Published on 12, July, 2020
Ok so this is very much a case of wanting to get something off my chest and to see if this is at all relatable for others especially as I am yet to get an official diagnosis (I am on the waiting list)
I frequently find myself feeling disturbed and interrupted not just by other people but also sensory stimulation such as noise and smells. I sometimes like to zone out a little, maybe even imagine scenarios or conversations in my head. In short I enjoy daydreaming. I have always felt like doing so allows me to have my own perspective on the world around me.
The problem of course is that life in general doesn't always allow it. If I am walking down the road in my own bubble and so much as a car comes past, or someone wearing perfume my train of thought can be completely ruined and I feel like I have to start again.
How does one find a way to live like this?
I find that the more stressful life is, the more I retreat into my fantasy version of life. I didn't realise that other people did this. I mostly do it lying on my bed but also walking or on public transport. It can be very jarring to be interrupted, especially by people wanting to talk.
I'm aware now that the more I do it, the more depressed I get so I am starting to notice and force myself to stop if I'm spending more time in my head than in the world.
Reading helps me as I guess it's similar in that I'm living a different life but via the book, but without the negative side effect of now having a fantasy version of my life where everything is better.
I really relate to this - during one of the worst times of my life, I genuinely had a fantasy character that would "follow me around" (not a hallucination - I knew they weren't there, but I imagined they were). I thought it was reassuring, but I found I was just missing out on more, spending more time alone, and feeling depressed that life wasn't as simple as it was in my fantasy world.
Reading definitely helps. I've also tried creative writing as an outlet and found that really helps.
I quite often have an "imaginary friend"! Usually somebody from TV. I guess because sometimes I get lonely and having a friend who says exactly what you want them to say is much easier...but probably not great for the mental health.
It's all really interesting. You were clearly ahead of the scientists on this one
I've managed this occasionally. I get a lot of deja vu, occasionally it happens when something in a real life converstion reminds me of something I imagined and I can use my unintentionally pre-prepared response. It does feel like a small sucess!
Ain't the populist zero hours contract world wonderful!?. ;-) It is a pity I didn't just drop completely out of it years ago. It would have been so much more personally productive. Instead, I rose to the Thatcherite dead-end challenge. What a waste!
She was actually the boss because her job was no longer funded so they moved her to the only available position despite having none of the skills for it. She barely knew how to turn on a computer! I think that's what wound me up the most!
Good way to be! I'd say. In my case, the swearing sometimes happened in full public. That, I reckon, was my version of the meltdown. I've been moving away from it for years, but it flares up out of the blue occasionally. I would say that I have been getting out of that habit, through what I call 'day-dreaming rehearsal', for decades; long before I ever read about such things as self-hypnosis and auto suggestion. It seems the conscious and subconscious are capable of figuring out how to cooperate. But also worth noting that my pursuance of this approach took me even further into the realms of social invisibility.
She was the boss because she had the gift of the gab. And she definitely didn't stick to the script either. I know I can't really compete with a fast stand-up comedian, but I also know that my rather slow-track tortoise humour can catch up with the fast-talking hare.
It's already been done by 'The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy'. Google it if you don't already know it, and you will find it was an immensely popular book, radio series & TV series. And it is often quoted on this forum too.
Well, yes, there is perhaps some point in seeking to ground one's own daydreams. I can see in my own experience how that might well have helped me. And it would be hard to deny that life can benefit from the spirit of compromise. I note some comments here have indicated that rehearsal doesn't equate with automatic 'success', but it is bound to take time. And you might argue that it has taken me 6 decades to work that out.