Is daydreaming a bad thing?

- I spend all my time dreaming. I am a dreamer, a fantasist. Why do you think I live in a world of fantasy?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Dreaming, like other brain activities, is a cognitive ability created to enrich and beautify human life. It is also the source of many inventions.

That is why Einstein said, “Imagination is more important than knowledge because knowledge is limited. Man cannot achieve anything unless he pushes the boundaries of his mind.”

However, just as too much of anything is harmful, so too is excessive daydreaming. Although we cannot define the exact limits of it, we can point out the following general characteristics:

If daydreaming becomes uncontrollable, consumes hours of one’s time, interferes with daily tasks, causes detachment from everyday reality, and results in significant distress, then we can speak of unhealthy daydreaming.

That is probably what you are experiencing.

To diagnose and resolve this, it is essential to seek help from a mental health professional because excessive daydreaming is not a cause in itself, but rather a result of certain underlying disorders. Daydreaming will not disappear until those underlying conditions are addressed.

Studies show that it is more common in individuals who experienced childhood abuse or trauma, those who are excessively anxious, those who cannot overcome long-term depression, and those who have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. However, your condition may stem from one of these, or it may have another cause. Only a specialist can determine it. Therefore, do not label yourself as a “dreamer” without consulting a specialist.

In addition, you can alleviate your disorder in this context by gaining self-awareness on certain issues. Since people’s behaviors are often driven by unconscious reasons, they cannot control them. However, if they understand the reason, that is, if they reach a conscious level, it becomes easier to control them; preventing excessive daydreaming is then up to their willpower.

For example, you could start by thinking about what you most often dream because people generally desire things they need or dream about things they lack. If they have desires like being loved, being successful, famous, or confident, they will imagine themselves in those roles.

If you, too, find yourself daydreaming about those things, it will be easier to take control of your daydreams once you become aware of them.

So, as you consciously develop yourself in these areas, there will be no need to daydream.

For example, if you achieve success through hard work, you no longer need to pretend to be a successful person. Or, if you imagine yourself as a famous person, study the lives of famous people. You will see that simply being famous does not bring them peace and happiness. Many of them move to villages and rural areas in their old age and live like ordinary people. Becoming aware of it will distance you from daydreaming.

Sometimes people fantasize about taking revenge or satisfying their sense of justice.

If a person has been oppressed in the past, he may want to be powerful and oppress others, finding comfort in imagining himself in the role of a cruel, strong, and powerful person.

If a person has suffered from poverty, he tries to satisfy that feeling by imagining himself as a wealthy person who helps everyone.

Sometimes, a person takes refuge in fantasies to escape his anxiety.

In that case, the solution is to confront the anxiety and alleviate it.

You will feel better as you do your best, accept your fate and destiny, and place your trust in Allah. God Almighty states the following in the Holy Quran:

“Say: Nothing will happen to us except what Allah has decreed for us: He is our protector”: and on Allah let the Believers put their trust.“ (at-Tawba, 9/51)

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