Those who regularly indulge in their daydreams tend not only to lack concentration, but also to creativity. We will explain why it is worth leaving the here and now every now and then.
Daydreaming means escaping into your own fantasy world. Reasons for this can be, for example lack of concentration, boredom and being inattentive. This often happens when you’re alone and relaxed, or when you’re doing tasks that don’t require your full attention. So you are dreaming – only when you are awake.
According to the Max Planck Society, one can distinguish between two types of daydreams: On the one hand, there is the unintentional wandering of one’s own thoughts. On the other hand, it is also possible to consciously decide to daydream in order to play out different scenarios in your head. In this way, you can think through events that lie in the future or find solutions to everyday problems that are bothering you right now.
What happens when you daydream?
Daydreamers hardly perceive sensory impressions and external stimuli of the environment. They fall into a trance state in which they turn fully to the images in their mind’s eye. Music, jogging laps or driving a car represent situations in which daydreaming usually occurs. The sequences of actions in these activities are usually so well rehearsed that we no longer need to pay conscious attention to them and so easily drift into daydreams.
According to Harvard University, we humans spend almost half of our waking hours daydreaming. Thinking about what could be in the future or what would have been better in the past can also make you unhappy in the long run. So, despite all the beautiful fantasy journeys, don’t forget to enjoy the here and now. mindfulness exercises can help you to consciously perceive and appreciate the moment.
The benefits of daydreaming
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In your daydreams, yours can throughts wander into the past and future. Maybe you dream of working in your dream job later on or you imagine yourself traveling to a faraway holiday destination. As beautiful as daydreams are, they are often initially perceived as something negative: they were considered a distraction and an unproductive waste of time. Current studies indicate that the wandering of our thoughts can promote our own creativity. Our daydreams can take the following forms, for example:
- development of creative ideas
- consolidation of memories
- Make plans
- Encourage forward thinking
- gain new perspectives and perspectives
- as retreats
How much daydreaming is healthy?
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The scientifically proven benefits of daydreaming show that letting your mind wander in everyday life is by no means all negative.
Nonetheless, daydreams can also have negative consequences. For example, the University of Zurich found out that positive fantasies about the future lead to an improvement in mood in the short term, but can also trigger depressive symptoms in the long term. The reason they gave was that people who let their mind wander are not as productive overall, which means that they have less success and more self-doubt had.
Johannes Golchert, doctoral student at the Max Planck Institute in Leipzig, explains how daydreams have more advantages than disadvantages: “You can control them well, i.e. suppress them when it is important and let them run free when it is possible , you can get the most out of them.”
However, there are also pathological forms of these thoughts that are hidden behind the term “maladaptive daydreaming”. This is a form of addiction in which those affected lose themselves in fantasy worlds for hours. According to studies, this behavior avoids social contacts and avoids everyday problems. If you notice such a pronounced form of daydreaming in yourself, you should urgently consult a psychologist. Additionally you can meditation and mindfulness exercises help to consciously focus on yourself.
Read more on Techzle.com:
- Dreaming of next summer: tips and information about long-distance hikes
- Mindfulness: The difficulty of being in the here and now
- Doing nothing: That’s why you should try it consciously