Whether we’re fantasizing as a creative outlet, as a way to ease anxiety, or just to imagine a different (perhaps better) life, it’s something that almost everyone does when the world goes quiet around us.
If you’re curious what other people like to think about in those moments before sleep, these folks are ready to share.
1. That’s called anxiety.
imagine things I wish I said.
Not like arguments that I win,
Im just kinda introverted and I don’t say a lot of things that would greatly add to a conversation
2. You gotta be prepared.
What I would do on a deserted island, like my survival plan.
The Gilligan’s Island idea of an uncharted desert island is no longer possible, thanks to Google Earth and GPS. But that doesn’t mean all islands are populated. Denmark has like a thousand islands or more (according to my Danish ex-girlfriend), but do you want to be on an island by yourself during the winter near Denmark? Same is true for Alaska, a ton of islands, but very harsh winters.
3. It doesn’t help you to sleep.
I’m also used to think about all the things I should have said. Monologuing in my head like if I was talking to them.
But for me it doesn’t help to sleep. On the opposite I always end up feeling like s**t. Staring in the void like If I was just waiting for my time to come.
But the worst part is when one day you say the things you wanted to say and the result is not at all what you planned and you’re now in a even worse situation.
My only tip is : don’t come to fantasize that idea of you tellings those things. Because you can’t never be 100% that the things would have gone the way you thought they would have. (Sorry for bad English)
4. Someone liked Narnia.
In middle school i would imagine that a portal would tear through my classroom and a group of uniformed mythological people would come out and would urgently request me by name and tell me that they really needed me and then they would whisk me away to some other world where i was their only hope in some ancient war.
Just so that everyone around me could wonder why i was so important. Over a decade later I’m writing a webcomic about it. Got about a hundred pages out. I’m deleting it now so i can redo it since now I’m a proper adult and not a broody 15 year old.
5. Oh my heart.
Seeing my grandfather again.
I dream about him a lot because he was the best friend I’ll ever have and I really f**king miss him.
It’s been a long time now since he passed away and I’m starting to forget things about him and it hurts my heart so much.
6. Some days that sounds pretty good.
I pretend I’m a potato buried underground. It’s so dark down there and the weight of the dirt comforts me.
Potatoes have no fears. Potatoes have no anxiety.
7. A writer in progress.
I have a ~16 year fantasy world (not really written, mostly just back of my mind kind of escape) and I just expand on that for a bit. Really interesting thinking back on what I’ve brought up for it and how big/small it’s gotten.
At this point I’ve gotten to an anthology type stage where there’s a main story in the background, but a lot of mini stories being told to secondary and tertiary characters.
Mostly because the main character has been around for so long and gone through so many “realities” that this helps other people catch up and lets me go over what I came up with before but didn’t really expand on. It’s nice to be able to go back to that, but still keep everything alive and progressing.
8. You’d be a wizard.
I time travel to 1973 and try to explain the internet to people.
Sometimes I like to think about bringing someone from 1950 or 1960 to today. Explaining history, technology, etc.
Sometimes I imagine setting up a movie theater in the middle ages and showing the people of that era Star Wars episodes 1-6.
9. I could live there for a while.
I’m living in an alpine cabin above the snow line, just me and a dog. Each day I cut firewood, each night I spend the evening watching the fire and drinking black coffee while the dog snores.
10. I love the history nerd vibe.
I usually go to the 1800s and bring a phone with me to show them what it does and blow their minds. And sometimes Leonardo da Vinci time travels to the current time and I’m tasked with showing him the world. I even figured out how we will communicate with each other (plus, he’s smart. He’ll have English figured out in no time I’m sure)
There is a portal to the modern day, so we can access to the internet. Plus, as a few people mentioned, if we have the technology to time travel, we probably can figure out a way to provide internet services. Bringing multiple phones would be a good idea!
11. Real life is never as good.
No s**t, I used to envision that there’s global epidemic of some kind and the world has gone to s**t, looting and whatnot, the government has collapsed and I have to be super quiet to avoid the upheaval outside.
I got like, 60% of that for real in 2020 and it wasn’t nearly as cool as my day dream.
12. If only this would come true.
I’m chilling in my back yard with my dogs when one of those metal suitcases you see in movies lands hard with a partially shredded parachute.
The impact is hard enough to break it open and rubber banded stacks of non-sequential circulated hundred dollar bills fly out all over the yard. Easily two or three million dollars worth.
There’s a dye pack with a gps but it malfunctioned and didn’t go off and isn’t transmitting.
I gather the money and wait.
A day.
Two days.
Three days.
A week.
Nobody ever comes knocking.
I keep my day job. I open another bank account across town. Every pay* day I pull out several hundred dollars from my original account, and deposit several hundred dollars into the account across town from the suitcase money.
My income doesn’t fluctuate and no large purchases (houses cars) get reported, so I’m completely under the radar.
Eventually I’ve deposited and saved all the money from the case. I continue the practice with my regular paychecks I’ve kept in cash.
Eventually it’s all deposited, at which point I retire and live off the accounts.
13. We all need to be prepared for the zombies.
the epidemic is zombies. Instead of trying to be still in bed I envision how my homestead will be set up and defended.
14. Everybody needs that.
Being cuddled/given affection/comforted and being told nice/reassuring things while I’m feeling sh%t lol.
15. If only it was that easy.
Weird thing but what helps me sleep is imagining that I’m sleeping with a group that’s being hunted by (insert fantasy creature here).
But our party’s wizard has created an illusory safety bubble that keeps us warm, comfortable and hidden from our would-be foes.
16. Most of us could definitely get into this one.
Quitting my job with no notice.
I had some money saved up and had a small side business I was working on. My regular job totally sucked and was going downhill fast. I was due to work a 4pm -12 shift. I was out golfing and after the 1st 9 I would have to leave to get ready for work. I started to pack up to leave but noticed it was a beautiful sunny day, not too hot.
I was out having fun with my friends and realized you only get so many of these days in your life. So I picked up my phone, quit my job, lit up a joint and played 27 more holes of golf instead of going to work.
This was in May and I decided to just not work that summer. I had burned through my savings by September, but it was worth it.
17. I’m definitely going to do this now.
I use a fan for white noise, so sometimes I pretend the sound is the humming of a spaceship and I’m sleeping in a little bed next to a big window looking out into space.
18. One little catch.
finding my soulmate and falling in love.
But he’s also from New Zealand and will take me to the promised land.
19. Keep the faith.
I have used this technique for years…I win the powerball and collect the money anonymously.
I pay off all my families mortgages, buy them luxury cars that they find parked in their driveways, establish giant scholarships at my high school and college, buy houses for the families I have mentored over the years, give huge donations to my favorite non-profits, and keep wishing up fun and wonderful surprises on and on till I can sleep.
You can’t win if you don’t play! G’night.
20. The grass is always greener.
Thinking about what being in bed with a wife is a pretty frequent one I have.
Loneliness sucks and losing a year of trying to find a partner to covid sucks even more.
21. Even better when it’s someone else’s money.
I imagine spending all of Jeff Bezos’ wealth…but for good. What could those donations do to complete change people’s lives for the better?
I also like to imagine vacations I would take my friends and family on. Each of my friends and I would go on a different vacation that’s designed just for them where no one has to think about money or a budget or whatever.
Hands down my favorite day dream/way to fall asleep.
22. Fingers’ crossed.
I’m suddenly filthy rich and can finally support my family. I’d buy us a house and good health food.
If we needed something I could get it. If something broke I could get it fixed. I could donate to charities and support groups.
Some time I also imagine in this world that calories don’t count so I don’t have to keep dieting.
23. Does it help you sleep?
12 hours of USS Enterprise engine idle sound.
24. It’s all about gratitude.
I imagine that I’m a homeless guy, trying to sleep on a park bench.
It’s freezing cold, and I only have a ragged dirty old suit on.
I struggle trying to cover my body with newspapers and cardboard to keep warm.
Then a kind person delivers me from this freezing hell, and places me in my warm bed where I am currently, all snuggly.
25. Someone needs a hug.
I usually imagine that I’m going to sleep next to someone I love, despite being intensely single. Of course, I’m not myself in this imaginary scenario, since I’m younger, and more attractive, and more talented, and more interesting.
And, of course, this other person is totally imaginary too. And sometimes it’s in some kind of sword-and-sorcery fantasy world, but not always.
Sometimes thinking about it makes me cry because I know I’m too old and too ugly for this to ever happen, but sometimes I can sink into it enough that I’ll fall asleep.
26. A dream or a nightmare?
Every once in awhile when I’m feeling overwhelmed by life, I imagine that I’m old and full of regrets on my d**thbed, wishing I had made different choices in my youth.
Then I open my eyes, and all of a sudden my impossible dying wish has been granted: I’m young again with a whole future of possibilities.
27. Zombies are everywhere.
A very weird thing that helps me sleep.
I make a story in my mind, right now it’s set in the walking d**d universe, there’s this girl named Rose and this guy named Arthur.
Other characters of course but I tell stories about what they go through, it kinda mirrors my life struggles but in the land of the d**d.
Don’t judge me.
28. It’s always the simple things.
A life where I have a GF and we’re living together and doing silly things with each other and making jokes.
Or going to a park or zoo and having conversations with each other. One day…right?
29. Be careful what you wish for.
I used to fantasize about winning the lottery to go to sleep. It can be fun – mainly I think about where I would go on travel, what concerts I would see, how many festivals can I do in a year, etc.
As I’ve gotten older, I recognize that winning the lottery is quite likely to ruin my life instead of elevate it. I’m fairly fortunate in my career and so I have the privilege to say this – I’m not hungry, my kids get clothes and school, I am able to pay a mortgage, stuff like that. See? When you start thinking about this stuff, it doesn’t help with sleep.
So sometimes I think of myself in the world of one of my favorite movies or books – how would I contribute to the events or interact with the characters. Harry Potter is a special favorite.
30. Grab a really warm blanket that also belches.
I imagine I finally have a boyfriend (or better yet, husband) and we are cuddling.
I’m going to be more intentional about this in the future, though maybe that won’t help me get to sleep any easier.
Tell us in the comments what you play out in your mind before bed, or while you’re waiting for the kids to go to sleep!
