Do you daydream? I do. Sometimes I plan my stories through daydreams, and sometimes I daydream of stories that I have no intention of writing, just to explore new ideas.
When I thought of writing this blog, I decided to do some research into daydreams. I assumed I would be reading sweet anecdotes about passing the time on a boring car ride by imagining adventures, or of happy moments just before falling asleep.
What I got was ferocious warnings about 'maladaptive daydreaming', which apparently is about to be recognized as a psychological disorder. It is often found in people who have dissociative disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders, ADHD and depression. It affects their academic, interpersonal or work life and causes them to withdraw from reality.
I was shocked. And then I started thinking that all those maths teachers who ordered me to 'get my head out of the clouds' when I was a kid may have had a point. Maybe it was dangerous to daydream.
In fear and trepidation, I kept researching. And while lots of scientists say that daydreaming is a Bad Thing, others say that it allows modern people to function in an extremely fast-faced society in which information and ideas bombard us constantly. It increases creativity, provides an opportunity for the brain to decompress, and offers insight.
Perhaps my favourite benefit to daydreaming is that it gives people the opportunity to 'think for pleasure', as psychology professor Erin Westgate phrased it. There is no time for sustained thinking these days, especially when it involves thinking critically. But we have a ready-made capacity for it in our daydreams, and that suggests daydreaming may not be as Bad as some people think.
And that is a Good Thing. Because I'm still going to let my head float up into the clouds every now and then.
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