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Sponsor |  Entranced | Jan 19, 2007 6:45pm | Psychologists estimate we spend up to half our day daydreaming. Turns out it isn't time wasted. Why we daydream and how we benefit from those moments of private reverie.
What's in a daydream? More than you might think. When we give the mind the freedom to roam beyond limitations of time and circumstance we find respite from worry, tension and loneliness. In imagined conversations and exchanges we try out a variety of scenarios for improving our lives and the quality of our relationships.
While many discard daydreams as being wholly fantastic, research indicates that wildly improbable fancies, from romantic fantasies to Walter Mitty-esque adventures, actually account for a very small percentage of our daily imaginings. When it comes to our daydreams, it seems we spend more time thinking up ways to approach our boss for a raise than we do luxuriating in the arms of George Clooney or Nicole Kidman.
"Daydreaming can be defined as thoughts that we have concerned with solving problems, tension release, and stimulation. We often daydream when we are bored. Fantasies may be part of daydreaming, but they are a minority... Research reveals that most of our daydreams focus on what is currently happening in our immediate surroundings and events occurring in our lives. For example, the job of a lifeguard is conducive to daydreaming since there is a lot of time to think and reflect. Yet, beeper studies in which lifeguards are periodically beeped and asked what they were thinking reveal that most of their thoughts are focused on the swimming ability of people in the pool or imagining events in their own family," explains Dr. James Honeycutt, professor of communications at Louisiana State University and the author of Imagined Interactions: Daydreaming About Communication.
The power of the imagination is quite real and often helps us formulate appropriate ways of negotiating the perils of social interaction.
"We are hard on ourselves in thinking about daydreaming because it is sometimes misconstrued as a waste of time. Yet, it can be very productive in terms of solving problems. I examined one type of daydreaming, imagined interactions in which we imagine what we will say to other people and how they will respond. We do this in order to rehearse messages, enhance self-confidence, keep relationships alive in our mind, manage conflict, and to release anxiety or tension. Indeed, daydreaming has positive and negative qualities," explains Dr. Honeycutt.
Our daydreams can even cure us of our fears and anxieties. Psychiatrists often use visualization techniques when treating anxieties and phobias. For example, people with needle phobias are often asked to deal with their fears in their minds first, imagining the experience from start to finish. link |
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Sponsor | | Bohemian-Spirit | Jul 13, 2007 8:07pm | To sleep, perchance to dream. ~William Shakespeare
Asleep or not, dreams play an important part of my life. I find a lot of answers in my waking AND sleeping dreams.
The best way for me to go about solving a problem is to intentionally say, "I need to solve such and such. What is the answer?" Then I step away from the problem, and think of something else, letting my mind wander at will. 9 times out of 10, I get the answer, or the inspiration on where to find the answer. It's amazing. |
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Sponsor | | Entranced | Jul 14, 2007 6:20am | I love to sleep. I love dreams and the stories they tell. I get mad when I wake up and I'm mid way through the story and have to get up to the loo. lol
It has to be said that all my life I have been called a daydreamer. I still do it. It's a form of meditation for me. Especially when I have had an extraordinarily stressfull time in my life. I need to back away from everything and sort things through. |
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Sponsor | | Bohemian-Spirit | Jul 14, 2007 10:25am | 3. Oh, I feel the same way. I've actually answered the phone when it's rung in the middle of a good dream with a pretty surly "Hello". LOL
Man hasn't yet figured out dreams. There are tons of theories of where they come from. Suppressed memories; subconscious messages; purging crap our brains don't know how to classify; messages from beyond, etc.
Wherever they come from, I appreciate them. |
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Sponsor | | Dustwitch | Jul 14, 2007 5:38pm | I'm a dreamer too.
The dream landscape is a relatively unexplored realm and my favorite vacation spot. |
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Sponsor | | Bohemian-Spirit | Jul 14, 2007 8:50pm | | 5. Vacation spot. I never thought of it like that, but that is so true. It's a great escape, and in most cases can be quite relaxing and entertaining. |
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Sponsor | | Entranced | Jul 15, 2007 12:47pm | | Truth be known I'd probably prefer my dream life most days. No bills, no housework, no stress from going to work. And the kids would all get along all the time! lol |
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