Unpacking Your Dreams

A very happy Saturday to all my lovelies! I've been struggling to come up with something new to post about, but last night's slumber had me thinking about the power of dreams, and what it really means when we feel or experience things during sleep. I'm going to delve into a bit of background on how dreams occur, then help you start your recording process so you can start interpreting the night fantasies and terrors as well.

When Does Dreaming Occur, and Why?

According to sleep.org (original, I know), "Dreams happen most often during REM (rapid eye moment) sleep, which is the deepest stage of sleep. This stage makes up about 20 to 25 percent of adult sleep and occurs in intervals that can last anywhere from a few minutes to 30 minutes. You cycle through REM sleep a number of times during the night, and if you happen to wake up in the morning during that stage of sleep, a dream may seem fresher in your mind." Some dream theories include forms of therapy, getting creative, practicing dealing with threats, de-cluttering your brain, and more. Each individual is going to experience different events in dreams that are often based subconsciously off of what is going on in your personal, real life. If you're like myself, you might be curious as to what these dreams mean, and how they can be of help when navigating through certain scenarios.

How Do I Keep Track of My Dreams?

There are several key steps to getting started when it comes to dream interpretation.

STEP 1: BEDTIME PREP

This step includes not only pushing for 7-8 hours of sleep, but also making sure that you don't drink caffeine before bed, eat in the early evening to prevent indigestion, and make sure your room is comfortable so you're falling asleep, and staying asleep. For those who need sleep aid, I highly recommend melatonin, a non-prescription hormone that regulates sleep cycles.

STEP 2: WRITE IT DOWN

So you've gotten a great night's sleep, and you wake up fresh out of a wild dream. You have mere minutes to record everything that you remember before the majority of the details disappear from your brain. A fun way to do this is to keep a dream journal by your bed, so you can jot down what you remember as soon as you wake up. This is also much healthier than jumping on your phone the second you open your eyes in the morning. See above for some cute inspo :)

STEP 3: INTERPRETATION

After you've written down all you can remember, it's time to dive deeper and reflect. What are the prevailing emotions? Who or what was in the dream that stood out? Were you in a familiar environment, or somewhere random? As you record more and more dreams, often the dots of themes can be connected, giving you more insight as to what you're holding on to, or what your mind is circling around.

STEP 4: APPLICATION

This step is definitely the hardest, but is the most worth pursuing. Take a look at the themes that you've seen repeated in recent dreams. Now think about what is going on in your life currently. Are you nervous for a big exam? Are you having trouble in a relationship? Do you feel like your voice isn't being heard in your work life? All of these scenarios are very likely to pop up, but like I said before, dreaming is different for everyone. The important thing to remember is that by dreaming, your brain is often prepping you for the best and worst outcomes of an event. When you jolt awake terrified, your body is telling you that you survived. When you awaken to a deep sadness, your brain is releasing emotions that you were pushing down or holding back. When you open your eyes and wish you could relive a perfect dream, learn to recognize the pure good from the wishful thinking.

So there you have it folks! Of course, the above methodology will not work for everyone, and it will take a few weeks to really get into the deep thinking and processing. But if you're looking for a fun summer challenge, then try and wake up every morning and break out that dream journal!

Until Next Time,

Anna xxx