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One can only dream.
Travelers are practicing new methods to make their travel duration go by a little faster — even if that means slipping into a state of delusion.
Many people started implementing the viral “raw dogging” travel hack, in which passengers stare into oblivion for up to 12 hours until they arrive at their destination.
However, some people have discovered maladaptive daydreaming, where they gaze off into a distance thinking about different life scenarios they could live in.
“Maladaptive daydreaming is a behavior where a person spends an excessive amount of time daydreaming, often becoming immersed in their imagination,” explained Cleveland Clinic.
The practice, which encourages people to overthink, is gaining popularity among women, but some people believe the concept is a stranger travel hack than “raw dogging” because it allows one’s imagination to run wild.
In a 15-second TikTok clip, posted by New Yorker Makenzie who goes by @speeckofsunlight online, demonstrates how she gazes off into delusional.
“POV: You use the train ride to stare out the window like you’re in a movie and make up scenarios for over an hour,” the video text overlay read.
Another travel daydreamer, Eden Fox, confessed to imagining different life scenarios while waiting to reach her destination.
“Looks like a perfect day to stare out of the train window and create 15 different plot twists to a situation that ended 6 months ago,” she captioned her video.
Neuroscientist Mark Williams claims maladaptive daydreaming could be a way of coping with anxiety.
“Maladaptive daydreaming occurs when people use daydreaming to cope with a mental health issue such as anxiety. It is maladaptive because it impacts their lives in negative ways,” he told Escape. “They will often spend hours daydreaming when they are at work, school, or with loved ones rather than interacting with the people around them and getting real work done in real life.”
Fellow TikTokers resonated with the daydreaming travel hack, feeling grateful they aren’t the only ones who practice this method.
They shared their thoughts about the concept in Dr. Sermed Mezher’s video comment section, with over 6.4 million views, where he describes maladaptive daydreaming.
“Glad to know I’m not the only one creating fan-fiction of my own life inside my head,” wrote a TikToker.
“I’ve been maladaptive daydreaming my entire life,” one person confessed. “I still do, but instead of it being scenarios of real life, it’s characters I’ve created, and I go to their world.”
“I do this a lot! Sometimes it’s so bad I actually cry and have my heart beating extremely fast,” added another.
However, Williams said maladaptive daydreaming isn’t something to rave about, especially if you struggle with your mental health. He encouraged people to consider other ways to help time pass while traveling.
“It is a way of escaping reality and not a healthy coping mechanism. Normal daydreaming only becomes maladaptive when you are using it to cope with a mental health issue and it starts impacting on your everyday life in significant ways. It becomes and intrusive and regular occurrence during normal activities,” he concluded.
