Why and How I’m Replacing Daydreaming With Visualization ( For a Healthier Mind)
Discover practical visualization techniques to replace daydreaming with clear, actionable mental habits that support your growth.
A big part of overall wellness is tied to your thoughts, how you speak to yourself, your environment, your actions, and many others. But today, I’m focusing on something most people do: daydream.
More specifically, maladaptive daydreaming and how it affects emotional health. If you don’t know, our mental and emotional health and thoughts directly relate to our physical health. This makes it essential to understand the habits that can pull us into a disconnected, or draining state, and maladaptive daydreaming is one of them.
I used to see this topic everywhere growing up but never really looked into it, mostly because I didn’t want the pressure of changing a habit I loved and used as escapism on hard days. But as I’ve been learning to be more intuitive, I’ve started paying closer attention to my feelings and how they connect to my thoughts. A big part of this was realizing the emotional distress I felt after spending hours or even just long minutes in a daydream. Coming back to reality left me feeling drained and off balance.
So, I dove into this topic: reading people’s experiences, talking to friends, and learning about the struggles of breaking the habit. It was so interesting to find that, yes, maladaptive daydreaming is a habit that isn’t fulfilling but can be redirected into intentional visualization ( not in a way that a bad habit replaces a bad habit), but in a way that uses your imagination to work for you rather than against you!
Why do We Daydream, and How is Visualization Better
A daydream is a form of escapism, and although no one will fault you for wanting a little escape here and there, it’s essential to have balance and know what it is you are escaping from ( most of the time, it is a feeling). Something about your feelings is that they are made to be felt ; you need to feel them to grow from them and for them to eventually pass away. Resisting them only strengthens them, and escapism is one of the easiest ways to avoid feeling your feelings.
You might feel bad after a daydream because daydreams can feel extremely vivid and real, and your body reacts to that. So, when you come out of that state, there’s often an overwhelming sadness because it’s not your reality.
Choosing not to daydream is uncomfortable, so one expects you to change it suddenly. That’s why visualization is a great way to start shifting the narrative. Visualization works in the same imaginative way as maladaptive daydreaming, but it’s more intentional. It uses your imagination as a motivational tool, leaving you with much better feelings afterward. When you visualize, you naturally start acting in ways that align with what you’ve pictured.
How to Replace Daydreaming with Visualization
We usually daydream to fill a gap, whether it’s loneliness, boredom, or even a situation we don’t want to be in. That’s why our daydreams are often so far from reality. This makes room for us to feel more drained and disappointed in the aftermath. It’s just like creating a perfect fantasy, but it reminds you of what you don’t have when you are out of it.
Visualization is different. It’s based on real goals ( emphasis on real), things you can work towards. Instead of escaping, it’s building. Visualization doesn’t focus on fantasy; it focuses on goals and what you want! Visualization techniques help you feel closer and more reachable to your goals because they’re intentional and rooted in reality.
So here are three simple ways I’m replacing daydreaming with visualization, and you can too!
Identifying Your Escapism Triggers
As I mentioned earlier, daydreaming is an escapism tool to fill a gap around uncomfortable feelings. Of course, no one likes to feel uncomfortable, but you can start identifying your daydreaming habit by paying attention to how you react when you experience feelings you don’t want to feel.
A good way to start small is by sitting with that uncomfortable feeling and acknowledging it for as long as possible ( and trying to improve at sitting with it each day). When you sit with those feelings, we tell them they are heard but don’t have that much power.
Another excellent tool I love personally is using a “happy list.” I learned this from a therapist, who suggested making a list of 10 positive distractions that are easy, accessible, and practical ( things that can help you right there and then). For example ( from my happy list: Taking a walk, calling my mum, scribbling in class, etc.). A happy list is NOT another form of escapism; it helps you regulate your emotions ( especially feelings of stress, anxiety, and overwhelm), and it does this by keeping you grounded in reality rather than pulling you into fantasy.
Direct Your Daydreaming Into Intentional Visualization
In the middle or start of a daydream, you must redirect it into something more intentional and aligned with the present to place it with visualization. Visualization needs specific goals as an anchor. If you don’t have specific goals written down, it’s fine; you can start small by focusing on something you’ve always wanted to try or explore. The point is to have a goal in mind and rework it into your imagination, like seeing yourself fulfilling it in a way that is doable, realistic, and actionable
For example,I have a friend who is about to spend a year abroad in France. I asked her how she came to this interest and how she made that happen, and she told me how it started with her always knowing she wanted to do a placement year, she decided on France, and made it a goal. From that moment on, she kept it in her mind, visualizing everything from what she wanted her room to look like to what it would be like commuting around town, and seeing herself become so real in France made her take all the steps to make it her reality!
Aligning With Reality
Visualization makes your goals feel reachable and accessible, so if you are not acting, are you really visualizing? Unlike daydreaming, the goal of visualization is to align with your reality instead of leaving it in fantasy land. It pushes you to take steps in your goal’s direction. No matter how small, each step counts.
For example, my friend I mentioned earlier makes it an intentional act to watch French movies to improve her language skills ( even though she’s already pretty good! ). It is the action behind it that matters
When daydreaming is replaced with visualization, it becomes a tool for motivation and fulfilling goals!
Recommendations
I enjoyed this podcast on visualization. It’s short, useful, and a wonderful place to start because it discusses visualization techniques practically and clearly.
For more helpful and practical ways to gain rest in all aspects of your everyday life subscribe here , so you can stay connected and stay Well!
