Daydreaming. We all do it, math class, when we’re trying to sleep, on the toilet (come on don’t lie), or when we are showering. Sometimes it is something as simple as imagining what you’re going to make for dinner or as far fetched as imagining your future beach front home on a private island.

Web MD even defends the negative reputation that the daydreamers has gotten. They explain that rather than being synonymous with non-productivity, it can actually boost productivity. In addition, daydreaming can help people relax, manage conflict, and maintain relationships. However, the average person tends to daydream one-third to one-half of her time awake. This seems like a whole lot of time, but let’s accept it as Web MD claims it.

A study regarding daydreaming at Harvard University also found that people seem to daydream for almost half of their waking hours. However, this study concludes that daydreaming has quite a few negative impacts on people. Many people actually feel unhappier after daydreaming than did those who remained focused on the present. Thus the study encourages practices like mindfulness which are present in Buddhism and Taoism.

But now consider this: what happens when daydreaming exceeds the average half of your waking hours? How healthy can it be to have more than half of your thoughts consist of thinking about things beyond what is real. It is too extreme to claim that you will completely lose touch with reality, but the way you think about your relationships with family, friends, peers and professors may be fairly different than what you have been imagining.

Now, most of us are familiar with the idea that if you keep telling yourself something, you will begin to believe it is true. This self-convincing is great if you are telling yourself you are beautiful and loved. However, if you are convincing yourself that regardless of late assignments, tardiness and absences, and half-assed presentations, your professors will still understand that you are an intellectual student and your peers still respect you, you may need a reality check.

On the other hand, daydreaming can be extremely detrimental if the message you are sending yourself is negative. Just as you can easily convince yourself that you are beautiful and loved, you can also successfully convince yourself that you are repulsive and hated. If you imagine people’s intentions behind their actions as self-serving and mean-hearted, then you will be blind to any selfless and kind-hearted actions done on your behalf.

Daydreaming not only includes fantasizing about the future, but also dwelling on the past. Instead of understanding a past situation for what it was, you can convince yourself it means something completely different with excessive daydreaming.

If you convince yourself that your reality is a certain way enough times, you will start to believe that this reality that you have day-dreamed up is a true reality. Eventually, real reality will hit you hard.

Daydream! Daydream a lot! But do not lose touch with reality, continue to check yourself!