Have you ever considered keeping your brain alert and ready
for high levels of motivation, self-awareness, and amazing feats of learning or
discovery through daydreaming?
You
don’t need an excuse for daydreaming; it is actually part of human nature. Our human brains are simply not designed for working
hard for long hours or maintaining nonstop focus and productivity. You may not take a relaxation break, but your
brain does. It defaults to a bout of daydreaming as a kind of coping strategy, defense
mechanism.
Daydreaming is actually an essential
element of effectively processing our thoughts.
Daydreaming is good for your well-being and happiness:
Research on the subject of what reverie can do for us is still fairly young, but it shows that intentional daydreaming can be used as a tool to decompress and relax your brain from constant stimuli or anxiety.
In a fast paced 24/7 grind, when the line between work and rest becomes so blurred that burnout and fatigue are very real risks, taking an intention break to tune out the noisy outside
world to engage in a bit of daydreaming on happy things places you in a state of mental calm, which reduces stress and is good for your well-being.
Use intentional daydreaming as a natural remedy to feel revitalized when you need a mental health break when dealing with a busy environment or as a rescue tool to alleviate the anxiety of constant worry, disagreement, tension or perceived threats. Simply take a deep breath and use reverie to imagine yourself in a happy place.
Daydreaming is good for your productivity and solving problems:
When you use daydreaming to allow your thoughts to flow freely on pleasant things there are two default zones in your brain that are activated. This is one of the most interesting things about this kind of reverie. It involves the same sophisticated brain regions that are active when people are solving puzzles that require executive logic as well as the creativity network in your brain that elicits insight. The two work simultaneously to form significant connections across your brain’s network.
With daydreaming it is as if your brain is presenting you with a magical road to follow so that you can access information that may have been out of reach or dormant. In fact, early research indicates that mind-wandering helps with aha types of problem-solving. You have probably experienced moments when you suddenly realize how to solve a problem. That was your mind automatically taking you to the default zones and down that magical road to insight.
This means that when you face a conundrum or setback, instead of spending arduous hours trying to solve it, do the opposite. Let your mind wander. Use intentional daydreaming as a tool. It will help you feel refreshed so you can approach any problem with a fresh perspective. Daydreaming can leave you feeling strong and powerful to work through your next big decision or deadline.
Daydreaming is good when you need creative inspiration:
When you allow your mind to wander in playing out what if’s, those implausible fantasies or bizarre, funny scenarios that also seem particularly evocative to you, you are more likely to have more creative ideas and feel more inspired at the end of the day, too. If you were a writer your imagination would be writing the script.
Daydreaming helps you to prepare and rehearse for doing something great:
You can use intentional daydreaming to guide you toward a goal. You hear about athletes and performers who not only physically practice they engage in mentally practicing their skills to achieve a desired outcome. They are actually structuring their daydreaming to pre-wire their brains for success.
Structure your daydreaming with intentional time to imagine realistic scenarios or activities that lead to successful results. It is not only pleasing it is a way to stay motivated, foresee and overcome obstacles, while take steps toward achieving your real-life goals.
Daydreaming is a good exercise for your mind:
Daydreaming doesn’t have to be just a tool or place of refuge. Use it for fun. Better yet, at the same time you can use it exercise your mind and boost brain power.
Daydreaming is best done when you are in a positive, relaxing frame of mind. It is best done a peaceful place with no distractions. Hopefully you can fit a few moments into your daily routine where you take a seat and do nothing, but close your eyes and allow your mind to wander with purpose. It is a significantly relaxing thing to do before sleep instead of checking social media or watching television. However, whenever you can, seize a moment and let your mind go on a journey while you exercise, ride a bus or wait in line. When you do the laundry you can wrap yourself in a sheet and daydream of basking in the thrill of a standing ovation. Your brain will be thrilled by any daydreaming experience.
Don’t be shy! Let’s explore where to begin:
Pick a topic and pick a fun place to start. You might pick a happy moment from the past or what you would do with a lottery win. Try imagining all the things that would make you happy and putting them into a story where you can go and do whatever you please. Ride the clouds to your dream vacation, decorate next year’s Christmas tree, plot the next best novel or receive the Nobel Peace Prize.
You can have a new daydream everyday or build on the story each time you daydream. Everyone around you can be a character in your daydream. When you first practice daydreaming, keeping the characters consistent will make expanding the story easier when imagining different surroundings. Keep your stories and situations positive.
