When I was a kid I started daydreaming constantly because of bullying I figured since I would get no peace in the real world I might as well make my own and I’ve been doing it ever since but now I’m worried cause I daydream about EVERYTHING and even talk to myself out loud sometimes basically repeating what’s happening in my daydream. Also I pace a lot while daydreaming and if one of my characters is crying i might also start crying. I also daydream about myself like anytime I have an anxious thought I will act like I’m talking to a therapist to vent I guess and I’m scared that I’m an actual psycho. I know what’s reality and what isn’t and I’m not violent. I do get annoyed with people very easily but that’s it. I’m afraid if I tell my real life therapist this stuff she’ll throw me into an asylum with real crazy people.
A. Your daydreaming likely serves as a defense mechanism to protect you from painful emotions. Defense mechanisms are like tourniquets. In emergency situations, they save lives but if left on too long, they cause long-term damage. Your daydreaming might have saved you in the short-term, but its long-term use seems to be causing problems.
There is no reason to believe that discussing this issue with your therapist would lead to her “throw[ing] you into an asylum with real crazy people.” That is an irrational fear that has no basis in reality. People with mental illnesses are not “crazy” nor are they “thrown into asylums.” It is these stereotypes that often prevent people from seeking help.
This is an issue that may be easily remedied with counseling. Daydreaming seems to have served, and may continue to serve, a function in your life but it may have gone on for too long. I would strongly encourage you to address this issue in counseling so that you can learn new coping skills for managing your emotions. Please take care.
Dr. Kristina Randle
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