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Last Updated October 4, 2024
Whether you remember it or not, you dream every night. Sometimes they are happy, sometimes sad, terrifying, and often bizarre and mysterious. They are a normal part of our sleep—something we spend one-third of our lives doing. Do you want to remember your dream? Connect to yourself on a deeper level? Get the pen in your hand as quickly as you can and write down your dreams as soon as you wake up. If you don’t write them within the first five minutes of awakening, then poof! They’re gone. You will remember your dream most vividly at this time.
If you think dreams are predictions or messages from your subconscious, or you’re simply interested in tracking your dreams for a period of time, a dream journal is the best place to start. You can start a journal at any time by making some retroactive entries. For example, write out the earliest dream you ever remember, even if it was just a tiny fragment or wispy image. There it is—the beginning of a dream journal!
We’ve all had that dream of our teeth falling out, meeting a celebrity, or simply flying or falling asleep for a big presentation. Well, I used to have these kind of dreams almost all the time! It means that your dreams are constantly communicating with you. Keeping a notebook alongside your bed in order to record and analyze your dream can be a fun pastime and, in fact, there are many good reasons for doing it too.
Think about it: how many of your dreams feature positive scenarios? Likely, not many. You dream about someone chasing you or your survival is being threatened in a different way. When you encounter scenarios like these in your dream, you’re actually rehearsing what you’d do in your waking life. So, keeping a dream notebook will help you overcome anxiety. Your dream notebook helps you to control your dreams, which means more good dreams and fewer bad ones.
Dreams communicate with us in a special language; we can’t just expect to understand them by interpreting everything literally. Just like dreams and sleeping patterns vary from person to person, so do dream journaling techniques. I’m the kind of person who lies in bed and thinks of a million things that I forgot to add in my to-do list. So, if that is you, use your dream notebook for that. Just jot down a few things so that you can get that out of your mind and sleep peacefully.
Keeping a dream journal will strengthen your intuition. It will strengthen your connection with the divine or whatever you believe in. Finally, it will strengthen your connection to yourself—to understand yourself at a deeper level, to understand where you are going, where you are moving, and where your subconscious is processing and leading you. It will also help you recognize patterns in your life. When you first wake up, don't move or open your eyes. Lie completely still on your mattress and ask yourself, "What was just going through my mind?" Once you remember something, work backwards and ask yourself, "What happened before that ... and before that ... and before that?"
Find a great notebook to keep at your bedside for writing notes on your dreams. If you scratch it down on scrap pieces of paper or on notepads, you will lose them for sure. So, get yourself a dream journal. Designate a pen for your bedside and make sure it stays with your dream journal. Write down the date of your dream and give your dream entry a title. I name them based on my mood and things that seem random to most people. It’s sentimental! Record your dream as if it were happening right now.
Dreams have a habit of being socially unacceptable, so it is important when journaling to suspend all moral judgments about what occurred in the dream. Write as much as you remember as quickly as possible, and do not worry about grammar, spelling, or punctuation. Do not judge yourself. Your dream journal has nothing to do with being neat, cute, organized, or pretty. The goal of your dream journal is to get your dream down on a page.
If you find it difficult to describe your dream in words, then try drawing it, because a picture is worth a thousand words. Start analyzing your dreams to find out how they are connected. You will be surprised that you identify recurring symbols or meanings in your dreams.
Look for elements that are consistent across your dreams: Is there a particular person always with you, or are you always alone? Are you always in a particular place or time? Is there a particular object that always shows up? Pay attention to what happens, as well as any remembered thoughts and emotions in your dreams. Doing this helps you build cognitive bridges between your waking self and your dream self. Yeah, we are not always the same person in the dream, and that’s one of the coolest aspects of dreaming.
Don’t miss anything out, as the minute details could be a sign of a nightmare, a recurring dream, or your mind trying to tell you something by using a dream sign. When you have finished, make note of any major issues going on in your life right now and link them with your unconscious dream symbols.
A dream diary app can also help you capture your dreams. Download it, save your dreams, track your thoughts, and access it from wherever you are.
Dreams are just like little messages; they are like messages of our innermost yearnings, callings, or warnings. They are like riddles for us to figure out. They are really special and sacred in many cultures and stories. If you are not in touch with your dreams, a simple way to start is through a dream journal.
Always carry a notebook. And I mean always. The most powerful, life-changing book you’ll ever read is your own dream journal. And keeping a dream journal happens to be one of the best ways to build your dream-recall muscles. So why not write them down? You never know when a dream might contain some great idea or even just help you deepen your understanding of what’s going on inside your own mind.
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Disclaimer: What is said in this article has been referenced from multiple sources and is intended only for educational and informational purposes. Please note that no content in this article is a substitute for professional advice from a qualified doctor or healthcare provider. Always consult an experienced doctor with any concerns you may have regarding a health condition or treatment, and never disregard any medical suggestions or delay in seeking treatment because of something you read here.
