Dreaming
Remembering Your Dreams
Before you can begin to interpret your dreams, you have to be able to remember them. This guide will show you what it takes to remember your dreams.
The first hurdle you will have to jump on your way to interpreting your dreams is remembering them on a regular basis. By following the steps outlined below, you will have no problem soaring over this obstacle.
1. Develop a Sleep Schedule
The most detrimental thing you can do to your ability to remember your dreams is not following a regular sleep schedule. The ideal situation is one where you can wake up without an alarm clock (they tend to jar you out of your dreams); however, if this is not possible, you can still train yourself to be ready for the alarm by (a) getting approximately the same amount of sleep every night and (b) going to sleep and waking up at the same time every day. This may seem slightly simplistic, but it really does work, as long as you give it a chance. Remember, it takes 21 days of continuious activity to create a habit, so don’t give up too soon!
2. Repeat After Me: “Dreams are Important”
Many people have trouble remembering their dreams because, subconsciously, they do not believe their dreams have any value. This concept is easy in the way our culture uses the term “dreamer”. Instead of being viewed as visionaries or creative, the “dreamer” we tend to think of is foolish and lazy. In order to combat this, you must tell yourself that dreaming is important to you. That it will help you discover the answers to your problems (it can) and that you need dreams to maintain your mental health (you do). The best time to say your mantra is right before you fall asleep (since that is when you need to hear it the most).
3. Write Your Dreams Down
While it is possible to remember your dreams, you will be hard-pressed to do so if you do not write them down. I’ll go into dream journals in part two of this series, but, for now, the easiest way to do this is to write down everything you can remember, and also any emotions you were left with. Don’t worry too much about continuity or getting everything down, the goal here is just to write down what you can as you remember it. (As you get into the habit of writing down your dreams, you will find that not only do you remember more of each dream, you will remember large bits and pieces as the day continues.)
If you follow these three steps every night, soon you will have a collection of dreams waiting to be put in a dream journal, which is where we will pick this up next time. Until then, happy dreaming!