Shaking and daydreaming

[?] Subscribe To This Site

Shaking and daydreaming

by Gwen
(Vermont)

I am 55 years old, and I have been shaking my head and body around while daydreaming for as long as I can remember. My mother said I was even doing it in my high chair. No one ever knew why I do it. It feels good to do but sometimes I have felt that it controlled me instead of me controlling it.

Once I asked my daughters Neurologist about it and she said it sounded like obsessive compulsive disorder to her. Someone else that used to be a psychiatrist said she thought I had a mild form of autism. I want to stop it but cant. I only do it when Im alone but if I dont make time to do it each day, I begin to get really stressed out and get upset easily. I wish someone had helped me to try to stop doing it when I was a child, but people just yelled at me to stop shaking if they caught me doing it. I really wish I could stop it. I hope you can help your children somehow so they wont have to spend their whole lives doing it. Gwen

Comments for
Shaking and daydreaming

Average Rating

Click here to add your own comments

Feb 05, 2012
Rating

No Diagnosis
by: Anonymous

I tend to pace and flap my hands when excited or daydreaming as well (sometimes uncontrollable laughter at nothing... that i havent noticed much lately). So far the only thing I have found about it online was on Autism, but I do not have Autism. As a matter of fact, I work with children with autism.

I was diagnosed with PMDD, Depression, and ADHD, but other than the PMDD everything else seems mild to me and had no connection to flapping or pacing when excited/daydreaming. I have tried to tell my psychiatrist, but I think he just thought it was a weird quirk. It kind of scares me and it is embarrassing. I hate it, but I am glad that I am not alone!

Jan 19, 2012
Rating

Creativity Flows
by: Anonymous

I have day-dreamed like this for as long as I can remember and it now I don't do it as often. When I was little I believe I did it because I thought it was fun. My brother never understood it, but it was like replaying your favorite movie scenes in your head. Now as I have gotten older I seem to start to pace and daydream when ever I have a creative idea. whether it be a movie, video game, book, or music idea, I pace and daydream. This got me wondering if people with creative minds tend to do this more often.

Dec 11, 2011
Rating

Maladaptive Daydreaming
by: Anonymous

I think that a lot of you should look at this website about Maladaptive Daydreaming, since you are describing many of the symptoms.

http://www.daydreamingdisorder.webs.com/

Dec 08, 2011
Rating

How I am doing sinc I started writing and reading all your comments on this site.
by: Gwen

Hi everyone, I am so grateful to read all your experiences with shaking and other body movements, sounds and daydreaming. I never had anyone to talk to that did the same things I've been doing all my life.I hope you keep on writing on this site. I love to hear from all of you. I still rock or shake around a little each day, but not as much as I used to, because I now have a husband that loves me and is good to me, so I don't feel so alone. But when I feel stressed out, I do it more often. It feels good to do it, but I would like to do something else to relieve the stress, but this works best. I also take Lexapro for depression and anxiety. I think it helps.I also have a strong faith.

I am a christian, and I prayed a lot about my problems and my life, and it is getting better for me now. My husband encourages me too, so I don't daydream as much, but sometimes it still helps me to rock or shake around for awhile, till I feel less stressed.I'm glad I can share this with all of you. I will keep you all in my thoughts and prayers, and if any of you pray, please pray for me too. Love Gwen

Nov 14, 2011
Rating

Help
by: Anonymous

I have this too and I am the only person who knows. Is this in anyway dangerous and can it be stopped. Plus is it less harmful if im using it to be creative

Apr 16, 2011
Rating

Thank you!!
by: Ana

I'm so happy right now, after reading this! I thought I was the only person who did that! Since I can remember, I daydream most of the time and I shake my hands and head like I'm having an epileptic attack. It's really really weird. I thought I had some neurological problem but now that I know other people do it, I'm relieved!

Mar 27, 2011
Rating

I've Never Known Anyone Else . . . .
by: Anonymous

I've been doing this since I was two years old. My family always called it "flapping," because it started as me flapping my hands. I've learned to live with it, and don't even give it much thought anymore. I agree with the people who say there are benefits to it. I'm a lawyer, and when I hit a particularly difficult problem I close the door to my office and "flap" while I work through it. I've come up with my best and most creative arguments this way.

But. . . . It also can be an inconvenience, because it is hard to control and can be distracting.

I've been variously diagnosed with OCD, mild Tourette's, and ADD. I actually am inclined to think that this is related to or a variation on ADD.

Anyway, fascinating to finally hear for the first time in 35 years of someone else having these symptoms!

Mar 17, 2011
Rating

yea
by: Anonymous

I about cried when I read this. I'm a very normal person I have ADHD but you really cant tell. I started running around my couch and would flap my hands like I'm drying them off when i would think of something fast, I was about 5 or 6. Its amazing having such a great Imagination but It sucks only having full access unless I'm alone. Its the most embarrassing thing in the world and it just makes me so happy knowing I'm not the only one who does it. Stay strong everyone.

Jan 30, 2011
Rating

I am so happy I'm not the only one
by: Anonymous

For as long as I can remember I always had a very active mind. All through school I found it hard to focus. I remember when I was little I would rock back and forth on the couch. As I got older I started to rock back and forth on my bed. Now I feel like things have gotten worse. I have been dating someone for along time now and somewhere in our relationship he started to get jealous like he just wanted it to be me and him. People around me tried to warn me but I blew it off and now that I got layed off from my job it seems like the daydreaming is getting worse. I want to start college soon but I can't ever focus, its like I just want to sit around in my chair and rock while listening to music or watching tv. My boyfriend has started to notice but he seems to think I have ADD. I don't want to tell him about the daydreams because I feel ashamed and I don't want him to think I am crazy. I have a bad childhood and over the years I have lost most of my friends. I just wish there was something to help me so I can function.

Jan 11, 2011
Rating

I somewhat do this
by: Anonymous

I'm almost 16 and I started this the day I became a loner in school (I also have learning disabilities). However unlike uncontrollable shaking, and flapping of the arms, actually act it out in my room, or when no one is around. It makes for great stories though, and yes it is very embarrassing, but my mother said as long as you don't mistake reality from fiction it's probably not a problem. Anyway you took a great fear off of my chest, especially because i was afraid I was very weird. I also feel it is an overactive mind that cannot just think of it, but a physical action must work alongside of it. Yeah, music really does trigger it.

Oct 01, 2010
Rating

It is a GIFT
by: Anonymous

For me, the extraordinarily vivid imagination and daydreams are a true gift. All of the above: shaking, sounds, pacing, tensing, deep inward sight, and all of it, when combined, creates "magic". After years of catering to this and being motivated with practicing and working it like a muscle, I developed a clairaudient sound and soon after that strong non-physical feeling. I can hear the music within the mind so clearly and it has gotten to the point where I can orchestrate any sound I wish within the mind, and produce incredible vivid multi-dimensional imagery to go with. Beats television for sure (which if you think daydreaming is a bad thing, then just look at what TV has done to society in terms of "entertainment"). This has become a tool and also a way of spiritual development for me. I can use my vivid imagination to visualize goals and have empathy for my friends and family as well. I can feel what they feel, because I simply imagine it. That is why it is a gift, because once you truly embrace it and want to learn it like learning to tame a wild beast, then ride it and steer it, then it becomes something that is truly a gift and not a "disorder". Your mind does this for a reason, and if you actually train yourself to use it to your advantage, the "issues" like being internal for too long can be solved. You just gotta work the muscle. Your mind will want to do more and more of it until you work it, and drugs will only harm you if you try that to stop it, and it won't be any good if you suppress it. It is your choice though, so I just wanted to share this with you.

I am 18 and have been daydreaming like this since birth.

Sep 16, 2010
Rating

me too me too
by: Anonymous

geez i'm soo glad i'm not the only one with this
something always told me that other people have similar problems. the shame is too much to bear if anyone found out that i pace for miles in my on living room daydreaming. so many dreams so many i can no longer keep track. it helps to release my mind but now its becoming a curse rather than a gift.

Aug 13, 2010
Rating

Answer about trouble focusing.
by: Gwen

I have trouble focusing on reading, getting a meal cooked and served and concentrating on the computer, when people are talking while I'm trying to do these things.I have learning disabilities and I shake or rock a lot to help relieve stress and to comfort myself.I wrote before that I was 55 years old and have done the shaking and daydreaming all my life. IM writing again because some boy on here wanted to know if anyone who does this has trouble focusing or has ADD.I never have been diagnosed with ADD but I have some of the symptoms of it.I also have trouble focusing and concentrating on a decision or task if I feel someone is pressuring me to hurry up and do it. Gwen

Aug 12, 2010
Rating

maladaptive daydreaming
by: Anonymous

hey, my names luke and im eleven years old, wen i was in nursery i was neglected by the other kids so i drew into my own fantasy world.

its as addictive to me now as a drug and this i think scars my personality, making people avoid me more and then i daydream even harder tho i try not to.

u probably think im a psychopath kid but its good to know im not the only one,

thanks

Aug 11, 2010
Rating

my brother and i have it too
by: sal

hi, i am so glad i found this page. I have a brother who extensively daydreams with sounds and tensing up. it's interesting. he's had it all his life, but what's more interesting is that i have it too to a much more less extent. Im gonna ask my doctor soon about this cz i'm really curious to know if there's a name for this. i wonder if this is related to ADD or if it's a genetic thing of it's own. Does anyone of you folks who have this, suffer from attention deficiency or have trouble focusing?

Jul 26, 2010
Rating

during intense daydreams...
by: Anonymous

It's been happening to me since I was 5, as far as i can remember at least because I remember playing with some dolls and I started to shake and my babysitter told me to stop.

I start to visualize something exciting in my mind and play it out. My mouth sort of tenses, my arms and hands start shaking, as if I am shaking water off of them. My vision is the same but I also feel like I'm seeing the daydream more than what is physically in front of me. It seems that I only do it when I am alone. It only happens for a few seconds but after wards I am usually slightly out of breath and my heart is racing.

It doesn't seem to affect me otherwise. I don't have Autism or OCD but I do suffer from depression.

Jul 15, 2010
Rating

I do this too!
by: John

I have been having intense daydreaming for as long as I can remember. I was made fun of in elementary school by kids saying "Look at this kid freaking out!". Then I started only doing it alone. My family would catch me doing it and sometimes watch me, then tell me to stop it. I have been doing it for a good 16 years. I too have it triggered best with music, it makes it more intense. I however clench my fists and all my muscles when I do it. I block out what I am looking at in reality and focus only on my imagination. When I try to explain it to people they just think I am weird. It makes me very anti-social and I feel like I am stuck in a everlasting loop of nothing is real anymore. Kind of like living my life in my head.

Fantasy realism is a crazy addiction. I do it everyday it seems like and I seem to be having memory loss from it now. I snap into it and snap out. Every time I come out of a daydream, my heart is racing and all my muscles tension stops leaving me to shake it off. To me its an adrenaline rush and I can't stop. I wish I could in a way, but I kinda like it sometimes. The weird things the human mind can create...

Jun 09, 2010
Rating

Happy to here from Others
by: Gwen

I wrote on this site that Ive had shaking and daydreaming all of my life. I am glad to find out there are others who do similar things. I find I dont do it as much since I got married to a great guy a little over 7 months ago. But I still do it some. My life is more now like I used to dream it would be. But when I feel stressed out I still do it and it helps me to feel better.

Jun 08, 2010
Rating

I do the same thing. Heres the reason
by: Anonymous

So Im not the only one... That spread a smile over my face when I read you guy's comments. especially when some of you mentioned the pacing because I pace(I call it running around when I daydream) or make sounds like talking... I learned to bite my lip when I daydream that way it doesnt look like Im talking to myself. The vocal part of it has stopped but I still pace when daydreaming. Im 17 on june the 9th and I told my ex about it(on and off) I keep wondering if one day when Im out of the navy and stuff and meet a good guy, he'll think its weird that I do that. My family is okay with it "oh she's just daydreaming again" but I feel self conscious about it with my ex. The crazy kids in school do things like make sounds and talk to them selves and I dont want to be put in that category with them. I know that they aren't talking to them selves that they are daydreaming too, but they really DO have problems and makes me wonder if I may be like them and have problems too.

Daydreaming is an addiction. You escape from reality by doing it. When daydreaming, you create for yourself an ideal world. Signals to the brain tell your mind that the world is some what real and so creates the jolts. When people sleep talk, they do that because dreams appear so realistic to them and their mind feels the need to interact with the characters in the dream on a higher, less mental extent. when daydreams, you dreaming while awake. The same processes with the mind go as if you were asleep. Your body hasn't fallen unconscious but your mind has. It's almost like two types of sleeps. Physical sleep and mental sleep. Mental sleep is just what I call the process of dreaming. Your mind takes a rest when you sleep. its nothing wrong with you but because your body is still active when your mind "falls asleep" it moves and your body feels the need to act out the scenario in the daydream. Im studying myself. I just want to stop the sounds and pacing but not daydreaming all together. Its embarrassing, yes, but its also a great gift that god has given me to complement my writing talent. Ideas for books just dont pop out of no where Some writers seriously has to sit and think of ideas to write for a book. Some have an amazing dream and turn that in a book. I daydream so much and thats where I get these awesome ideas from. they are like stories in my head just looking for a way to burst out and once I got it on paper, I make money off of it.

In a way its a blessing within a curse. I just want people to accept that about me with out putting a label on me. My ex said he thought I was weird from day one, and He likes different. If I explain to him that my mind is an artist constantly coming up with creative ideas and that when I daydream I turn that daydream into ideas for books.... I don't know, Its weird, doesn't mean Im crazy or have some type of problem, if I can make money off of it, why not call it a blessing?

Jun 02, 2010
Rating

I am another victim of this
by: Anonymous

I daydream on a continual basis and completely understand this.

It began when I was around 12 and had to stay in bed because of Mono. As the years progressed, I would stay in my bed, listen to music, and rock back and forth violently while day dreaming scenarios (from every day life to fantastical adventures, from scenarios that I am in, to scenarios for characters I have created) that match up with the beats of the music I am listening.

I do too flap my arms and wiggle while rocking violently back and forth. Another aspect is that I do best in the dark- so that no one can see me acting so wild (Though I day dream completely alone).
To me, I have come to observe through my own behavior that it is a form of coping with everyday life. One may not have had a terrible or traumatic experience to do this. I think the body must uncontrollably wiggle as it tries to act out this 'Different life' I believe it is completely in tune with OCD, Depression, Anxiety, and Even to a form of Social Phobia.

On a good note- it is relieving that there are a large amount of others in this world that deal with this sort of thing. It is indeed an addiction of some sorts.

Apr 21, 2010
Rating

maladaptive daydreaming
by: Anonymous

omg. i have been hiding this from friends,family even my husband for around 30years now. i daydream constantly,even acting out my scenarios. i often pace too. i also use music alot,i find it easier to get into the daydream. although it is a great source of worry and stress, it is also like an addiction and i need to do it to re leave stress.

Mar 29, 2010
Rating

Maladaptive Daydreaming
by: Anonymous

I saw your comments and it's possible that you could have Maladaptive Daydreaming. It's a condition that causes excessive daydreaming. People with this problem will sometimes pace or do some other repetitive movement while they daydream. I have had this problem most of my life (I pace while daydreaming.)

Mar 08, 2010
Rating

My daughter does that to.
by: Anonymous

My daughter will do that and she has a mild form of autism. It could be that or a tic disorder or tourettes. Talk with your doctor about it and ask for a referral to a neurologist.

My daughter will also flap her arms while walking in a pattern back and forth. She says she is daydreaming, but she doesn't really know what of.

Good luck to you and sorry to hear you have suffered with this your whole life. My daughter takes medicine for her tics and so far has responded good to it.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How?
Simply click here to return to Adult SPD

Shaking and daydreaming

Comments for Shaking and daydreaming

Comments for
Shaking and daydreaming