DAYDREAMING: TYPES, EFFECTS AND REMEDIES

DAYDREAMING

CREATIVE DAYDREAMING

Our great projects in science and industry, our works of art – composing music, painting, writing – and our advances in human relations and society are the results of some one’s dreaming of what might be, and then doing something about it. This is creative day dreaming and is certainly commendable.

SIMPLE DAYDREAMING

A simple, almost intuitive explanation of this type of daydreaming is this. Irrespective of how well we are doing in life, we all have a few goals that evade us. We are unable to achieve them either because we do not have necessary skills, resources, social sanction to do so. However, these goals remain attractive because they have the potential to fulfill some psychological need in us, be it fame, approval, love or aggression. This makes these goals close to our hearts. The word 'goal' here refers to 'anything that we like and want'. There is a good chance that these goals are not ones that we practically wish to achieve. They may be just some childhood fantasies and nothing more but they are the one we are more likely to daydream about. This is simple and not so harmful daydreaming.

EXCESSIVE DAY-DREAMING

  

When such day-dreaming exceeds beyond bounds (as in the case of Mungeri Lal, in one of Hindi serial), it affects our personality adversely and complicates our life in a way that we become totally impotent in facing the challenges of life.

The ill effects of excessive daydreaming:-

1.                    It causes you to live in a counterfeit world in which you get nothing of real value.

2.                     It makes the actual world seem so dull that you have no interest in it.

3.                     It makes getting back to reality harder than ever.

4.                     It makes your adjustments to real people difficult because no one ever ‘measures up’ to the ideas you have of yourself and others in your dream-world.

5.                     Excessive daydreaming eventually takes more than it gives. It upsets routines, leads to mental unrest and fatigue. It impairs functioning in the practical world, which then leads to additional anxiety and stress and further lowers self-esteem.

 Redemption from Excessive Daydreaming:-

1.                                 Be aware of the fact that you are daydreaming. This has its own knack of gently swaying your minds before you realize the same.

2.                                 The beginnings of daydreaming often occur slowly and seem very natural and pleasant and you let that continue. Always be alert to and not let that happen. Be cautious of this cycle.

3.                                 Sense daydreaming actively when it begins.

4.                                  Be alert to daydreaming. This may be little difficult but in the case essential. Being mindful of the fact will mean that we remain established in present. That happens to be the opposite of daydreaming. 

5.                                 Once you become aware of the fact that you are daydreaming, you should gently shift to present and look here and there, observe things around your, listen to the voices and concentrate and analyse the meaning and intent. This will get you rid of daydreaming.

6.                                 Practice meditation regularly. That helps immensely.

7.                                 You must analyse the cause of these dreams. May be some of them occur because you are not doing enough to fulfill or achieve them. There may be enough reasons for not achieving them but you can certainly do some thing else that may replace those dreams completely.

8.                                 You can even attach yourself to something higher and superior and this attachment will detach you from those lower mental pressures.

As we are told that each one of us is unique, so, we sure are. Let us recognize this and tap the potential that undeniably lies within our reach.