u/Dull-Sale3592

Why do women get the biggest share of MDD?

Maladaptive daydreaming seems to be a huge problem for many of us. Some people have struggled with it for years, and it can seriously affect our real lives our relationships, productivity, confidence, and mental health.
For me, one of the strangest parts is trying to understand why I daydream so heavily in the first place.
Is it an escape from anxiety, loneliness, stress, boredom, or dissatisfaction with real life? Is it because we struggled to integrate socially or emotionally at some point? Or does it eventually become a habit that our brain automatically returns to whenever we’re alone?
In my case, I’m actually a very social person. I can talk to people and enjoy being around others. But the moment I’m alone in my room, I can literally spend the entire day daydreaming. So I don’t think it’s as simple as just being socially isolated.
I’m curious about everyone else’s experiences.
What is your personal theory about what caused or maintains your maladaptive daydreaming? What triggers it the most? And what do you think are the key things that keep us locked inside our heads even when we know it’s hurting our real lives?
I’d especially like to hear from people who have thought deeply about the root cause of their daydreaming.

For the last three months, I’ve basically stopped daydreaming.

I used to be a heavy daydreamer. I could spend an entire day scrolling, listening to music, and living in my imagination. It got so bad that I feel like it cost me almost a year and a half of my life.

I knew I had potential and ambitions, but instead of working toward them, I was stuck in bed imagining a better life. It affected me socially and caused a lot of problems.

At first, I thought music and scrolling were the main issue, so I cut them down. It helped, but not that much. I eventually realized they were just triggers. The real reason, for me, was my personality, ambitions, and obsessions.

I was so focused on the life I wanted that I stopped appreciating the life I already had.

So I started telling myself: my real life is beautiful, and it can become even better than the life I imagine.

After three months of thinking this way, I feel much more present. I actually do things instead of just imagining myself doing them.

Life feels completely different now.