Heard of a mental disorder named Maladaptive Daydreaming where patients waste productive hours daydreaming excessively, creating alternate lives in their heads?
It’s an act so common you probably did it today or have done it many times before. The problem is, when done excessively, it could ruin your life. We are talking daydreaming.
“I found out the man I thought was my dad was not my dad when I was seven years old… my mom made it sound like it was a secret and no one was supposed to know. It was a heavy burden for me. Many times I would wonder who else knew and what my real dad was like,” says Bongi Ncwane (name changed to protect identity).
All these questions in her mind set off a world of fantasy and pathological daydreaming.
Ncwane says she would spend a lot of time thinking about what life could have been like with a dad.
“My two older sisters had their dad and my two younger sisters have their dad and then there was me. Although my sisters were great and we could share everything, there was this one thing I couldn’t tell anyone.”
To cope, Ncwane, says she created another world in her head.
“I started excessive continuous daydreaming. There is a separate life in my head. This world has a mom, a dad and I am the only child,” she says.
The continuous daydreaming happened for years before she knew there was a problem. One day, she realized that she was spending hours daydreaming. It was eating into her productivity.
“I daydream and it feels real. If something is happening in my head and it’s emotional, I cry in real life and when happy I would be happy. I realized I couldn’t control the daydreaming. I knew the difference between real life and what was in my head but there was always a need to do it,” says Ncwane.
This story is from the October/November 2017 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the October/November 2017 edition of Forbes Woman Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Wives. Widows. Survivors.
The widows of Marikana. Different faces. The same setting. The same inconsolable fate. The same seething anger at the cops who killed their men and changed their lives forever.
This Could Be You!
One in four South African employees are diagnosed with depression annually. There are ways you can seek help while your identity is protected by law..
The Top 7 Investment Trends For 2019
Most people give up on their resolutions by mid February. As we usher in March, a reminder that it’s never too late for investment goals.
Apps To Cure The Mind
Mental health issues affect us all, but are seldom discussed. Thankfully, technology can now act as a medium to bypass the stigma associated with seeking help.
Working With Cancer
After battling months of treatment, cancer survivors often find a bigger struggle waiting for them when they return to work – the apathy of employers to reintegrate them into the system.
A Growing Trend
Africa’s multi-billion dollar hair care industry is seeing more indigenous brands and consumers rooting for the natural look. Also in existence – a ‘hair mafia’.
One For The Red Carpet
The small-town designer dressing up the rich and famous.
‘I Call It A Hustle'
The first black South African woman to compete at Wimbledon, wheelchair tennis player Kgothatso Montjane is a fighter, both on and off the court.
Gender Parity Will Come Sooner
The Managing Director of the ABN Group, Roberta Naicker, is Top Businesswoman of the Year at the 2018 Standard Bank Top Women Awards.
Deals, Dollars And Development
The first-ever Africa Investment Forum was a resounding success with some fascinating math: 49 projects worth $38.7 billion over three days, all for the continent.
