Many times I get lost in thoughts while sitting and I am sure many of you also spend your time in thoughts. Do you know that getting lost in thoughts like this all the time can be a disorder? Now you must be thinking that this is common, then how did this disorder happen? The fact is that it is not at all bad to get lost in thoughts for a few seconds, but most of us forget the time while daydreaming and waste our time in it for hours.
A lot of research suggests that daydreaming is a disorder. In this article, let us try to understand it in more detail.
2.5% of people around the world became victims
The research was done in Britain regarding daydreaming. The associate lecturer of the University of Sussex told in the research that 2.5 percent of the people worldwide i.e. 200 million people have been victims of it. This is called maladaptive daydreaming, which in simple words can also be called the intoxication of getting lost in thoughts.
At the same time, in another research, it was revealed that people who are victims of maladaptive daydreaming like to get lost in different types of fantasy and waste their whole day in its affair. He starts postponing his responsibilities till tomorrow.
What is Day-Dreaming Disorder?
It is also called Maladaptive Disorder. It is quite different from normal daydreaming as it only lasts for a few seconds. However, people who are going through this disorder spend many hours in a single dream. According to one study, such daydreamers spent an average of at least half of their waking hours intentionally immersed in a world of fantasy. These invented worlds are often rich and fantastical, with complex plots and intricate storylines that develop over many years.
This world of maladaptive daydreamers is rewarding and the need to continue the fantasy can be compulsive and addictive. In this disorder, the desire to live in thoughts keeps on increasing and when this is not possible or there is a hindrance to it, there is an annoyance.
Why do people get lost in their thoughts?
Researchers believe that people who suffer from this disorder may have an innate capacity for highly imaginative fantasies. Many people discover this ability in childhood and find that they can reduce stress by fantasizing. By creating an inner world of comfort, they become able to escape reality.
Many people experience the ability to create imaginative fantasies in childhood, but daydreaming is not necessarily a coping strategy for all maladaptive daydreamers. For example, people delve into their thoughts to help them cope with real-life stress, trauma, and social isolation, but this becomes a habit. To avoid negative emotions, you have been creating such fantasy worlds and then this desire keeps on increasing.
Day-dreaming can lead to the risk of many diseases
Yes, due to this disorder, you are likely to increase the risk of ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and depression. Research has revealed that some people with maladaptive daydreaming also show symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This may be due to mechanisms between the two disorders, including cognitive control, and intrusive thoughts (relieving anxiety and restlessness with these foods).
If you are also doing excessive daydreaming then do not do this. It can save you from boredom for a while. Sometimes it can also increase your creativity, but its excess can weaken you.
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