1. A slip-up is not a total failure. I slipped up on the fifth day. That doesn’t mean "it was all for nothing." It’s just an old, automatic response. The brain changes slowly.
   
2. Fantasy is not an enemy. Dreaming, reflecting, and imagining—that’s all normal. The problem isn’t the fantasy itself; the problem arises when it replaces real life. Fantasy used to save me. I’m not at war with it.
   
3. "Getting rid of it" is a poor goal. I spent the whole week just fighting—and I ended up exhausted. The goal isn’t to "eliminate" it, but to live in such a way that it doesn’t take me over completely. It’s about making choices: sometimes stepping away, and sometimes choosing to stay.
   
4. The fantasy is fading. It used to bring euphoria; now, it offers only a dull sense of relief. It’s not the same anymore. And neither am I.
   
5. I met "Liza"—my true self. I liked her. I miss her when I’m away. That is my motivation. It’s not about what I "must" do; it’s about wanting to be with myself.
   
6. I am too harsh with myself. That’s my mother’s voice—it has become my own. I have the right not to listen to it.
   
7. I am exhausted. This isn’t laziness; my reserves are completely depleted. The cure is rest, not some heroic feat.

P.S. This is an intermediate result for me. Of course, the ultimate goal is to find a healthy way to cope. But I have truly been overly critical of myself—to the point where I tried to forbid myself from thinking altogether.

How can I get rid of it? I spend the whole day on it, which causes me to lose touch with real life and neglect my household chores. When I see a video on TikTok, an "edit" (a montage-style sequence) immediately starts playing in my head; I begin pacing back and forth around the room, and this just goes on endlessly. Later, it evolves into interacting with an AI bot. I’m already so tired of this—I’ve been suffering from it for years.

For context Ive had a rough childhood and been making worlds in my head to escape everything. Im now in my early twenties and things have only gotten worse (One of the reasons is that I relied too much on MDD for my quick dopamine and never really got anything done). Now im in deep financial strain and going nowhere career wise so i realized I had to face my MDD head on and finally get over this habit.

First week was rough. VERY rough. I basically quit in the worst possible way, essentially i entered my world as if everything was normal and i was about to start another 3-4 hour session where Im my happiest and everyone loves me and thinks im the coolest person alive. BUT IN ACTUALITY I set up the scene but had all the characters look me in the eyes and tell me "This isnt real" At first it was a real thunderclap, but as i kept repeating an repeating it in every senerio i cherished so deeply the tears began to come out ( in real life) and by the end of it I was standing infront of the mirror staring at myself for 10 minutes (also in real life).

Now im going unto almost a week without having MDD, i took some precutions and removed some triggers, namely music. I think the world I manufactured to give me hope, worth and happiness is gone for good. Ofcourse it still beckons me over for a quick hit, but I know its just empty joy. I've never considered or called myself deppressed since its a medical condition that needs evaluation to confirm it and I want to show respect to everyone who has it and the severity of it. But i just dont know what else I could be feeling. Without the dopamine I feel so hollow, so tired of waking up every morning to the same bare walls, same cold streets, same fake smiles.

In the end I dont reget what I did. I feel grounded and present. I feel closer to myself and trying to show myself more compassion. At the same time Real Life has unfurled its wings over me at full span. I struggle to move. I not someone who believes Life gets better, but I am someone who believes WE can make life better. So im not giving up, Most of the world cant understand us but for the people who do Thank you. I wish i found you sooner and you found me. Take care.

On TikTok, there are tons of videos about how to stop maladaptive daydreaming, and many people genuinely want to get rid of it. But I honestly can’t imagine my life without these daydreams; sometimes, they are literally the only thing saving my mental health—and, at times, perhaps even my physical well-being. I always just scroll past those videos.

How do I even escape this.

I’m curious, I know i definitely can’t be the only one but there’s no way to ask a normal person who doesn’t struggle with this. Pacing back and forth for hours makes you look crazy, doesn’t it? I can spend hours doing that, so much that my feet become sore to walk. So I started keeping track of my steps. Usually I’d average about let’s say 10-25k steps, well I can assume the increase of stress has rewarded me with a new record of 43k steps of maladaptive daydreaming alone as of now. everyday is a little fun game of breaking records, I thought this amount was normal for working people always on the move, but reactions around me say otherwise.

So for the past weeks I’ve been doing this nonstop to the point my feet hurt I’m getting blisters and bleeding from under the hard calluses I’ve made from doing this too over the years. I can barely walk my calf’s are sore, however when I get that urge I push through it and honestly the pain also distracts me so I mind and don’t mind. I should probably stop but I can’t, finish my college work? Something productive? No stress over not doing it and spend hours walking.

But yeah it’s never gotten this bad, so I’m curious to compare and relate.

I was told by multiple people that cutting out short form dopamine would be beneficial for adhd (e.g. screen time, scrolling, TikTok) and replacing it with other things like reading, colouring, sitting in silence. I’m scared it might be more harmful than beneficial to me. Does anyone have experience with this?

I had an ex situationship from nearly 2 years ago, we played the chase game for a while but it’s gotten to the point where I should know that it’s over, he no longer wants to keep in contact and I know I am better than that. I have gone on long solo trip, I have numerous hobbies alongside a full time job and have completed courses and all sorts of things and yet I find myself maladaptive daydreaming about him and his friends being so impressed with all my achievements since we ended things, i know it’s a bit odd but it’s some sort of external validation thing I’m craving. All my daydreams centre around this and despite me doing so much with my life, staying distracted as people recommend and even doing inner work I cannot shake this scenario. Does anyone have any advice?

So i have seen and read many success stories of some of y'all who managed to quit this dirty trap. I read those reports and got quite motivated.. I have been trying to quit on and off now for many months since maybe start of this year.

What i came to is that the pull and urges to day dream is very severe in my case. Nothing have pleasure enough as much as day dreaming. i can play a video game, read books, watch youtube.. But for some reason day dreaming is just the most rewarding aspect of my day.. I can be with friends and still get urges to be in my mind.. I can do whatever.

This happened twice today, all of sudden, and the realization destroyed me. I'm 30, never worked, never lived on my own, never been anywhere, never travelled, never had friends or any kind of relationships. Instead I just daydreamed nonstop in high school, college and in my 20s. The only lives I've ever lived were the ones in my head.

I had a doctor's appointment today, one of the rare reasons I ever leave the house, and we drove past the neighborhood of my high school. My high school experience was hell, I was ditched by my best and only friend even though we moved to the same school so we could remain together. I became the lonely weirdo who didn't talked to anyone, and that's who I still am. It was the beginning of the end for me.

As we drove past those streets, memories took over me and I had to fight back tears. But I didn't remembered anything real, all I could think of were the "alternate realities" I experienced in my head. Like when I'd arrive to lab classes alone, spend that one hour alone, and then go back home alone, in perfect silence. But in my head, I imagined being this idealized version of myself: beautiful, charming, intelligent, beloved by all. I imagined myself laughing with my friends, or having the boy I had a crush on, as my boyfriend, carry me on his back as part of some bet we made and he lost. During those summers we'd go to the beach, and the entire time I'd imagine he was there with me, like an imaginary friend.

A few minutes ago I felt an urge to look up the area surrounding the office I interned during one year in college, which remains my only professional experience. Even though it was just through street view on google maps, I also was moved nearly to tears. And yet again, my mind was flooded with memories from the daydreams I had at the time. There were these beautiful houses there, and I imagined living there.

For a few seconds I had this vivid feeling that I was about to step into that daydream. That used to happen more often during my early 20s, but now it's extremelly rare. But for a few seconds I was that beautiful blonde girl in that little a-line red dress I saw in Zara getting ready to celebrate Christmas. I don't know why but that was the main "scene" I'd go over and over back then. I'd imagine how I would invite the people at my internship to the party, how beautiful my family's house would be, how full of joy it would become as everyone would be happy and laugh.

I've gone through so many alternative realities in my head. I wish at least one of them were real. I wish I could live a little before it's too late.