching him paint or draw, listening to his observations and thoughts on painting, science and anatomy etc etc. Before I knew it it was time to go home and while it had been a good day and I'd achieved a lot at work, I didn't feel like I'd been at work at all, it almost felt like I'd spent the day with a master and genius!
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This might be of interest!:) David R Hamilton PhD | Does your brain distinguish real from imaginary?David R Hamilton PhD
 
@celestialregale Thanks for the link, it was very interesting. I especially like the idea of imagining oneself eating sends I'm full signals to the brain, I'll definitely try that!
 
celestialregale said:
From what I understand it's not a recognized disorder, but I'm wondering if anyone else on the spectrum does it?

I started looking into it when my husband asked what the heck I was doing pacing on the porch for hours at a time. I've done it for as long as I can remember and don't consider it a problem, but I guess it doesn't really seem..neurotypical? Is that the correct term?

Quick description, I just imagine scenarios, fantastical worlds, and my place in them. I can do this for hours at a time, usually pacing. It's different than just getting lost in my head thinking about something, which I often also do..

Anyway, this feels poorly worded, but I'm curious!
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I do this all the time, but i'm usually able to do other activities while doing it. It's usually interspersed with what i'm doing. But since i'm alone much of the time, it doesn't usually interfere, just slows me down a little bit. Actually sometimes it gives me creative ideas.
 
I pace around when I am thinking lost in that world. Nothing wrong with it. Just tell him your
celestialregale said:
From what I understand it's not a recognized disorder, but I'm wondering if anyone else on the spectrum does it?

I started looking into it when my husband asked what the heck I was doing pacing on the porch for hours at a time. I've done it for as long as I can remember and don't consider it a problem, but I guess it doesn't really seem..neurotypical? Is that the correct term?

Quick description, I just imagine scenarios, fantastical worlds, and my place in them. I can do this for hours at a time, usually pacing. It's different than just getting lost in my head thinking about something, which I often also do..

Anyway, this feels poorly worded, but I'm curious!
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Can I just point my finger to the personality types combined with asperger`s? People wonder why aspergers symptoms vary so much. The answer is in their face. I recommend self diagnose your personality type. For example I am an intp. I worry, I think of possibilities, I look at the big picture instead of the details.
 
Ragnahawk said:
I pace around when I am thinking lost in that world. Nothing wrong with it. Just tell him your

Can I just point my finger to the personality types combined with asperger`s? People wonder why aspergers symptoms vary so much. The answer is in their face. I recommend self diagnose your personality type. For example I am an intp. I worry, I think of possibilities, I look at the big picture instead of the details.
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I took the test once, but I forget what I was. That'll be something fun to do today!

ETA: The test was shorter than I remember, I got INFP-T.:)
 
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celestialregale said:
I took the test once, but I forget what I was. That'll be something fun to do today!

ETA: The test was shorter than I remember, I got INFP-T.:)
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Not so fast I said self diagnose. Aspergers can throw off the results. I also wanted you to learn how to work w others
 
MonolithImmortal said:
I'm actually curious about this. Do you mean that you received an updated diagnosis? Or that you were originally misdiagnosed?
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I'm not 100% sure, the word my therapist used was 'changed'. I haven't seen the paperwork or anything. It might be worth mentioning that I never fit into the 'classic' borderline, but was the 'quiet'.
If you're interested, I'll try to find out more..but my therapist really discourages asking about diagnosis for some reason.
 
I'm hyperactive in general, still. I don't pace though, I put on music and dance around, my socially acceptable stim. And it calms me and makes me feel good. I also do things like that when I want to avoid interaction with people, or when I've had enough interaction. Moving my body around is perfect.
 
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celestialregale said:
Oh, whoops. What do you mean?
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https://www.amazon.com/Yourself-Unfair-Advantage-William-Murray/dp/1878287028

I mean conflict and misunderstand are a result of different perception. I'm suggesting you learn those differences in perception.
MonolithImmortal said:
I'm actually curious about this. Do you mean that you received an updated diagnosis? Or that you were originally misdiagnosed?
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I'm saying it's possible that narrow mindedness can be interpreted as sensing.
 
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