World Mental Health Day 2018: Do you daydream a lot? It could be a sign of your failing mental health

Daydreaming takes away one's productivity and enthusiasm too, understand the mind is working continuously to meet the fantasies of the dream world with less energy remaining to concentrate on reality.

We all love to dream and most of us dream a lot about that perfect life, the perfect job, the perfect romance, the perfect bank balance and all other things that can make our lives little easier and better. But hey, we know that dreaming doesn't lead us anywhere and you need sheer amount of hard work, discipline and dedication to make those dreams turn into reality. Most of us, if not all, are capable of doing that. Even if all the dreams don't turn into reality, the hard work we put in takes us to a place of contentment and into a happy space. This is why they say dream more with your eyes open. But they fail to mention that you need to work harder with a clear conscience and a single-minded focus to achieve those dreams. And some lazy bum starts dreaming with eyes wide open without giving a thought or two about how to turn them into reality. They make there own comfort zone in their dream world.

But such dreams which some people see without the iota of enthusiasm or desire to fulfill them are not dreams, but escapism from reality. This is often termed as daydreaming. Daydreaming, in particular, can be dangerous, especially when people go overboard with it or try to soothe self by escaping to the dreamworld and dwelling on them 24/7. "It can turn into an addiction if you are too much into it. Just like the video game addiction that could be dangerous and detrimental to one's mental health, daydreaming does the same," informs Dr Pavan Sonar, consultant psychiatrist and sexologist, Mumbai.

Daydreaming is, in fact, a misplaced emotion, a kind of solace one searches for in the imaginary world that is missing in the real world. It is not surprising that most people dream of themselves being the CEO of a company or living a perfect life with an ex-flame who is already living a fulfilling life may be in a different sphere. "Commonly, people get into a habit of daydreaming to get rid of the painful emotions, trauma or negativity they are facing. They use daydreaming as a way to cope with various challenges of life. While they find some comfort in the virtual world they suffer in the real world. It leads to lack of concentration, avoidance of immediate tasks that need attention (both at home and work), dip in productivity. complications in relationships and much more," says Dr Sonar.

There is a thin line that separates productive dreaming from daydreaming. "Constructive dreaming helps one focus on work, plan and execute ways to achieve one's goals. But daydreaming takes away one's productivity and enthusiasm too, understand the mind is working continuously to meet the fantasies of the dream world with less energy remaining to concentrate on reality. This could be harmful in more than one ways," cautions Dr Sonar.

Excessive daydreaming that takes you nowhere or fails to turn your goals into reality can affect your position at work, relationships and indicate that your mental health needs attention. "This could be a symptom of a mental health condition which only a thorough diagnosis will help a therapist to decide. Most often daydreaming could be an underlying symptom of depression, anxiety disorder or dysthymia (low mood). If remains unchecked it can lead to severe consequences," says Dr Sonar.

Sometimes it could be a reason for depression too. "If one is having too many positive thoughts but unable to turn them into reality it can lead to depression or other mood disorders, especially, when you see that your thoughts are taking you nowhere," says Dr Sonar.

Therapy, medication, counselling can help one come out of this addiction, "Many people realise on their own that they have a problem, others might need nudging from family members and friends. If you see any of your loved ones sit idle for long hours, especially those who have been workaholics, lying on the bed staring into nothingness, being unproductive go and initiate an open-ended chat. Talking with them without being judgemental helps them to open up and seek help at the right time," says Dr Sonar.

He also cautions that people who daydream usually are overtly optimist in their thoughts but if the thoughts turn into negative actions like people contemplating suicides or thinking of death it is a sign of danger, so seek help before it gets too late.