The Function of Fantasy: Imaginary Play is for Grown-Ups Too

  I managed to get through grad school by imagining I was living in southern France, and had to wake before dawn every morning to go and open up the family bakery. I would imagine riding my bicycle through the scenic country-side and lavender fields. I could picture myself opening the small wooden boulangerie, and donning a clean white apron as the sun came up in my quaint fantasy village. I could almost smell the aroma of freshly baked bread, even as I sat in traffic on the 101 freeway heading into downtown Los Angeles.

Often times, it can be extremely difficult to motivate ourselves. At 5:30am when the alarm goes off, and all we want to do is curl up in bed and pull the covers over our head, there’s a moment when we could easily talk ourselves into doing just that. After all, there are a million reasons we need to get more sleep. All through life, we have to find ways to drag ourselves out of bed on cold, dark mornings, push ourselves into action and survive the demands and stress of school, work, family responsibilities, etc.

By creating fantasies and employing these effective mind tricks, we are able to shift our perception of what to expect in the day ahead. Rather than thinking about traffic, piles of work, boring meetings, deadlines, or the difficult colleagues that await us, we allow ourselves to imagine something positive. Even if it is not exactly reality, the subtle shift we make in how we approach each day can have a profound effect on the energy we bring to any circumstance. In extreme situations, creating an alternate reality has even been attributed to survival for prisoners of war, victims of abuse, those battling life-threatening illnesses and others literally fighting for their lives.

When we go into our days believing we are doing exactly what we want to be doing~ what we dream of~ we are more likely to enter our days with enthusiasm and optimism. This offers two benefits: 1) It alters our perception of our reality in positive and refreshing ways, offering a renewed sense of purpose and meaning. 2) It allows us to explore what our dreams are and how we can realize them. It’s like living as though we’ve already achieved that which we desire.

An imagination challenge:

• Take a few moments to explore your ideal life. This can be as fantastical as you can imagine. It may change over time, even day to day.
• Think about what characteristics or qualities you will embody in this ideal life.
• Make a list of alternatives “lives” you can employ in different circumstances.
• If you created an alter ego, who would it be? What kind of interests, mannerisms, and idiosyncrasies would s/he have? What draws you to this particular character?
• Are there ways you may incorporate hints of your alter ego in certain situations of your life?

These tricks can help ignite the spark we need to mobilize, take the steps required to get through the day successfully and move toward a grander goal ahead.