And to daydream to the same extent that I did when I was younger is to push the fulfilment of my dreams forward – to place the responsibility of a good life on a future self that does not yet exist.
***
I spend a lot of time in my head and I accept that sometimes I overdo it. So I let things spill over to my diary, just to funnel my thoughts somehow – testing and assessing them all, making sure that they’re not destructive – and if they are, trying my best to diffuse them.
But sometimes that isn’t enough. I don’t open up too often because I don’t enjoy vulnerability, and I hate to jeopardise perceptions of the people around me, considering that these people sometimes have an influence on how I feel, and have a part to play in the negative emotions that I experience.
So, when thinking, writing, and speaking aren’t enough, I consider daydreaming. And I indulge in it!
Yes, daydreaming happens in your head too. However, it’s a different part of the head altogether as here, you infuse real life with fantasy and consider what could be if reality wasn’t something to consider. I daydream to motivate myself, to procrastinate and to pass time.
However, like all things in life, and like everything I have written here so far, daydreaming requires balance. Sometimes I get in too deep and waking up to reality can be just as harsh as the phrase suggests. To reside in the clouds is to keep in close proximity to paradise, where hardship and difficulty are far away.
But an integral part of growing up is realising that you can only stay up there for so long. I may have been daydreaming about the future for my whole life up until this point. But now, I am coming to understand that this is the future. And to daydream to the same extent that I did when I was younger is to push the fulfilment of my dreams forward – to place the responsibility of a good life on a future self that does not yet exist.
It can be dangerous to perceive your dreams as so far away, especially when it causes you to overlook the resources you currently have before you, that can make these things come true.
Rather than wishing and hoping, it’s time to start actualising and doing. Maintain the comfort and paradise that daydreams give to you, but leave the nest more often, and replicate your future and your dreams outside of your daydreamed safety bubble.
Understand that your life can be all that you dream for it to be when you learn to appreciate your reality and work hard for your desires. Acknowledge how passive daydreams can be, and consider the stark difference between yours and your reality. Then try to close the gap.
Yes, escapism is rehabilitating. But transforming that escapism into authentic living is far more exciting.
Some Variables 