You are in the middle of a huge assignment, listening to your work colleagues discuss ideas or having a chat with a friend and all your mind wants to do is wander off into a private world of its own creation.
Daydreaming can happen at the worst times and sometimes it feels completely unavoidable, but have you ever thought about the benefits? Or the consequences? Can daydreaming improve your life? Or maybe even hinder it?
You ask a lot of questions. But luckily while you were busy daydreaming about the topic, we did some research with Everday Health.
The brain is complex (that’s an understatement if ever we wrote one), and its ability to whisk you away to a world far beyond the one you are in, or even just another version of it, while you are still awake is pretty cool. But there are downsides to daydreaming.
Daydreaming can cause you to lose focus on reality
Like anything, when an action is done too much and too often negative side effects can kick in. You may start to prefer your daydream state over the real world and become disconnected from family and friends, or the activities you enjoy doing.
Productivity can decline if you daydream at work
Whether you are in an office environment or an industrial job, losing focus on the task at hand can result in major issues. You might have to start over on a project after missing a step, stay late to make up for lost time, or you might even put yourself in harms way if you operate heavy machinery. And getting back into focus once you come out of your daydream can sometimes be tricky.
Not all daydreams are happy thoughts
Despite the belief that daydreams are a fantasy state filled with whimsical and happy thoughts, for some, they are distressing experiences. Stuck in a world of misery can be highly damaging to your mental and physical health, and have some very serious consequences.
However, it’s not all bad news on the daydreaming front. It has positives to counteract the negatives and the benefits can be very helpful in your non-dreaming life.
Daydreaming allows you to take a break and re-focus
Letting yourself fall into a daydream can help relieve tension and anxiety, and give your brain a moment to rest. Granted, it's still working, but a short holiday from the stressors of reality can recharge and refresh your mind. Doing so can help you better understand a task at hand by looking at it through new eyes, as well as help you focus on your goals. And it doesn’t just have to be small goals. If you have big professional or personal ambitions envisioning yourself at the point in which you have 'made it’ can help you strive for that position. Athletes, performers and the people that society deems successful have been known to use this trick.
You can learn to better manage conflict
Referred to as ‘organised daydreaming’, some people visualise different ways of dealing with issues that they are facing, or might face, in their reality. This can range from conflict with a loved one to mentally preparing how you would cope with an emergency situation such as a robbery or home invasion. Daydreaming allows your mind to naturally react to the scenarios and equip yourself if they were to occur. A sort of brain boot camp, if you will.
Daydreaming can get your creative juices flowing
While daydreaming too much can slow down your productivity, getting the perfect mix of fantasy and reality allows your brain to think outside the box. For every technical matter you encounter your brain might think of a dozen ways to solve it. The same goes for creative thinking. If you allow your mind to run free without consequence you might just stumble across an idea or concept that you had yet to consider.
So there you have it – the good, the bad and the dreamy. There are things to consider on both sides of the coin, but daydreaming is a natural occurrence and it happens to many people. Just make sure you are using the time in your fantasy world to your reality’s advantage.
Are you a daydreamer? Let us know in the comments.
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