There are many people around us who are looking for their glasses even though they are wearing glasses, or passengers who miss the stop they need to get off, and we have experienced these situations from time to time and regarded them as normal. So are all distractions normal? To this question, clinical psychologist Prof. Dr. Eliezer Somer categorizes distractions as disorienting and non-adaptive, giving the answer “no”. According to him, some distractions are at the level of sickness.
For the first time Prof. Dr. Although maladaptive daydreaming, defined by Eliezer Somer, is not yet included as a disease in the mental health disorder diagnosis book DSM 5, according to Somer and many other mental health experts, it is a serious health problem and needs to be treated.
What could be the causes of non-adaptive absent-mindedness?
They are the distractions we experience in our daily lives, sometimes as a result of our momentary inattention, forgetfulness, and sometimes as a result of our effort to escape from real life.
Sleep problems are one of the reasons for increased distraction.
Sleep problems may be causing you to have trouble focusing and being distracted. In the presence of such problems, you can try to increase your sleep hygiene.
Your brain may be too full of worries.
The presence of anxiety tires your brain. If you have repetitive thoughts in a vicious circle in your head, this may be increasing your distraction. You can try to cope with your anxiety by using breathing exercises and relaxation exercises.
It may indicate the presence of physiological health problems.
In some health problems such as attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD) and epilepsy, distraction is often seen. ADHD can manifest itself in a form where attention deficit and forgetfulness are dominant, especially in children. In epilepsy, absent-mindedness is seen at the beginning of the disease. Therefore, in the presence of such a suspicion, you should visit the psychiatry and neurology outpatient clinics.
What are the causes of maladaptive mindfulness?
Your disorienting absent-mindedness; Although it is thought to be associated with diseases such as attention deficit and hyperactivity (ADHD), obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), trauma and depression, the reason is not yet known. If you frequently use all of the following sentences, it may be due to disorientation:
1. The dreams I had when I was pensive are so high quality and detailed that if I write them, they will be a movie.
2. There are so many different events in my dreams that if I try a little harder, I will establish and destroy a country.
3. Real life is already very boring. Even though the dreams I have once in a while add color to my life, sometimes it takes a lot of time.
4. Almost half of my day is spent daydreaming. I find myself daydreaming while drinking tea or coffee. It’s getting tiresome to dream so much.
5. While daydreaming, I get so immersed that I sometimes talk to myself and use my gestures and facial expressions. This sometimes causes me to delay the work that I need to complete.
So what should you do if you have a disorienting distraction?
You can try to get help from mental health professionals, but there is no direct treatment for this disorder. Other concomitant diseases (such as ADHD, OCD) can be examined and the symptoms can be treated.
Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4
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