hey! So confession- I'm so caught up in my MD that its started to affect me as a person. The person I am in my MD has been morphing into the person I am since I started and I don't know what to do about it. This is bad, because the person I am in my MD has gone through so much trauma that they can't feel anything and recently I've been seeing that show up way more than any healthy person should have. What can i do?

Hi!

Sorry for the late response. I've been crazy inactive on this blog so I haven't been super on top of my inbox.

Here's a link to my resources page: https://mdconfessions.tumblr.com/Resources

There's so much on there about managing MD or figuring out how to quit MD. Please do check out the links to the websites. They are crazy helpful.

Honestly, my biggest piece of advice to you is to try and rediscover who you are and the things that make you unique as opposed to the person you are when you daydream. This could look like trying old hobbies again, finding new hobbies, exploring new places (whether that's a walk 10 minutes from home or something more adventurous), reading old journals, trying on new outfits, etc. When you notice things that are the true you, things that define you outside of your MD, take note of them. Repeat the things that help you remember this part of you. Latch on to them. It's going to take a lot of perseverance and determination to do these things over daydreaming, but the more you rediscover of yourself, the more you'll love it.

I hope that's helpful, or at least a tad helpful. All the best!

I think my paracosm was created when I was around 13-14, I'm 22 nowdays, it is basically mcu but with my paraself, a self inserted character, the story in my head changed many times as new movies released

Hey Anon, 

This sounds super fun! Also, you have endless content to look forward to :). Thanks for sharing!

DayDreamer

Submission (tw: sexual harassment) Hi! I am also a daydreamer I always do this half of my life. I daydreamed about I sexually harass by someone or group of people and I can’t get out in that situation.

Edit by mdconfessions: Hey, this sounds like it could be really triggering. I hope you’re hanging in there. Sending positive energy your way! 

am I the only one who dislikes the madd flag? a symbol would be nice for the community, but i don't see color well and it could be just me but it looks too busy and a little ugly to me, it's odd but i really dislike seeing it

Hey Anon, 

Honestly, I had to search up the flag again because I can’t even remember what it looks like. I think I’m pretty impartial about it—I don’t hate it but I’m not crazy about it either. Totally valid if you don’t like it, though! Just because there’s a flag doesn’t mean everyone has to love it. Everyone can have their own opinions about it and I think that’s fine :) 

Anyone else have thoughts about the flag? 

so because i still regularly get these kind of questions, i wanted to make a post about it;

how you daydream and what you daydream about has absolutely no bearing over whether or not your daydreaming could be considered maladaptive.

some examples of what i mean:

some madders have parames and/or paraselves. others don’t include themselves in their own daydreams in any capacity.

some madders daydream about an “idealized life” or “wish fulfillment”, others do not.

some madders paracosms are based of of real life. others have paracosms that are based off of already existing fiction. some have paracosms that are a combination of real life and fandom.

some madders daydream about OCs. some daydream about characters from existing media. some daydream about celebrities. some daydream bout people they know personally.

some madders have daydreams that are always happy and light-hearted. some have daydreams that focus around trauma and other dark topics. some have a mix of both.

some madders cannot control what happens in their daydreams. their paras may have some level of autonomy, or they may struggle with intrusive daydreams. some madders can and do control every single thing that happens in their daydreams (this doesn’t mean their daydreams are always pleasant).

some madders have one main paracosm. some madders have hundreds of paracosms. 

some madders have detailed, planned story lines for their daydreams. some have random “one shot” daydreams that don’t connect to each other in any way.

some madders pace, jump, spin, rock, etc. while daydreaming. some stay completely still.

some madders are triggered by music. some aren’t.

some madders daydream as if their paras are there next to them in real life. for some the daydreams “stay completely inside their head”.

some madders can only daydream when they are alone, pacing, and have music playing with headphones. others can daydream anywhere, around anyone, and regardless of what they’re doing.

this is not an extensive list.

when it comes to madd, there is no “right” or “wrong” way to daydream. 

it doesn’t matter how or what you daydream about, the only thing that matters is how those daydreams impact you.

'The Daydreamers' documentary has been selected for this year's 'Rhode Island International Film Festival'.

Because of the pandemic, the festival is organising online screenings, which gives everyone around the world an opportunity to access the film for free.

'The Daydreamers' is scheduled to go live from this Friday August 13th at 5:15pm EST. It will be available to watch for a full seven days following its launch, so the last day to watch it will be Friday August 20th. You'll be able to access the film using this link: https://prog.tsharp.xyz/en/riiff/39/film/6810/The-Daydreamers

Once the film goes live, you will see a viewing link appear as well as a ticket icon, which will direct you to 'The Daydreamers' screening block. To access the film, you will just need to click the "To View" link or ticket icon, and you will be brought to the festival's private Vimeo showcase. This will only be available for one week. It is the first, and currently only, full professional documentary about Maladaptive Daydreaming. Reblog, repost, carry it to whatever MD community you are a part of. Make sure everyone who wants to gets a chance to see it. We don't know when it will be available again. Additionally; the film maker is asking to interview more MDers for another documentary and a book. If you like what you see and would like to help him out take a look at that call for participation here.

Okay but literally all my songs are just background music for epic montages of my paras doing different stuff?? Like beat drop? Bam! Scene change. We’ve got music for happy montages, sad ones, and kick-ass ones. And it’s always the same montage for specific songs. Every. Single. Time. And they slap. Every. Single. Time. 

I've had the same character as the main character in my I've had the same character as the main character in my stories for years. While the background characters and side characters have changed over time, this one character has stayed with me since childhood. They are as close to an OC as I can get since I'm not a writer. Even though I know they are a complete Mary Sue :p , I still love this character. Anyone else have a favorite character that they always go back to?

Hey Anon!

As per usual, sorry for the late response. I saw your ask in my inbox and just haven't had the time to get to it until now.

Oh my goodness my main para is a literal Mary Sue too! And I really don't care ;). My side paras haven't changed though, but for sure my main para is one I will always go back to forever!

Anyone else?

I’m a teen maladaptive daydreamer and I have a question, my fellow daydreamer. Is it normal to get that rush while daydreaming during a certain scenario, and then reenact that scenario dozens of times JUST to get that rush? I do it a lot, it’s affecting my mental health. I just wanted to know if it’s normal for maladaptive daydreamers.

Hey Anon!

Sorry for the wait! (I feel like I say that with every ask but I just haven’t been super active lately!)

I think it’s totally normal to get a rush while daydreaming a certain scenario. I totally do it all the time. In fact, I have about 3 very particular scenes that I often replay a gazillion and one times just because I get a rush every time I do. It definitely affects my mental health sometimes... which really sucks. 

Followers: does anyone else get this as well? 

i finally got the chance to go to therapy and rather than reflexively lying i was actually hitting it off with doc until i said, out loud, "-constant daydreaming. me sitting here right now is just one in 50 tabs of me in different scenarios in my head right now-" and the fourth wall broke and i just be realizing i'm sitting in my room taking to a plant looking like 0_0 it felt like inception minus joseph gordon levitt but i was shook for half a second

Edit by mdconfessions: Oh man! That is definitely very trippy. I hope you are doing okay!

Do all Maladaptive daydreamers pace? (Or have some other motion they do while daydreaming?)

Hi Anon!

Sorry for the late reply. I've been pretty tired lately and just dealing with some things so I haven't gotten around to answering asks.

To answer your question, not all daydreamers pace. A lot of them do, but it really is case by case. Personally, I used to pace (a crazy amount) but now I actually prefer to stay still. I can sit in a chair and daydream for hours without having any sort of repetitive motion while daydreaming. I don't even remember the last time I paced. Pacing or other repetitive motion isn't a "requirement" to be a maladaptive daydreamer. When I first got into the community, I was a bit worried I wasn't valid or something because I didn't pace like everyone else (I got into the community after I outgrew my pacing). But really, everyone is different and everyone daydreams differently. It just seems that a lot of us (maybe majority??) pace. And, because of this, it's often listed as a main characteristic of maladaptive daydreamers.

I hope this helped!

sometimes I get a daydream scenario that's kind of like when you've got an assignment to do but instead of actually finishing it and moving on to the next assignment you just keep opening up the same word document, reformatting the header, rereading what you already wrote and making some lil edits, adding like maybe one sentence and then just saving and closing it again

like PLEASE brain we've watched the beginning of this daydream every single day for the past week can you PLEASE just decide how this one ends so we can move onto the next daydream 😭

hi congrats on 1000!! i only found you a few days ago and you’ve helped me a lot already and you seem like a really awesome person (also im an infj too lol). so i am trying to cut back on my time spent daydreaming because my repetitive movement is swinging and it’s getting hot where i live, plus it’s tough when there’s bad weather and i can’t daydream. so i was wondering if there’s any other things i might be able to do like in the car (i have a long road trip coming up lol) or in the classroom? ive been all remote since around the time my daydreaming got really intense so im super worried about not being able to just go outside and swing whenever i get the urge. any ideas?

Hey Anon!

Thanks so much! I literally smiled while reading this :). And yay for INFJs!!!

Hmmmm... that's a good question. It's probably because I'm sleep deprived (oops!)... but are you asking what other repetitive movement to do when you get the urge to daydream or just how to cut back in general? I think it's more of the latter, but I'll just answer both to stay safe and hopefully one of the two answers are helpful!

So, if you are looking for something else that isn't as energy consuming/space consuming to do while daydreaming, here are a few suggestions I have:

1. Try finger movements. I have this thing where I tap all my fingers with the thumb, and then start over again. It could be something great to do while sitting that is less obvious and also not very energy consuming. Obviously, it's probably pretty hard to replace one repetitive movement with another, but it could be worth a shot! Or maybe just play around with other movements that are less obvious/less energy and space consuming.

2. Practice sitting daydreaming. I used to be a pacer when I was little. I still can be when I'm in the right situation. But usually I'm not in a place where I can do it. Plus, I'm lazy ;P. After lots of practice (usually when I didn't have any other choice) I've learned to sit and daydream, and now I almost prefer sitting over pacing. So, it could be worth a shot just trying to sit and daydream rather than swing your arms/pace.

If you are looking to cut down daydreaming all together, here are some suggestions:

1. Schedule daydreaming time. If you have specific times cut out of your day to daydream, then it can be something you look forward to rather than something you feel you must do whenever you get the urge. It can be hard at first to discipline yourself enough to wait. But if you do it enough, it'll become habit. Certain times/places will be associated with daydreaming while others are not and you may get less of an urge to daydream while in certain settings where you can't. For me, I always daydream before bed, when I'm doing specific chores, and when I'm on walks. Because of this, usually I'm able to focus fairly well doing other tasks because I know once I am doing a certain activity I will be able to daydream freely.

2. Whenever you get the urge to daydream, try naming three things you can see, hear, and feel. This is kind of a random one, but sometimes by forcing yourself to focus on the environment around you, you might be able to stop yourself from daydreaming. If you have to list nine things all together (three you can see, three you can hear, and three you can feel) you might be able to distract your brain enough to stop the urge from being so strong.

3. Find other things to occupy yourself with. This one is especially true for the car trip! Try reading a book, fanfiction, or taking one of those portable car games to keep you occupied. Maybe start counting how many animals you come across on the trip or how many red cars you pass, etc. You could even make a list of things to do once you get bored of one thing. Take paper and draw, play a game with those in the car with you (cards are great for this!), or google search car games. They might be lame, but if they help distract you, they could be great! Or, if you are able to practice sitting daydreaming, you might be able to plug some music in and sit and daydream without being very obvious. Personally, I'm pretty good at this. But it really varies from person to person. If this is something you can't do, then don't risk it! Another great thing to do in a vehicle to not daydream is sleep! I love catching up on sleep in the car, and for sure you won't be daydreaming then (you might be actually dreaming though ;P)

4. Keep writing. This one is more geared toward the school aspect. Even if you aren't taking notes, just write down what is happening in class. For example, if the teacher is coughing, write down that the teacher is coughing. It seems kind of dumb, but if it helps you stay completely focused on what is happening in the class, it could help your mind stay rooted in the present moment rather than in your daydreams. You could even reserve a separate notebook for these kinds of notes (just so they don't get mixed in with your normal notes)

I hope some of this is helpful! I wanted to get back to you soon so I have some advice for your road trip!

Here is a link to my resources page if you need more advice. Hopefully something in all this rambling or on that page is helpful! Wishing you all the best!!

Hi if you’re a maladaptive daydreamer, can you like or reblog this?

I’m looking for more people to follow and interact with. Thanks!

CELEBRATION!

Hey guys! A few weeks ago I hit 1000 followers and I’d just like to thank each and every one of you for following and participating in this blog! It has been a real journey. I started this blog when I was in highschool, and now I’m only a year away from finishing university! Crazy! Even now, people are still reblogging posts I made from years ago. I love it, and I love the notes and additions you add to those posts. 

You guys are amazing and honestly the only reason this blog is still alive. I love the MD community and all you awesome daydreamers out there! Rock on guys! 

Also, in celebration for my followers, I’ve updated my resources page. Something that was long overdue. Check it out for some organized posts on MD. :) 

I’ve been living in a horrible cycle since school began; I’ll discover a new topic almost every other week whether it’s a book series, movie, celebrity, band, fanfic, and get so attached to them. My room gets messy, I zone out of class to watch/read content, avoid family (& when I’m not, freaking them out with my mouthing and walking around). & then suddenly reality rears it’s ugly head and I get bouts of existential life crisis. I want to end this before another school year starts. Tips?

Hey Anon!

Sounds like a tough situation. I'm so sorry you are dealing with this. MD is definitely not fun in that respect. Honestly, I could probably go on and on with suggestions and different tips and tricks. Everyone is different and everyone will handle their MD different. So below are a bunch of links; feel free to explore them based on what you need. Some of them aren't as related, but could be helpful, so I added them anyways. I hope something is useful! Wishing you all the best in your journey!

Here is a link to a post with a list of suggestions for things you can do rather than daydreaming. I'd encourage you to make your own list. Try and zone in on things that you can do without daydreaming, or only daydreaming minimally while doing. Whenever you get the urge to daydream, try referring to your list and doing something more productive (or just fun!) that doesn't involve daydreaming.

Here is a link to a post listing some positive aspects of quitting MD. I don't know if you are planning on completely quitting or just dialling down a bit, but reminding yourself why you are doing it can be good motivation. If you have the urge to daydream, re-read your list of reasons for quitting. It might help inspire you to hold off on daydreaming just a bit more.

Here is a link to a post with some strategies on how to quit MD, or at least start to gain control over it. I've used some of these strategies myself and found them VERY helpful! Obviously, it takes time a determination, but I believe in you!

Here is a link to my resources page. Basically, a post with a bunch of separate links that could be helpful, all labelled.

**I really need to update my resources page, but for now, here are all the links I could find. If I come across more, I'll make a new post and put them there.

I have a paracosm of the Creepypasta Mansion. Is that cringy? Cuz it feels stupid but I also find comfort in creepypasta tbh

Also is it bad that it’s...violent? My parame in it is a killer in a similar vein to Jeff. Overpowered, kinda stab-happy.

Hey Anon!

Absolutely NOT cringy! Everyone daydreams differently, and honestly I've talked to many other MDers who have widely different daydreams. It's hard to control your daydreams, and it's okay to feel weird or even guilty about it. I just want to reassure you that you are valid and it's totally okay. If any of my followers want to share their daydream topics to make Anon feel less alone, feel free!

Secondly, it's very common for MDers to struggle with violent daydreams. I've seen it discussed in the MD community quite a bit, but after searching for posts about it, I can't seem to locate them! If anyone has any experiences with this/info/articles on violence and MD, please feel free to reply! Personally, my daydreams are also very violent and dark and sometimes it causes me distress. So know you aren't alone in that!

I hope this helps!