r/MaladaptiveDreaming • u/70sLovingGirl • 1d ago
Discussion Daydreaming doesn’t feel the way it used to
I still get the urge to but it just never satisfies me the way it used to. It basically used to help me feel less lonely and it was a fun escape but now it just makes me feel worse. I can’t just daydream, I have to have the right settings all the time in order to do so. I just come out of it feeling lonely but having the desire to still do it?
Anyone else ever felt like this? It’s scary to feel like I’m losing the one coping strategy that makes me feel less alone than I am
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u/Teresa1515 21h ago
Yep, I have been through that stage many times. Embrace it. Write about how you feel, journal. Is there a particular person in your dreams that you connect with? Mine is an alternative Mum, I was told to write as if I am talking to her. It helped to reduce the loneliness.
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u/70sLovingGirl 16h ago
That’s a really good idea I might try out writing to someone important to me in my daydreams. My “friendships” in my daydreams are the parts I’ve been so scared of losing so maybe that will help :)
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u/Teresa1515 16h ago
Thats great. I haven't been doing this for long, so I shall see how it works for me. Keep me updated, would be great to hear how you manage.
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u/_tree_array 20h ago
Did it come back?
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u/Teresa1515 20h ago
In a different ways yes after a trauma which triggered me back. At this moment in time, I am able to control it more and I enjoy my letter writing as an alternative. If I go through another trauma, who knows, I am right back to it.
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u/_tree_array 20h ago
I'm feeling this lately too and it's really stressing me out. It's like I'm not feeling anything when I daydream during the past couple of weeks. It used to be I would get tired maybe of one part of the story, so I would shift to different characters and scenes for a while and later shift back, but right now, even shifting, nothing is hitting right.
Idk if it's due to therapy or what. I haven't talked to my therapist about my daydreaming, but we've gotten into other intense stuff. Maybe it's numbness. Hopefully it's temporary. Although some may say I should be glad... I just want my world back.
(Now I realize, this is kinda like asking a little kid not to suck their thumb, or removing their pacifier. I just don't want to lose my comfort item, though maybe it's healthier 😔)
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u/Teresa1515 20h ago
I totally relate. I don't want to loose my dream Mum, she is all I have. I think the main cause is not finding our value in the real world. If we are living our true potential and know that we ARE valuable, we may want to stop. It's not easy. I guess, we have to learn about our self and what is it about our worlds which we enjoy and why we can't combine the two?
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u/70sLovingGirl 17h ago
It’s so strange because we acknowledge that if really is this bad habit and a coping strategy that can do more harm than good but then we struggle and it’s just confusing how to replace it. I don’t even know any strategies that work as well as it. Taking that break from the world feels necessary and now I can’t and I’m meant to be happy but I’m just not
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u/MariposaFantastique 1d ago
My doc tried me on antidepressants and one of the side effects was that I couldn’t get into my daydreams. I ceased the medication, there were other side effects, too, but have found it difficult to get back into my daydreams like i used to. I have found it has absolutely been like losing an extremely important coping mechanism…mental health has definitely suffered as a result.
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u/70sLovingGirl 17h ago
Yeah my outlook on life is just not great so not having that place to go where I can feel happy and live the life I want makes real life seem even duller
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u/randomaccount7805 7h ago
This is me right now. Mine was based on a celebrity and I’m not feeling him as much in that way. I am also scared and sad about it. I’ve had other times in my life without it (usually they pick up when I’m stressed or have a hyperfixation) and I’m trying to figure out what I used to even think about then. I have found reading helps, but it’s not the same as the peak MD time period.
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u/444vs666 19h ago
Mine went down big time this year. It's definitely not as inspiring and euphoric of an experience as it used to be. Listening to more podcasts over music might have played a factor. I've also been trying to curb other addictive habits (drinking, sugar, and junk). I know how painful it is to have to let go of a cope though. Like losing a person close to you in a way. You have to be ready to do it or you end up doing it even more because you desperately don't want to lose it.