I often create characters to daydream of being them? Is this a sign of something I should seek professional evaluation for?
This happens occasionally and only when the circumstances are right, such as when I’m wearing a specific outfit or accessory, but sometimes I will create characters, sometimes with names or backstories and sometimes a nameless character, all with a specific daydream scene I play in my head every so often. I’ll be doing something, and I’ll create and narrate a scene in my head with my character to match it. The thing is, I don’t become the character - I simply imagine a scene with them, with me playing the character. I never lose a sense of true identity. For example, I’ll be at the park with my dog, and I will play out a scene of my character walking their dog, or just walking, in my head and imagine being them. It would typically be something like ‘As the character walked, they thought about their most pressing issue, or admired the weather that day.’ I always remain myself, but it is as though my real self is an actor playing a role or finding comfort/fulfilment in imagining the scene.
I wonder if this is a sign of a personality disorder or something like that? I’m a very stable person and never lose touch with the real world, in which I’ve always functioned very well. I’m more than able and willing to talk normally to others and have never brought the scenes outside of my head or asked people to refer to me using a character’s name. Sometimes, my scenes do influence my mannerisms - if I am in my military jacket playing a scene of a fierce and resilient young person, I’ll typically appear more confident or stand up taller, and I might be less likely to back down from confrontation. If I’m in my favourite sweater and a skirt, playing a scene of a classy young person, I might be more verbose and eloquent, and kinder to others. However, I always remain myself, I never get lost in my characters to the point where my real life gets affected. I always pay attention when I’m approaching another person or crossing the street, I study often for school and practice my music, I always retain a sense of my real life and identity and can always pull myself out of my characters, but I’m often sad to and I love finding comfort in my scenes. I don’t really do this often - typically once or twice every week or two. How can I tell if this is healthy/normal or unhealthy, and what can I do if it’s unhealthy?
When I say that my real self feels ‘like an actor’, that is only for the once or twice every week or two when I imagine my scenes - during which I always still remember and am in touch with my real self and the real world. The rest of the time, I even more wholly embrace reality, and I can pull myself out of my scenes whenever I’d like to, but I am typically sad upon doing so as I sometimes find comfort in my characters (specifically the sophisticated young person character I imagine in my favourite sweaters) as well as self-confidence (this specifically from my fierce and resilient character). Luckily, however, I can and do recognize when it’s getting to be too long immersed in a scene, at which point I pull myself out, reality-check myself, and immerse myself in reality. and I do not depend on any comfort or self-confidence I get from the scenes - if I need any, it’s easy for me to find them in other sources as well, which Is what I typically do when I eek comfort or self confidence anyways