Daydreaming in the middle of an important university lecture or work meeting is a common problem that we all face, at some point in our lives. We often find ourselves thinking things that are not necessarily true, having unrealistic expectations about what we can achieve, or even spending hours fantasizing about “what could be”.
All without doing anything to get there but waste more and more time daydreaming.
The mind of a human being is a fantastic place to explore, it can create different scenarios, possibilities, and fantasies. However, it is also a good place to get lost in for hours and waste time. When we daydream or disconnect from the real world we spend all our time wishing for imaginary scenarios and it may become a problem.
So how do you rescue yourself from spending more time stuck in the bubble of your imagination?
3 ways to stop daydreaming:
1- Put in the work:
If you like to daydream a lot then chances are you will probably like it a lot more; if your dreams were to become your daily reality.
The way to stop wishful thinking and daydreaming is by planning ahead, working hard, and only keeping one eye on your goals; rather than letting yourself be fully submerged all day by thinking about them. This means that you have to use your time efficiently doing the hard work it will take for you to be in a better position in life, instead of just visualizing yourself in that scenario all the time.
When we dream about achieving something but work hard towards it then we have the possibility of making things happen. We can change our lives if we make the right choices, work hard and spend more time working on making our dreams happen rather than thinking about them.
2- Make a change to your routine:
If you are trying to stop wishful thinking, then you should focus on the problems that you are facing. For example, if you spend too much time and energy doing things that aren’t going to give any results or generate any change to your situation but make you live in more remorse then you should stop. You should stop daydreaming, stand up, and do something meaningful and real to change your future.
If you fail then it’s ok, you can keep trying and not let yourself get discouraged and try different avenues until a positive change occurs in your life. Make a change to your toupee, and do something different if you want a different outcome to be reached. If you keep doing the same things you’ve been doing for years then how would any change occur on its own? By doing the same routine and stuff you did for years, you can only get the same results and life you’ve been having for years.
If you try to make a change and it doesn’t work or you fail, then it should be fine! If you catch yourself stuck in your thoughts a lot, it’s time to move on from the wishing phase and start putting in efforts and hard work in a productive way.
3- Spend your time using logic, planning, and practicing instead:
You can easily fall into the trap of wishing for an impossible outcome that will never come true. You might think that it is because you are overconfident or believe in yourself a lot. But this way of thinking does not help you make any progress in life. In fact, it will only prevent progress and improvement through learning and practice.
We should not wish things into existence. We should use our logic and rationality to examine our goals, see how possible and realistic they are, and put in the work to get to them. This way we make sure that we are not creating more problems than solutions for ourselves.
Wishful thinking vs daydreaming:
Wishful thinking is imagining a feature or added bonus that doesn’t exist – or making it up – and then thinking how great it would be if it existed. It may be a set of beliefs, a story, a scenario, an expectation, or just an idea.
On the other hand, daydreaming is when we can’t do anything but fantasize about something that doesn’t exist. Daydreaming is not just an idea that crossed our minds but a lengthy process of remorse, and thinking about scenarios of life that won’t ever exist.
For example; if you want to buy a new car and have someone say “it would be perfect if the engine on this one was replaced with an electric one”, we might call this wishful thinking. And, for instance; if you spent all day dreaming about a fantasy that you have little to no chance of it ever coming to life, then it’s daydreaming.
The bottom line:
Wishful thinking is okay and not so harmful, you can express yourself or a thought that crossed your mind and say how great it would be if only you had this or that, just as long as you move on from that thought quickly and go on with your day.
However, to spend hours missing out on real-life; a lecture at university, or an important work meeting, because you’re imagining scenarios that have no chance of ever coming to life may become unhealthy and time-consuming.
Leave a comment