r/MaladaptiveDreaming

This is pure tortute, I was able to stop and now I'm back in it again and it's harder to stop this time what do I do I'm stuck

I don’t know where to start. I likely suffer from some form of mental disorder which, combined with my current life situation, completely cuts me off from reality.

I (F, 32) have absolutely no achievements. I don’t have a driver’s license, a career, or interesting hobbies; I have no friends and no children. I only have my husband.

I have no desire whatsoever to join the rat race or live up to societal standards—though I won’t lie: I do feel lonely, and I feel like an weirdo.

I’ve been escaping into a fantasy world since childhood. I’ve created an entire universe, and lately, I’ve been using AI to turn it into a story. I don’t share it anywhere; it stays between me and the AI. I do this because I lack writing talent and, being completely isolated, I feel no need to share my ideas with others.

The truth is, this story and my maladaptive daydreaming (MD) make up my entire identity.

Everything—from the music I listen to, to the things I read—revolves around my universe. It’s not an issue in my day-to-day life, but it becomes a problem when I have to spend time with other people.

I have nothing in common with people because I’m indifferent to most of the things they want to talk about, even when those topics concern me personally (politics, health, work).

I also have nothing to boast about, as every day of mine looks exactly the same.

Because of this, I isolate myself heavily; any interaction with others is incredibly stressful for me because I quickly run out of things to say or get terribly bored.

I can only talk about my own universe, but most people aren't interested; they view it as an eccentricity and don't take me seriously—especially since the creation of these worlds exists only in my head and with the help of artificial intelligence, without translating into tangible successes I could boast about, such as publishing a book etc..

I have been daydreaming for years and I decided to quit.I usually daydream of a fictional channel and some characters watching my channel or even watching me in my everyday life.It has become very unhealthy and obsessing.So I will try to stop and keep track here to stay motivated!:D

I never used to get celebrity crushes. At least not like this. Not to where it just makes me sad, and to where I fantasize about her being my girlfriend or even best friend.

Sure, I've had times where I think a certain famous person is attractive, but this is like an intense romantic crush. By the way, Shes a tennis player for you curious minds.

I've already started filtering any content of her out, even changing my settings on tiktok to avoid certain words.

So what do I do about this? And for those who have had stuff like this happen in the past, how did you get over it, or move on from it... Or just made it go away!

bro i genuinely can't keep going on like this. I don't know how to stop. It's like an addiction. I've been doing this since 6th grade, and I just graduated from hs. It's getting in the way of my relationships with people, draining me. I miss out on plans and opportunities because I'd rather stay in my room and do this shit. It's like the only thing that's keeping me sane; it helps me escape the disappointment I feel for not being at the point I want to be in life. I create another reality where everything is perfect. I know it's bad for me, but I don't know how to stop. I hate myself and just wish I could stop and become the person I want to be and be normal. How do I stop??

I've been doing this for about 4-5 years. I've seen people talk about daydreaming in their head all the time, and I understand that as a daydreaming.

What I do is turn on music or audio on tt and ACT out scenarios. I imagine myself walking (I go back and forth in my room) and people interacting with me and me with them. I even "talk" to said imaginary people if the scenario fits. I can't even start describing things because it's so embarrassing. This takes a lot of time for me because I do it for about 1-3h every night and use it as a form of escape to forget my real life.

This is a very vulnerable post for me, but I can not imagine talking about this with someone irl. But what I need is to see if this is MD or something else

i feel like since i’ve been a kid well into my adult life, i need to daydream every morning. it simply makes my morning better but i like to daydream privately.

my style is pacing around listening to music and im completely absorbed but when people walk in on me or catch me im extremely upset/embarrassed.

since im so used to living alone/commuting alone i feel like i get those moments to myself in the mornings and hence im in a better mood but as an adult i find it hard to regulate myself.

living with a family, and or travelling with friends makes it so much harder, i can only do it when theres no one around and i hate that and im looking to see how to perhaps not have a bad day simply cause i cannot daydream.

if anyone faces the same issue please let me know your experience!

i am 19 years old struggling with mdd for almost 4 years and i think its time for me to get a boyfriend i mostly dream about romantic relationships please reply me 😌😌😌❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹❤️‍🩹i would be willing to get to know you and be there for each other waiting thank you 🙏 give your cv below and country i am from india 🇮🇳 i would love to have a boyfriend from any country

Hey everyone.. I'm 19 years old and I just found out that MD is actually a thing.. I've faced this for so many years, seeing imaginary things so clearly as if they were real, and creating my own fantasies in my head. Sometimes they get so vivid that I can almost touch or smell things that I think of, but don't actually exist. I also have this unhealthy obsession with music. I don't listen to it just for the lyrics or the best, but to match the scenario in my head. I've also suffered from dermatographia for the past 13 years of my life. I was wondering if they were connected in any way idk. Cluster headaches are also very frequent for me when I daydream too much or feel too stressful (idk the connection). It's just some things I've observed. I daydream too much and tune my thoughts so vividly like it's a movie. I was wondering if anyone else faces the same things as me, or can educate me about the connections between the events I'm facing. I would love some insight thanks!!

I’m currently 20. Started daydreaming at probably 5-6yo, and been doing it for hours every day since. I have tried to stop multiple times, get busy, hang out with people, but eventually always start again. I do it for loneliness, boredom, depression and anxiety. It feels like a drug, since life in my head is always better than irl. I have dreamt abt a boyfriend for like 10 years daily, have never even had one (daydreaming caused extremely high standards). I feel like I’m wasting my youth. If there are ANY ways you have reduced daydreaming, please help!!

Do you guys have highly verbal daydreams? Does every maladaptive daydreamer daydream extremely vividly?

No one can even notice me daydreaming. I don't rock or pace. I sometimes don't even daydream for more than 1-10 minutes but my daydreams come frequently and they are short

I talk to people in my daydreams. Mainly my psychiatrist, I talk about my problems ( I have OCD and maladaptive daydreaming).

If you are an ex MDer please tell me what made you quit MD? Do you take any drugs?

Sorry if any grammar mistakes bro, English is not my 1st language.

know this is a bit of a hot take here,

but since we're literally creating entire universes inside our heads, I'm curious what are your beliefs about the Law of Attraction?

Does daydreaming that vividly make you more inclined to believe our thoughts/mental "vibrations" can shape reality?
Or do you see it as a completely separate thing from what MDD is about?

Hello, I’ve been maladaptive daydreaming since i was 7-8 years old. I figured out that this was actually harmful for me a few months ago but I continued to day dream anyways out of habit and comfort and now I figured I want to quit. I’ve had enough of wanting to live a life that’s never going to happen unless I take charge. I always tell myself “ I’ll do this soon “ “ I’m excited to have this in the future so I can finally be fulfilled “ but all that does is add onto my emptiness. Instead of working towards my goals and getting that feeling of relief after completing something, I reward myself right away by imagining all the things I’ve ever wanted, relationships, situations ( even if they’re mundane ), certain items and hobbies. Instead of trying to work for those things my daydreams already give them to me and I feel rewarded and complete so I feel no need to work for it. If I stop now maybe I’ll have a chance at obtaining the relationships and life I have craved for years.

I’m sorry if I’m speaking in circles this is the first time I’ve ever talked about this

I daydream 90% everyday and I always thought maybe I could turn this into some type of film but even then I daydream the film and can't necessarily articulate it on paper because my thoughts are always changing.

Therapy is so expensive. I have been suffering frm MD for so long idk what to do i feel like my whole life is falling apart. Does anyone want to get thru this disorder together??? Talk maybe cuz i cant find a single affordable therapist😭