When I was a little girl, daydreaming was my favorite activity. I could be lost in my imagination for hours and hours, and I never needed the tv, books, or other people to entertain myself.
When I was daydreaming, I felt truly in awe of life, nature, and the endless possibilities I saw for myself and others. I could see a butterfly and make up a whole story about that butterfly. It felt like the highest vibe activity; I was floating and feeling pure joy.
For people around me it was slightly annoying sometimes, because communicating with me was challenging to say the least. “Where were you?” was a commonly asked question, and, truthfully, I have no idea where I went. It felt like I was out of the here and now and in some other space.
When I went to school, I started seeing my daydreaming as a negative trait, one that made it hard for me to pay attention. I started putting more effort into being present, being in my body and the here and now.
That has been highly beneficial for a ton of reasons: being in my body allows me to experience life, really experience the moment as it is unfolding right now. I talk about the importance of being present in our bodies all the time, and I truly see this as a useful skill to cultivate.
But I also deeply believe that my favorite childhood activity of daydreaming deserves a bit more love. As adults, it is something most of us don’t do very often. It is important to note that daydreaming is not the same as overanalyzing, something many adults (including myself) spend a ton of time doing.
Daydreaming is being in a dreamlike state while being awake. It is being curious, experiencing awe and wonder about life, being inspired by everything that is happening around you.
It really helps you see the beauty of life; it stimulates creativity by simply allowing your mind to create without forcing or controlling it. It gives us a chance to see where our mind wonders, what we truly desire, and it helps us see the many possibilities that life offers.
Daydreaming adds a little fairy dust to your life.
Daydreaming can naturally occur when we don’t occupy our mind with other things. When we have moments without any distractions, our mind can take us places.
To be able to make space for daydreaming, we need to be comfortable with not filling every single moment with something to do or consume. Riding on the train, walking in the park, waiting at the dentist’s office or in line at the supermarket are moments where we can grab our phone or we can decide to let our mind wonder.
If you notice that your mind goes into overthinking when you carve out time, create a scenario that helps you enter a dreamlike state.
Consider listening to music that is very dreamlike, being in a natural setting, having your favorite tea, or being in your favorite space. Focusing on something beautiful in your environment can help as well. Stimulate your creative mind by making up a story about someone you see, a tree, or the rain.
If it has been a while since you felt that state, or if you have never experienced it, it might take some training for the mind.
Whether you are already a daydreamer or not, I hope this inspires you to make a little bit more time to allow your mind to wander off into beautiful places.
