Is Daydreaming Bad or Good?

@akalinus (40758)
United States
May 1, 2024 12:43pm CST
As a kid, I daydreamed a lot. When the teacher asked a question, I did not hear her. I was in my own world, creating famous art and writing blockbuster novels. I did not hear my mom telling me what to do. I was saving people's lives and fighting crime. I was in trouble a lot for not paying attention. What about you? Did you daydream a lot? Was it good or bad for you?
A good imagination enables us to transcend present circumstances.
16 people like this
19 responses
@kaylachan (58780)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
1 May
I tend to daydream all of the time. It can be both good and bad depending on when and where it happens.
2 people like this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
Where or when do you daydream the most?
1 person likes this
@kaylachan (58780)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
1 May
@akalinus Usually when I'm alone, or George's asleep. Sometimes I'll do it when I'm waiting in waiting rooms.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
I do it especially when I am bored. My mind takes me somewhere else but my body is still where it is supposed to be..
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (95237)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
1 May
I did do some daydreaming about the cartoon characters on television that I saw. It was good daydreaming that continues in my fan fictions today.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
Are you from the era of Looney Tunes with Tom and Jerry, Wilie the Coyote vs the roadrunner, and all the other cartoons they banned because they were too violent? Of course, Grand Theft Auto is so much calmer, right?
1 person likes this
@Deepizzaguy (95237)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
2 May
@akalinus I remember the Looney Tunes cartoon era even though those cartoons were made before I was born.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
@Deepizzaguy We did not have TV until I was 14 but we all enjoyed the cartoons then. They are the greatest. Kids who don't see them lose out.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (216234)
• Chile
1 May
I´d say that it is wonderful. No matter what moms or teachers say.
1 person likes this
@marguicha (216234)
• Chile
1 May
@akalinus By all means!
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
Sometimes, you just want to escape and the mind creates a better place.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
@marguicha I agree. Sometimes, reality is just too real to deal with.
1 person likes this
@ShyBear88 (59306)
• Sterling, Virginia
1 May
Nothing wrong with daydreaming unless you do it all day long. This is why I'm a writer it helps keep me from going off into daydreams because it is an escape from actual reality. It's a coping mechanism from when I was younger to help with trauma but not everyone does that as way people who do do it all day long usually for a reason.
1 person likes this
@ShyBear88 (59306)
• Sterling, Virginia
4 May
@akalinus That is very normal when bored to day dream. Everyone does that.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
4 May
@ShyBear88 I think it is universal. The mind tries to escape even though the body must stay where it is.
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
I don't do it all day. I do it to escape boredom. Sometimes, it backfires. I got in trouble when the teacher looked at me and expected an answer and I had no idea what she was talking about.
@TheHorse (207386)
• Walnut Creek, California
2 May
I daydream a lot. But mostly when I am alone.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
Since I got a phone, I don't do it as much because I can find something to stimulate my mind on there. But sometimes, something on there sparks my imagination and off I go.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
@TheHorse I hope you can respond to traffic problems and emergencies. I think it could be dangerous to daydream while driving.
@TheHorse (207386)
• Walnut Creek, California
2 May
@akalinus I do a lot of daydreaming when I am driving. My radio is broken in my old truck.
1 person likes this
@Shivram59 (32171)
• India
2 May
@akalinus I daydream now at the age of 30.I feel it has enabled me to enjoy.Sometimes lying on my bed I imagine myself as a man who is poor and has nothing to eat and no house to live in and who is struggling to survive.I don't know how it makes me better prepared to struggle against all odds.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
There are people like that in America and I bet in India also. But you are smart and work hard so you will be okay.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
@Shivram59 That's great. There is truth to that, what you imagine and think about drives you to accomplish a lot of things. Did you ever read the book "The Secret?" by Rhonda Byrne? It talks about the law of attraction and you often get what you think about. It is also a movie. I don't know if it is published in Hindi or not.
1 person likes this
@Shivram59 (32171)
• India
2 May
@akalinus But daydreaming makes my mind fresh.What I have been unable to achieve in life so far;I achieve in my imagination.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (460148)
• Switzerland
2 May
I tend to daydream if I am alone, but I pay attention when someone is talking or explaining something. Even if daydreaming isn't dangerous to your physical health, excessive daydreaming is a disorder called "maladaptive daydreaming". Excessive daydreaming may fully immerse you in an imaginary world, making it difficult for you to maintain healthy interactions and complete your responsibilities in the real world.?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (460148)
• Switzerland
3 May
@akalinus Maladaptive daydreaming is NOT a new word.
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
I tend to the things I have to do daily and listen to people unless they are droning on and on about something. In boring situations, I start daydreaming, like if I am waiting for a doctor's appointment or something. I never heard the term maladaptive daydreaming before. I wonder why everything has to be labeled and classified as something bad.
1 person likes this
@Metsrock69 (3505)
• United States
3 May
I used to daydream in school a lot but then grew out of it before high school
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
3 May
I'm sorry about that. You come up with some great ideas while daydreaming.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (158234)
• United States
2 May
There were occasions in a boring class when I let my mind wander. Of course that's when the teacher would call on me. Have a good day.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
I think teachers have a sixth sense of when someone is not listening.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (158234)
• United States
2 May
@akalinus Yes they certainly do.
@pitsipeahie (4406)
2 May
Daydreaming is like a secret adventure, right? But it's a mixed bag. It's fun to get lost in your imagination, but it can also land you in hot water when you're not paying attention. For me, it was a bit of both – good for creativity, bad for focus.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
I do my best writing when I daydream while doing it. I come up with creative ideas that I would not have thought otherwise.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (85832)
• Bangalore, India
2 May
I think that most of the creative people are like that. And I am one of them . My elder daughter is like that and she is very imaginative and creative.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
It is good for art, writing, creating music, or whatever. Creativity can help someone decorate a cake or create a new dish to cook.
@Rimps85 (1155)
• India
1 May
not always good....
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
Do you have experiences with daydreaming?
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
@Rimps85 What happened? Did you have unhappy experiences with it?
@Rimps85 (1155)
• India
2 May
1 person likes this
@ogbenishyna (3099)
3 May
I dont wanna day-dream. I doubt there is a really positive side to it.
1 person likes this
@grenery8 (2933)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
2 May
not so in school but after the school was over. these days or for a year or two ago, i can't. miss those days
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
The days are soon over. You will miss them sometime.
1 person likes this
@grenery8 (2933)
• Croatia (Hrvatska)
4 May
@akalinus i know.
@snowy22315 (171024)
• United States
1 May
It has its place, but not generally during math class!
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
Daydreaming was so much better than math class. I already knew that stuff so the daydream was a lot more interesting.
@RasmaSandra (74001)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
1 May
Being an only child I daydreamed a lot and it helped me develop a good imagination which has helped with my writing and poetry,
@Hannihar (129660)
• Israel
2 May
@akalinus I guess it depends on what one daydreams about. If it distracts from people talking to you then not good but if it is normal thinking then it depends on the situation and what one daydreams about.
• Pakistan
1 May
Sounds like you had quite the imagination as a kid! It's amazing how those daydreams can just sweep you away, isn't it? I remember getting lost in my own thoughts too, especially when I was supposed to be listening in class or doing chores at home. But hey, those daydreams were like my own personal adventures. Sure, they might've landed me in trouble every now and then, but they also sparked my creativity and made me see the world in a whole new light. So, yeah, I guess you could say daydreaming was a bit of a mixed bag for me too.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
1 May
I think it is because people who don't daydream do not understand people who do.
• United States
1 May
I tended, and still do, to day dream a lot. It comes from a very intelligent and creative mind that is extremely active creating things that maybe some people don't understand. In school the teachers tended to have fun ridiculing and embarrassing the students that were lost in their own thoughts and day dreaming. Even now when I day dream it's usually about a new teddy bear or other animal pattern. It also could be about a new recipe for a main dish or dessert...or even a salad. Today it was about a possible cookie. I'd much rather be lost in a positive day dream than in a negative current event.
1 person likes this
@akalinus (40758)
• United States
2 May
I went to a one-room school for a while. If you did not know the answer or were not paying attention, the teacher told you to go and sit in the kindergarten section.