Today, I’ll address the question of whether you need to hate your Maladaptive Daydreaming Disorder (MDD) for you to stop it. One common sentiment I’ve noticed in most forums is people saying, ‘I hate MDD so much. It’s ruining my life.’

However, it’s essential to understand that the more you hate it, the worse it tends to become. Moreover, the hate you feel toward MDD is not directed at the MDD itself; instead, you are directing it toward yourself because you are the one who excessively daydreams. So, when you say, ‘I hate this thing,’ you are essentially hating a part of yourself. This self-loathing leads to increased stress and the development of negative emotions, which, in turn, can fuel even more excessive daydreaming. You might find it challenging to process these emotions fully in the real world, so your favorite coping mechanism — daydreaming — kicks in.

Another harmful aspect of this self-hate is that, instead of channeling your energy to take care of yourself and show yourself love and care, you may begin to neglect basic self-care and wellbeing. Neglecting self-care increases your anxieties and stress levels, which, unsurprisingly, lead to more excessive daydreaming. Therefore, instead of hating MDD, it is far more beneficial to accept its presence in your life.

Acknowledge that it may be ruining your life, but you genuinely want to stop it. This perspective is more constructive than harboring hatred. By accepting and understanding the addictive nature of MDD, you begin to look for ways to overcome it. It’s about telling yourself, ‘I deserve to live a fulfilling life.’ It’s an act of self-compassion.

Interestingly, the counterintuitive path to stopping MDD is not to hate it; it’s to love it — or more accurately, to show it love. When you show MDD love, you begin to notice aspects of it that you might not have seen before. The intense negative emotions generated by hatred often blind your vision to alternative perspectives. By embracing MDD with love and compassion, you become more patient with yourself. As a result, you’ll observe a gradual decrease in anxiety and stress levels, ultimately helping you overcome the excessiveness of daydreaming.

So, you don’t have to hate MDD; instead, show it and, more importantly, yourself some love and compassion. This shift in mindset can be the key to breaking free from excessive daydreaming. I hope you found this information informative. Remember, don’t beat yourself up or beat down your MDD — show it some love and kindness.

Note from the Author

If you’re ready and you’d like my help with overcoming and managing maladaptive daydreaming without spending years in therapy, then you can book a FREE BREAKTHROUGH CALL with me HERE. Happy healing 💙💙. Feel free to share and comment! Use this information with caution, it comes from my own thoughts & bias, experiences and research😊.