To live most of my life in my own head

[LionRichie]

Today, in between playing with the toddler and doing all the boring house shit that comes with being a SAHP, I've spent maybe 80% of my time fantasising about a life in which I'm kidnapped by a hot 19th century highwayman. Turns out I'm an amazing sword fighter even in a corset and flowing dress.

Does anyone else make up these complex imaginary scenarios or am I going insane?! AIBU to spend most of my time in my own daydreams and not care?

I've always done this. I've won several oscars, grammys and booker prizes. I'm devastatingly beautiful and been married about 19 times 😁

Totally me. Very introverted and Aspie - I use in my head a lot to work through stuff which is stressing me out, as well as for pure pleasure (not in the dodgy sense).

I often think that I could cope with locked-in syndrome because then I just could happily zone out and be expected to interact..... Or solitary confinement in prison.

Totally me too, I always thought I was a bit pathetic to have not left all the daydreaming behind when I grew up, didn't realise that there were so many others out there, I've found my people! Someone mentioned previously about not achieving full potential in real life due to putting so much into dreaming, yes I feel that is me, if I had of knuckled down and studied (much) harder maybe I could have gone to college, got a degree, got a much more interesting and challenging career instead of the jobs I've had. But then I would have had to "put myself out there" more, which as an introvert I would have found extremely difficult.

My fantasies these days mostly happen when I'm trying to get to sleep, and involve winning the lottery and being able to help all my family and friends, buying houses and gutting them/ doing them up, travelling to luxurious exotic locations for holidays, shopping for designer clothes, makeup etc. The ironic thing is I don't ever buy lottery tickets in real life and constantly pat myself on the back for all the money I've saved by not wasting it on tickets!

I also do this, more before I go to sleep than during the day though.

At the moment I mostly daydream about all the violent ends that could befall my stbxh and his other women, especially if I was invisible...

I do it all the time. There was a thread about this a while ago and seemingly it's not good but as I'm 48 now and have done it all my life I'll take my chances! I couldn't have got through school without this skill as not being able to move about freely drives me mad.

I do this, alongside working full time, having a busy social life and a currently struggling long term relationship. I am a total extrovert but don't actually feel very connected to the real world. I'm living in a much more exciting and fulfilling parallel universe in my own head.
And yes BigbyWolf an avid reader!!

I do this!!!
I quite often adapt stories to fit my ideas, which are obviously better. I'm quite often a ninja!
I go to bed each night playing out a scenario

Relived to find others who do this!
Although I day dream a lot I don't make long stories just short ones . I tend to day dream about what I would do/act like in certain situations...Also have different soundtracks & songs to particular daydreams.

Also an introvert, love reading & music..especially film scores! Which I play in my head a lot.

Sounds like I'm slightly different then. My imaginings don't often feature me. It's more like they're fanfic in my head. But they're almost constant. But I just want to leave me behind.

Introvert has become such a bad word these days. It isn't. I'm proud to be one.
I love good company, but loudmouths and needy LOOK AT ME, people drain me.
There is nothing wrong with wanting to recharge the batteries after a day.

SAY IT OUT AND SAY IT LOUD, I AM AN INTOVERT AND I AM PROUD.

But I'm sure if anyone heard that :)

I have an amazing career. A fabulous home. Am single. Still have the same family. Am stylish and beautiful. And I have a dog. All in my head, amongst other things. And I have it all perfected down to the minutest detail! I love my 'inside my head' life!

Oh this is so me, and I'm an introvert.

Oh me too! Desert Island Discs sounds like a breeze - I find myself highly fascinating ;-)

I love going over the same scenarios over and over and changing details and even who i am in the situation (wife/mother/OW/daughter/friend/even the male characters sometimes)

Yes - I do this almost endlessly. I finely choreograph the smallest details - like where someone is standing in a scene - until it feels perfect.

My subjects are widely varied - sometimes I have detailed historical fantasies with lots of characters (not including myself), sometimes it's all about me but in a much more exciting or fantasy situation; sometimes I will read a news story - often about something quite unpleasant, like a miscarriage of justice - and imagine myself in that situation, how I would rebel and conquer my detractors.

I also often do detailed 'what ifs' - what if I was still with someone I had a really brief relationship with in my 20s - how would my life be completely different? (Sliding Doors stuff).

It sounds a terrible thing to say, but I'm endlessly fascinating - to myself .

I have never told anyone in real life that I do this because I would feel judged - I had no idea there were so many of you out there!

I have a whole library of stories I visit and revisit. Currently, my favourite is the one where I am a kick-ass assassin - can't imagine why someone with my skill set would be needed at the moment, but there you go.

I am also best friends with Aidan Turner and we get pissed together and bitch about stuff.

AML - x-post on self-fascination!

I absolutely live in my head.

My real life isn't particularly exciting but I can spend hours living in my dream scenarios. I have a few that I visit regularly and have for years.

I'm also an introvert and love to read.

I have a whole library of stories I visit and revisit

Yes to this as well. When I curl up in bed, I will choose a fantasy as if I'm browsing from a shelf of books.

Yep, in my daydreams I am very slim and beautiful I can get really absorbed in them if I have music on in the background...alone in the car is the ideal day dreaming place. And before sleeping of course.

"the daydreams tail off as you get older"

"Is that really true - I hope not - I don't know what I'd do without my inner life"

^That has been my experience, yes. I was a daydreamer from early childhood. It began to tail off when I was in my late 40s/early 50s and now it's rare.

I'm an introvert too, by the way. What an interesting thread this is! Years ago, I was convinced that I was a bit loopy because I lived in my head so much. It's interesting to see that other people do the same. I had never considered that possibility!

Avid reader, introvert, only child and daydreamer, ever since I can remember, always before I go to bed and get really miffed if I fall asleep quickly.

... always before I go to bed and get really miffed if I fall asleep quickly.

This is a brilliant thread - I keep reading posts that I could have written myself.

80sMum I'm in my early 40s, so I really hope I don't have the same experience in a few years - I'll definitely make the most of it while it's still going strong, in case I do.

I've no imagination so I live my life through reading books rather than daydreaming. I usually get through a book a day and always have my head in a book.

I take a book everywhere with me and will read every spare second I get. Not sure I'd cope without a book. When I'm reading, I tune out everything else and don't even hear people speaking to me.
When I'm not reading, I often wish I was and will be thinking about what happens next, etc, instead of paying attention to the task in hand.

I must be the exception then as I am in my 50s and still doing it!

Life would be pretty boring if we couldnt escape now and again.

Funny the more posts I read the more I say 'thats me too'!

I have a library of favourites too, revisit them and tweak them, try different versions etc. I know which one I am revisiting tonight

OOh am never going near a psychiatrist!