Why Daydreaming Is Good For You
Originally published September 1, 2023
Daydreaming has a bad reputation. It's portrayed as distracting, a waste of time, childish and a sign of a wandering mind. Daydreaming can be an issue if done excessively or have bad thoughts, but it doesn’t deserve to be seen as a problem. It’s a regular activity that we all do, and it should stop being viewed negatively. Here are some ways that daydreaming is good for us.
1.) It can fuel your imagination and creativity – Daydreaming can lead your mind to wander, but doing so can guide you to new or refined ideas. When you sit down and force yourself to think, sometimes your best ideas will not come. If you let them roam when you do nothing or do everyday tasks, they come to you. Sometimes doing nothing lets me brainstorm and further develop my ideas.
2.) It leads to inward thinking – Introspection is defined by Merriam-Webster as “a reflective inward: an examination of one's thoughts and feelings,”; something I feel we all need to do a little more of. Daydreaming can give us inner reflection, which is crucial as it can lead to exploring and improving yourself and the world.
3.) Reduces stress and anxiety – Reality is complicated, messy, and stressful. By daydreaming, you can escape it temporarily and go far away. Nothing is wrong with that as long as you return to reality. In some cases, when you come back to reality, you might be less stressed and have a different mindset that allows you to take on the world.
While daydreaming can have its drawbacks and become a problem if it is done in unhealthy ways, for the most part, it's good for you. We should stop looking down upon daydreamers as it is a common behavior to engage in, and it's safe and fun.
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Why Daydreaming Is Good for Us