Can some of you describe your fantasy worlds to me?

[Be Free]

I have this exact same behavior. I've been doing just what you describe since I was five years old (I'm now almost fifty) This behavior is called Maladaptive Daydreaming. It's a little understood condition that causes obsessive daydreaming. Take a look at these articles:

Excessive daydreaming: A case history and discussion of mind wandering and high fantasy proneness

http://www.maytal.co.il/articles/2002Malaptdaydr.contemp.psych.pdf

If the people in the articles sounds like you, that may be your problem. People who have it will also sometimes compare it to an addiction, and say that they can't stop.

Does it interfer with your life? I think that it has done a lot to stop me from having a real life.

 

[Cool man]

Ah well

 

[Justas]

Huh I'm addicted to them and big thanks to Be Free for information. I sometimes daydream for a couple of days a long and I don't do anything important in those days. I can't stop them. When I stop them that day is very productive if I have to do something. But almost everyday i'm fantasizing. Fantasys are very different. Sometimes I fantasize that I'm a formula 1 driver, sometimes billionaire, sometimes farmer. Sometimes I work in an average job, but my life is good. They're very different. But almost all of them about my success(witch I don't have in my real world). Now that I found that there is Excessive daydreaming I think I should read more about it and try to stop it, because I'm really addicted to it. I always thought that I'm alone with this in the world. When I'm alone at home I always talk loud and I show gestures. Sometimes it takes my breath. I'm very into those fantasies. Be Free I think we have something in common

 

[LadyWench]

I've actually been trying to find a place in my mind for stuff like this. When I'm having a panic attack, horrible OCD episode or just feeling incredibly depressed, it'd be nice to just go somewhere else in my brain. So, I think doing this is a great thing.

What I'm about to say probably doesn't really fall under this category, but when I'm anxious and stuff, I try and think of very peaceful things or just places/scenarios that make me happy and calm.

 

[Anxiety_ridden_Firefox]

I daydream lots about my characters, for example my oldest characters half animals, which me and my twin sister made up when we were younger. X3
(Basically people with animal abilities who are pretty much a nuisance to society XD
I want to write a novel about it but I can never manage more than a few pages. X3 It's much quicker just to daydream about it.
Guess I should try daydreaming less before I get addicted. DX

~Firefox

 

[Quiet Angel]

I often daydream about getting kidnapped for an "important reason". I don't entirely understand why, but sometimes I feel as though I'm in a different world where I can escape and it makes me feel less isolated.

 

[BashfulBug]

When I was younger, from my teenage years through my 30's, (I'm in my fifties now) I used to fantasize all the time. It was enjoyable and it helped me get through my days when I was feeling lonely. I had several favorite fantasy's that I would submerge myself in and I would work my fantasy into whatever chore I had that day. In my fantasy's I was usually always someone that others looked up to and admired and of course everyone liked me, if not actually loved me. But as I've gotten older I fantasize less and less. In fact, now I rarely if ever find myself in one of my fantasy worlds. They don't seem real to me anymore and if you "know" it's a fantasy while your fantisizing it takes the magic away. I have to say I miss them. The real world is harsher then the ones I left behind.

 

[Flimsyman]

I often daydream about getting kidnapped for an "important reason". I don't entirely understand why, but sometimes I feel as though I'm in a different world where I can escape and it makes me feel less isolated.

Once I fell in love with a girl and I fantasized about kidnapping her and taking her to a house my family has in the mountains. I thought that if I could live there with her for some months she would get to know me and she would learn to love me (because I think that if you do some crazy thing for some one (like kidnapping) he must say at some point: "wow! How badly he loves me!", and of course everyone likes to be loved to the point of madness), and if unfortunately this was not the case, at least (I dreamed) she would develop for sure Stockholm Syndrome and she could not live anymore without me. I must say that I dreamed about treating this girl as a princess, nothing harsh, of course. By the way, what did you mean by "an important reason"? If you want I can kidnap you, I don´t mind, really.

 

[FOR REAL]

i wish i was dutch! for real!

 

[AGR]

Its about this girl I liked a couple years ago,I always think about her,I am such a dumbass sometimes....

 

[Mack_Berserk]

I mostly fantasize about having a girlfriend, finding love, etc. Specifically, I imagine myself in a past situation where there was potential for good, but obviously, didn't work out so well (which is pretty much every situation involving women, I admit). Of course, when I imagine it, everything works out great.

But somebody on this thread had a good point about this not being healthy because it's just not real. It also tends to give false hope, for me anyway. Idk though... maybe I actually need to fantasize in order to keep going.

 

[Rodney]

I don't really fantasize but I do daydream... My daydreams usually consist of me being a hero in some situation (ex. crazy guy with a knife on a bus) or me going on a rampage of destruction and f***ing people up or a family member dying O.O (why? I don't know)...

 

[iamthenra]

Here is my fantasy world... I've got two words for ya.... "HUGH HEFNER!!!"

 

[blue-roses]

^ Haha.

My fantasy worlds are just so corny and embarrassing. But here I go.

The most frequent one is that I'm a student/member (whatever you call it) of a big music academy that actually exists in a nearby town. I play guitar in a band. LOL. I'm not musical at all in real life - I love listening to it and I play a bit of piano but that's it. And everyone there is friendly and supportive, and I'm really good friends with the people in my band, who are all guys. Even in my fantasy I prefer to talk to guys - I'm still ME, and shy except when I "perform". I mainly think of this one when I'm listening to music and I imagine I'm just discussing and appreciating the music with someone else - that's something I don't have in real life! A good friend who likes the same music as me!

Another one is that I'm about 28 and married, with a baby son.

Another one is that I'm still me essentially, but I'm a really f**ed up, famous, heroin-addicted singer from the 60s - a composite of Marianne Faithfull, Edie Sedgwick and I guess the female version of Bob Dylan - who committed suicide (ODed in the Chelsea Hotel), and the whole fantasy is like one of those biographical documentaries describing moments of my life.

Oh God. That's the first time I've ever written any of that crap out. How embarrassing.

But it says a lot about how I perceive myself and how I'd like to be, lol.

I should probably point out that I've never confused any of this stuff with real life and that I'm always aware WHILE I'm fantasising that it's unhealthy and stupid and embarrassing, but it's hard to stop. And when I'm locked up in my dorm room I'd still rather spend time with my imaginary friends than by myself - if anything I feel more anxious and paranoid without them.

Edit: I read those articles about maladaptive daydreaming. Some of it sounds like me, like the functions of "Disengagement from Stress and Pain by Mood Enhancement and Wish
Fulfillment Fantasies" and "Companionship, Intimacy, and Soothing".

I also go to sleep "hugging" my pillow and sometimes imagine it's my "husband" from the "married-with-a-son" fantasy, but it's not sexual, I just like to pretend there's someone there.

 

[Justas]

I don't really fantasize but I do daydream... My daydreams usually consist of me being a hero in some situation (ex. crazy guy with a knife on a bus) or me going on a rampage of destruction and f***ing people up or a family member dying O.O (why? I don't know)...

I got these dreams too. Sometimes I'm thinking what the hell am I thinking... But can you stop these dreams? When I start to daydream those kind of things I can't stop and the whole day goes by like that...

 

[Lonelykitsune]

cool other peopl have freaky fantasy worlds too?im not alone!but mine is all dark and depressing with occasionl happy moments.its heavily influenced by anime and manga too,mainly kuroshitsuji and godchild but also many tv,movies,books,songs and life experiencs and vido games.and stuff id like to do.i wont describe it but it seriously is insane and i daydream about it all the time,especially during school when others socalize.it maks me happy to retreat to it during boring times like class and school and long journys.i dont actually daydream about me though,i made up a charchter and he expriences it all.now i really do sound mad

 

[Darker Than Black]

I don't have SAD, and have no trouble making a lot and a lot of friends..., that's really all I want..I want to be happy

 

[agoraphobickatie]

i mostly fantasize about my life after agoraphobia... i think it's pretty important to have hopes and dreams, and i'm just not afraid to dream my dreams.. i do have faith, i think it's a good thing to have, not false hope, but the dreams/goals/hopes are part of what motivate you and drive you to work through your issues...

i guess mostly i think about going back to college , walking around on campus when the weather is nice, maybe meeting some tall (yeah, my dream dude is tall! haha.. i'm 5'7"ish and i feel like a monster around most people =/) hate if you want, haha, but i guess i like the idea of someone much bigger than me, to hold me, comfort me.. i want someone who can pick me up on our wedding day so i can have one of those pictures of the groom holding the bride ..so cheesy i know, but that's shit i think about..

i dream about driving again, i love my car (her name is lola) and when i used to get stressed or upset, i'd take a drive and smoke half a pack of camel no.9s and clear my head one of my favorite things about cool weather is driving with my windows down and no AC, blaring my music and singing and dancing right along with it ..i'm a silly girl, haha, but i like seeing people dancing or singing in their cars, it puts a smile on my face, so i guess i like to think i'm making other people laugh at me, too, haha

anyway.. i picture myself in a lot of future situations where i am in control and comfortable and stable, but those are just a few examples, ya feel me? haha

 

[tired_of_starting_again]

Mine have always changed, but usually my main character (who I pretend to be most) is a tall bubbly socialite. Everything I wish I could be.
My latest one is where I'm living in Malibu & I'm a famous horror-writer & I star in this like Buffy The Vampire Slayer meets Dr. Who kind of TV show on the SciFi network.
My "friends" do have problems, I mean my main character is bipolar & has some other issues that I myself have, but she can always deal with them a lot better you know?
She has tons of friends, she lived all over the world & has no social problems at all.
And yeah, money, she has that too.
And she has a wonderful boyfriend who holds her in his arms & she feels so safe.
Yeah, everything I want. Everything I'm afraid of.

Originally my first fantasies were just me when I was older, then I just totally squashed my existence & created new people.

 

[Be Free]

I do exactly the same thing. You have Maladaptive Daydreaming. It's a little understood condition that causes obsessive daydreaming. Take a look at this website:

Are You Daydreaming Your Life Away? - Home

The title of this website is: Are You Daydreaming Your Life Away? If the person on that website sounds like you (and it will,) that may be your problem. People who have it will also sometimes compare it to an addiction, and say that they can’t stop.

BTW, there is a group on Yahoo about this:

maladaptivedaydreamers : Maladaptive Daydreamers forum

Best of luck and hope this helps.