Reader wants to leave fantasy world
June 29, 2012 2:12PM
Updated: August 1, 2012 6:02AM
Dr. Wallace: I am now 21 and have had this problem for eight years. When I was 13 years old, I would occasionally go into my room and fantasize about being a singer or about being popular. About the time I was a junior in high school, my fantasizing became consistent. I fantasized so much that I slightly lost touch with the real world. I became withdrawn and was walking around, as if in a daze. All through college, my instructors noticed that my mind seemed to always be on something else. Well, now that I have successfully graduated from college, I’m still fantasizing.
I have decided that I can’t and don’t want to go on living my life in a fantasy world. The problem is that I have fantasized so much that my mind has become accustomed to it.
Do you have an idea how I can stop living in this fantasy world? I have had many unsuccessful attempts at solving the problem myself.
Nameless, Baltimore
Nameless: Since you have successfully graduated from college, not all your time was spent in your “dream world.”
The most important factor in avoiding the fantasy world is to stay active, both physically and mentally, in the real world.
Spending more time interacting with friends and family would be a good start.
Since you have had many unsuccessful attempts at solving the problem by yourself, it’s time you also had a chat with a professional therapist.
Write to Dr. Wallace
at rwallace@galesburg.net
