Many kids get reprimanded in school for getting lost in thought. They stare out the window and start daydreaming, totally zoned out from the classwork at hand. However, daydreaming is actually good for you! It’s a crucial component of a hard-working, functional brain.
What’s going on in your mind when you wander through your imagination? Check out this video to find out why daydreaming as actually good for you.
Inside Your Brain
Brain imaging techniques show increased blood flow in specific parts of your brain. There are two different networks in your brain that interact with each other during activities. One is called the executive network, and it’s associated with active thinking and logical processing.
The other is your default mode network, which lights up during rest. During daydreams, scientists have discovered that your default mode network becomes active. This means that blood flow increases to those areas in the brain.
Hopes And Dreams
Letting your mind wander gives you greater access to realizing your hopes and dreams. Thinking through these things, even subconsciously, allows you to create goals in real life that help you achieve those aspirations.
Daydreaming is actually an access point to future success. Without a little bit of dreaming, all you think about is either the present or the past. There’s less room for imagining all that could happen in the future.
Spontaneous Thoughts
Don’t hold yourself back when your brain is drifting into spontaneous thoughts. You don’t always need to hold the reins when it comes to your thought life. Although it’s unhealthy to let yourself ruminate on fearful thoughts or past hurts, spontaneous thinking actually has some major benefits.
Creative thinking is believed to be rooted in spontaneous thought. Your executive network helps you process through logical and rational things. However, you want to encourage your imagination to flow when it fires up your default network.