Are you tired from being wide awake due to nightmare after nightmare? Do you ever wander through days in a fog because of a night of restless dreams? Do you want to save your sleep and take control of your dreams?
Don’t worry; you don’t always have to give in to the exhaustion that follows night after night of restless sleep and bad dreams. Using certain techniques, you can take control of your dreams and save yourself from the fear and anxiety that haunts them.
Preparation
You set the stage for the night’s rest hours before you even go to bed. If you’ve been suffering from nightmares or restless sleep, try eliminating caffeine in the afternoon and switch off the TV an hour before bed. Stop reading that new thriller. Instead, listen to calming music, do a short yoga sequence or meditate on your day. All of these serve as a way to tell your mind that you are going to give it a chance to wind down and relax to set the stage for restful sleep.
Write Your Dreams
Before you sit up in bed, reach for your nightstand and grab your dream journal. Record what you remember from the night’s mental musings. By making a practice of writing your dreams, you are telling your subconscious that what you dream is important. It will also help you gain a better understanding of what types of dreams you have and if you are having recurring dreams. A dream journal is an important tool for you to understand your dreams and take control of the reins.
Set Your Intention
After you’ve let your mind unwind and relax, you can set your intention for your dreams. As you lie in bed, think about what you want your dream to be. Tell yourself what you want to dream about and add as many details as you can until you drift off to sleep. You can even record this in your dream journal each night before you go to bed so that you could track if you met your intention for the evening.
Practice Being Awake
Much of your work at controlling your dreams will happen during your waking hours. In addition to keeping a dream journal, preparing for sleeping and setting a dream intention, you should ask yourself at various point throughout the day if you are awake or if you are dreaming. This will allow you to observe the difference between the reality of being awake and the reality of your dreams.
Take Control
Many times, people want to learn how to control their dreams as a defense mechanism against nightmares and anxiety dreams. The key to this is to recognize your nightmare, which are often recurring, and tell yourself that you know what’s happening. Reassure your sleeping self that you are in a dream and can’t get hurt.
With practice, you’ll be able to recognize the dream, reassure yourself and eventually get yourself out of the nightmare and into a more pleasant dream.
Once you’ve mastered the art of turning a nightmare around, you can really start to have some fun. Try new activities in your dreams that aren’t possible in your waking life and experiment with the laws of physics. Once you can control your dreams, nothing is impossible.
The suggestion to differentiate between awake and dreaming states throughout the day is quite interesting. It could potentially heighten self-awareness and improve one’s ability to control dreams.
The advice on setting your intention before sleep is interesting. I wonder how effective it would be for chronic nightmare sufferers. The idea of practicing awareness throughout the day also seems like a helpful technique.
The concept of maintaining a dream journal to influence and understand one’s subconscious mind is intriguing. It could provide valuable insights into recurring nightmares and help in developing strategies to mitigate them.
Understanding and controlling nightmares as a means to reduce anxiety is a compelling idea. I appreciate the practical steps provided for recognizing and mitigating the impact of these dreams.
Setting an intention for your dreams is a fascinating approach. It reminds me of techniques in mindfulness and visualization practices used for various psychological benefits.
Preparing for restful sleep by eliminating stimulants like caffeine and engaging in calming activities sounds like good practical advice. It aligns well with general sleep hygiene practices.
The suggestions in this article are quite comprehensive. I particularly appreciate the emphasis on preparation and intentionality. Writing down dreams seems like a practical method to better understand recurring patterns.