Ambition. Achievement. Accolades. We live in a society which worships this trinity. The form of acceptable prayer is constant motion. A good life involves being swept up in a frenzy of continuous doing whereby reaching a place of burnout is almost akin to receiving a badge of honor. That level of exhaustion is the proof needed to finally slow down for a day or two before flinging oneself back into the mad cycle yet again.

While mindfulness and mental health are becoming a part of the collective conversation, have we taken the learnings within them far enough? Even the healing process in our society involves doing: go to therapy, do yoga, learn how to meditate, go exercise. While these are all wonderful practices, does the softness of doing nothing fit into this formula for living? Can stillness and quiet moments of contemplation be considered an acceptable pastime in a world cultivated for overly packed schedules and relentless stimulation?

“A daily dose of daydreaming heals the heart, soothes the soul, and strengthens the imagination,” Richelle E. Goodrich, author, poet and philosopher states in her book, Smile Anyway. While many may feel this intuitively resonates with them, the logical and conditioned mind has a hard time accepting this. We are so used to being busy all of the time, having our schedules crammed with back-to-back meetings, endless appointments, and not to mention being constantly caught up on the hamster wheel of family life, that we do not even have the time to unpack such a statement let alone reap the benefits of living according to its premise.

The problem is simple. As a society we have lost sight of the importance of doing nothing and daydreaming and therefore do not find ways to prioritize it. It has been deemed frivolous, a waste of time and perhaps even the privilege of the chosen few. Nothing could be further from the truth, however. Daydreaming is crucial to our happiness, our healing, and even our productivity. It is the birthplace of creativity and innovation. It allows us to temporarily break free from the world as it is and see life from a different perspective. Daydreaming creates a new lens through which we view our experiences, our wants and our needs. It is within the realm of daydreams where the world’s greatest art forms, poems, stories, and songs first began brewing.

Daydreaming helps us to understand ourselves, our desires and what we want to create with more clarity. Through allowing ourselves moments of rest, ease and internal calibration, we are able to connect inward on a deep level which in turn helps us move through the world with more alignment and purpose. If we are constantly busy, filling our heads with other people’s priorities and plans, it is impossible to quiet the mind and actually get to know oneself and one’s own priorities.

In a society where constant stimulation and instant gratification are still deeply rooted in the collective conscious, it is a revolutionary act to prioritize the state of reverie. To deliberately state that you are going to spend time to stare outside of a window for no apparent reason can cause both internal discomfort in oneself and external shock waves in those around you. However, to shift the collective beliefs around the importance of cultivating a rich inner world, we have to begin with shifting our own attitudes and beliefs towards pastimes such as daydreaming. If we viewed it as something which is as important as going to the gym, eating a healthy meal or brushing our teeth, we would likely be able to prioritize it with more ease. However, since it appears to be an ephemeral concept which has no direct connection to our emotional, mental, and physical health, it is easy to allow it to fall by the wayside.

If we want to consciously shape our individual dreams and collective realities, it is important to allow our minds to wander freely, uninhibited by the leeches of guilt and shame. It is necessary to re-wire our thoughts around this concept and understand its inherent value. Since many of us have been brought up in a culture prioritizing productivity and busyness over all else, we may need to train ourselves and our brains on how to daydream. Like a muscle which has not been worked out, our daydreaming capacities as a collective have diminished, being chipped away at with every negative comment of, “stop daydreaming,” “do something useful,” “don’t you have something better to do…” etc.

Some tips and tricks to get the daydreaming brain back online involve:

• Schedule chunks of time in your week where you have nothing to do. These can either be small daily chunks (10 minutes here and there) or longer weekly chunks (two hours on the weekend).
• Add reminders or alerts on your phone to do nothing except sit in stillness for a moment.
• Set up a space and place which creates a daydreamy, whimsical atmosphere. Perhaps you have tea lights, candles or incense burning. Allow yourself to merely be present in this space.
• Go outside if your Do Not Disturb sign does not appear to be working properly with those you live or work with. Go to a café for 15 minutes. You could either switch your phone off or leave it at home, forcing you to simply be with yourself.
• Nature walks help with everything! Find a footpath, beach walk or quiet country lane where you can take a physical stroll while your mind meanders along its own internal escapade.
• Ensure not to have rigid expectations around the process. This is not meditation and you do not need to come up with the next ingenious AI tool or revolutionary breakthrough while daydreaming. This is simply your time to connect inwards and observe what rises to the surface of your consciousness.

By implementing some of the above strategies, you are demonstrating to yourself that this is a priority. Simply redefining, stating and claiming your priorities is the first step in allowing that creative space within to expand and flourish.

The overused but inherently true quote, “It’s not the destination. It’s the journey,” is applicable within this context. Daydreaming is something to be engaged in for its own sake. It is about that sense of freedom and flow which is important. It is not something to be measured or attached with a direct tangible outcome. An analogy for how to treat your daydreaming process is to approach it as many young children engage in play. It is the act itself which is fun. It is not tied to an end goal. Daydreaming is the play. Daydreaming is the art.

Through engaging in these mindful reverie’s more often, you may find interesting insights, unexpected resistances or even startling epiphanies burst through. There is much unexplored territory within the mind. It has been anecdotally said that we know more about Mars than we do about the human brain and its capacities. The act of daydreaming may provide a key to the inner galaxies swirling within each of us, helping us to decode the mysteries that lie within us. Or if nothing else, help us be still – and enjoy the present moment.