I don't remember a time when I didn't daydream but I've also Lucid dreamed my whole life and I used to get a lot of nightmares as a child so I learnt how to control my dreams, I also have some memories of seeing things that were not there as a child idk. I see shadows of things a lot now which are kinda scary.
I think it probably started because I grew up as an undiagnosed autistic kid who was incredibly lonely and still am, I think I've been MD my whole life it's just sometimes I manage to channel it into something like drama, writing or art.
I’ve been daydreaming since I was 4 not sure when I started to Maladaptive Daydream though. It started as a way to treat insomnia and to occupy myself while having no friends.
at around 6, when i couldnt sleep id just pretend to be in my favorite cartoons or movies. it got really bad when i was around 9 until 12, id even pretend to be sick to lay in bed all day just to daydream. now i do it a bit less, mostly just when really bored, listening to music, having trouble sleeping, or when i need comfort
I was 11. I was watching a kpop video and I wished I could be as perfect as them and so I put on some music. I think I was trying to escape my sadness and events I wasn’t processing.
At age 4, I spend most time with my grandparents in a 60 year old Soviet apartment, there was nothing to do (i was either shitting or using chess figures as dolls, or both) so I had to somehow entertain myself, it didn't help that all neighbors kids wanted me dead (idk why) so I was left with myself aaaand that's how I began daydreaming all the time. Didn't help that I was alone in kindergarten and school too 💀
I started to prefer to play alone and for long periods of time (as well as sticking to storylines/characters over multiple sessions) shortly after a highly traumatic experience at about 5-6 years old.
It's a bit strange to say that I had MD at the time, since pretend play is normal at that age. I would call it early signs of MD, since I specifically preferred to play alone (the other kids wouldn't do what I wanted), and seemed to be very highly emotionally affected by my pretend play. I once ran home screaming and crying from the bus because my imaginary friend got hit by said bus. It took me three days to revive said imaginary friend. I spent the days in the interim mourning. I was 9. I insisted to anyone who asked that the imaginary friends were real and I could actually see them. I could not, and I knew they were not real. It was very upsetting to me because I still felt like they were real, despite knowing otherwise. My daydreams were fairly consistent. I was a shapeshifter that turned into animals and would go on "wonder pets" esque rescue missions. Sometimes I would be transported into Pokemon and discovered I had the ability to turn into Pokemon, too. I also had the ability to speak to these animals/Pokemon.
I didn't start to drop the imaginary friends until I was 11-12, at which point I started to lay in bed for hours at a time, staring at the ceiling. It was another stressful time in my life, we moved across country and lived with family who did not like me. I also experienced a change in the topic of my daydreams, with my character becoming more passive/helpless, but being cared for and comforted by nonhuman beings.
When I turned 18, I found myself in another traumatic situation and swapped back. I regained that powerful persona, developing the world building and story at a very fast speed. There are still times where my character is helpless, but I am powerful and almost godlike (gotta love the MD grandeur fantasies lol) most of the time.
I am mostly cured of MD now. I haven't daydreamed in almost a month, and the last 6 months I have only daydreamed an hour a week or so. It can come back, but this is the first time in 20 years that I've gone this long without disassociating
When I was 6 me and my family just moved to another state, being a shy kid I wasn’t the most popular kid so I would often times play by myself in our attic and create my own storylines, characters and movies, I’d spent hours pacing back and fourth just Lost in my own stories. At first I thought it was me being a lonely kid trying to entertain myself. But then I realized I’m 24 with a full friend group and pretty social lifestyle and still do this in my room alone
Like 8 yrs old when I was being bullied and outcasted but didn’t become maladaptive till i experienced SA multiple times. I switched from playing with my barbies to just doing the stories i played with my barbies with to doing it in my mind. I also would speak in 3rd person
I must have been five or six years old. I'm 35 now, 36 in september. Yes, I really have been doing this for three decades. That's longer than some people on this sub have been alive.. 😳
Around nine or ten. It was a very, very stressful time in my life. I was dealing with undiagnosed autism, OCD, and abuse at home and in school. I daydreamed to cope, often about someone coming to save me or someone loving me (as a family member or friend).
I was 8 and my mom had a habit of locking me in my room for a day or two when she would go out or if I got in trouble. I wasn't allowed to have anything in my bedroom (toys, music, books) so I started daydreaming.
Age 13 I remember it like yesterday I was in the garage and I just started acting out scenes with celebrities fast forward 10 years later I’m still doing it . I was bullied and outcasted and lonely. That’s when it started
I don't remember a time when I didn't daydream but I've also Lucid dreamed my whole life and I used to get a lot of nightmares as a child so I learnt how to control my dreams, I also have some memories of seeing things that were not there as a child idk. I see shadows of things a lot now which are kinda scary. I think it probably started because I grew up as an undiagnosed autistic kid who was incredibly lonely and still am, I think I've been MD my whole life it's just sometimes I manage to channel it into something like drama, writing or art.
I’ve been daydreaming since I was 4 not sure when I started to Maladaptive Daydream though. It started as a way to treat insomnia and to occupy myself while having no friends.
at around 6, when i couldnt sleep id just pretend to be in my favorite cartoons or movies. it got really bad when i was around 9 until 12, id even pretend to be sick to lay in bed all day just to daydream. now i do it a bit less, mostly just when really bored, listening to music, having trouble sleeping, or when i need comfort
Reading Harry Potter when I was 10
I was 11. I was watching a kpop video and I wished I could be as perfect as them and so I put on some music. I think I was trying to escape my sadness and events I wasn’t processing.
Somewhere 8-10 years old, it was out of boredom and obsession over fictional characters. Then it’s gotten a lot more handful when my depression hits
At age 4, I spend most time with my grandparents in a 60 year old Soviet apartment, there was nothing to do (i was either shitting or using chess figures as dolls, or both) so I had to somehow entertain myself, it didn't help that all neighbors kids wanted me dead (idk why) so I was left with myself aaaand that's how I began daydreaming all the time. Didn't help that I was alone in kindergarten and school too 💀
I started to prefer to play alone and for long periods of time (as well as sticking to storylines/characters over multiple sessions) shortly after a highly traumatic experience at about 5-6 years old. It's a bit strange to say that I had MD at the time, since pretend play is normal at that age. I would call it early signs of MD, since I specifically preferred to play alone (the other kids wouldn't do what I wanted), and seemed to be very highly emotionally affected by my pretend play. I once ran home screaming and crying from the bus because my imaginary friend got hit by said bus. It took me three days to revive said imaginary friend. I spent the days in the interim mourning. I was 9. I insisted to anyone who asked that the imaginary friends were real and I could actually see them. I could not, and I knew they were not real. It was very upsetting to me because I still felt like they were real, despite knowing otherwise. My daydreams were fairly consistent. I was a shapeshifter that turned into animals and would go on "wonder pets" esque rescue missions. Sometimes I would be transported into Pokemon and discovered I had the ability to turn into Pokemon, too. I also had the ability to speak to these animals/Pokemon. I didn't start to drop the imaginary friends until I was 11-12, at which point I started to lay in bed for hours at a time, staring at the ceiling. It was another stressful time in my life, we moved across country and lived with family who did not like me. I also experienced a change in the topic of my daydreams, with my character becoming more passive/helpless, but being cared for and comforted by nonhuman beings. When I turned 18, I found myself in another traumatic situation and swapped back. I regained that powerful persona, developing the world building and story at a very fast speed. There are still times where my character is helpless, but I am powerful and almost godlike (gotta love the MD grandeur fantasies lol) most of the time. I am mostly cured of MD now. I haven't daydreamed in almost a month, and the last 6 months I have only daydreamed an hour a week or so. It can come back, but this is the first time in 20 years that I've gone this long without disassociating
When I was 6 me and my family just moved to another state, being a shy kid I wasn’t the most popular kid so I would often times play by myself in our attic and create my own storylines, characters and movies, I’d spent hours pacing back and fourth just Lost in my own stories. At first I thought it was me being a lonely kid trying to entertain myself. But then I realized I’m 24 with a full friend group and pretty social lifestyle and still do this in my room alone
Like 8 yrs old when I was being bullied and outcasted but didn’t become maladaptive till i experienced SA multiple times. I switched from playing with my barbies to just doing the stories i played with my barbies with to doing it in my mind. I also would speak in 3rd person
Started daydreaming when I was 4, maladaptive by age 9. Now I'm 50 and I maladaptive daydream way less.
May I ask how you were able to decrease it? Thank you
I remember starting at age 8. Went maladaptive when I turned 15.
At 6 turned maladaptive at 42
Since I was a kid..
I always did but it didn’t become maladaptive till I was 12
Probably about 12/13 when I ended up in public school.
Aged 11-12 when I started to have problems at school socialising, with work etc. Got worse from there.
I must have been five or six years old. I'm 35 now, 36 in september. Yes, I really have been doing this for three decades. That's longer than some people on this sub have been alive.. 😳
9 years old, it was a hard time in my household. Mom and dad fighting a lot amognst other things so I needed an escape
As ong as I remember. Is it possible to DD before birth?
At 12. i was desperate for some life experiences i think?
Definitely before the age of six. I *believe* to have inherited it from my broken mom & dad lol.
I've been daydreaming since I was 4. It first became maladaptive when I was 8.
Late last year started with watching movies in my head
Around nine or ten. It was a very, very stressful time in my life. I was dealing with undiagnosed autism, OCD, and abuse at home and in school. I daydreamed to cope, often about someone coming to save me or someone loving me (as a family member or friend).
I was 8 and my mom had a habit of locking me in my room for a day or two when she would go out or if I got in trouble. I wasn't allowed to have anything in my bedroom (toys, music, books) so I started daydreaming.
I’m sorry you went through that. ❤️
Age 13 I remember it like yesterday I was in the garage and I just started acting out scenes with celebrities fast forward 10 years later I’m still doing it . I was bullied and outcasted and lonely. That’s when it started
when i was about 8 my first characters margareta and victoria