Using my imagination was one of my favorite past times as a little girl. I’ve always been creative and playful so my imagination ran wild.
I’d get lost in my make-believe world. And then I grew up. And about that same time, my colorful, playful imagination turned boring, dull and sometimes hard to find. It’s common for adults to daydream less and less as we age.
Daydreaming is a powerful gift that the brain is capable of and one that I learned how to use to my own benefit. For the past few years, researches across the world have studied the health benefits of daydreaming.
Daydreaming taught me three very important lessons:
How to stay unattached from outcomes;
How to go with the flow;
How to lean back in life and let things emerge.
My mood is enhanced when I daydream. I’m connected to my consciousness and ability to deepen my empathic and love for my family and friends another. My creativity is amped up. And daydreaming has been a great self-discovery tool. One of the greatest benefits that research has shown daydreaming to provide has to do with our memory function. We enhance our memory ability when we daydream.
I schedule time in my days now just to sit in my meditation chair and daydream. I tend to daydream in the afternoons several times a week. I close my eyes and allow myself to dream up possible outcomes for challenges I face with work. And I give myself permission to feel the different emotions of each possible outcome.
I’m always happy when I daydream. And when I get back to work, I find myself more creative and open to new possibilities. I take the days slower and I find that I’m much more grounded and present after a really awesome daydream.
Here are three easy ways to incorporate daydreaming into your life:
- Schedule a 15-minute daydreaming break once a week. Take a walk outside and go sit under a tree or on a park bench for 15 minutes and give yourself permission to dream. Take notice of the scenery and just let your mind naturally wander. If you are in an office space, close your office door for 15 minutes or find a quiet area that would give you some privacy.
- Daydream right before you go to bed. You’re already lying down. Put one hand on your belly and the other on your heart. Inhale for three counts and exhale for three counts. Allow your mind to relax and think about a future you would most love to create for yourself. Drift asleep!
- Journal for 10 minutes about a place you’ve never been to before. What would your most perfect day look like there? Where would you go? What would you do? Who would be with you?
Let the benefits of daydreaming help you live a more balanced, peaceful life. Allow life to emerge and enjoy all the new possibilities that you’ve dreamt into your reality.
Happy daydreaming!
