How too much daydreaming affected me

Re:How too much daydreaming affected me by petercooper on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @02:51PM (#36882942)

Maybe it's not the same but I daydream quite deeply when I'm doing things that have no verbal component. So like when I'm driving, I'll start planning stuff out and coming up with ideas (often quite visually, too) then "snap" back and think.. I don't remember any of the actual driving. It's common enough to have a name though – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highway_hypnosis – and I haven't had any accidents. Curiously, putting on talk radio or podcasts helps as it prevents the daydreaming.

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Re:How too much daydreaming affected me by luminen on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @03:03PM (#36883133)

I've experienced the same with routine tasks such as showering or going for a run. I'll often put on a podcast or audiobook, but if I don't find myself actively focusing on the narrative, the daydream will be "louder" than what I'm listening to. I find I can go almost an hour with background noise I never heard before realizing I completely lost my place.

This phenomenon does not occur if I'm reading a physical piece of media, like a book.

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Re:How too much daydreaming affected me by stefncb on Wednesday July 26, 2023 @03:22PM (#36883443)

I do it with books, too. If I'm not 100% interested in what I'm reading there's a very good chance I'll doze off into an elaborate daydream.

I also emphasize with the "louder" thing. Uninteresting things aren't as loud as my thoughts so I have to make an effort to suppress them.

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Re:How too much daydreaming affected me by qup on Thursday July 27, 2023 @12:35AM (#36888964)

I'm finding that I also empathize with what you guys are experiencing, but I never thought to call it a daydream. I guess I have a very fuzzy definition, now that I think about it.

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