It’s probably safe to say that we’ve all had a few nightmares in our lives. However, frequent nightmares could be more than just dark dreams. There are many potential reasons for why people have dreams, and one proposed purpose of dreaming is to help us comprehend our feelings and deal with them. Nightmares may be a reflection of your life’s frustrations. That’s right, pervasive negativity can plague you in your sleep and your waking moments.
So, how can you overcome these frustrations and relieve yourself of nightmares? There are a few options open to you. You can learn ways to raise your vibe, like meditation, and try a few tips on how to deal with stress. Ideally, you can combine these for the best outcome.
Why We Dream
As far as scientists agree, there’s no single particular reason for why we dream. Actually, sleeping and dreaming probably play a variety of roles for humans. Some suggest that during REM sleep (dreaming), our brains are able to sort through the day’s events and consolidate memories. Dreams may also reflect our emotions, even those we aren’t totally conscious of. If you can remember them, you can try to interpret your dreams, which can in turn help you to understand what’s going on in your unconscious. Undealt with, our frustrations may result in negative dreams.
Daily Frustrations Turn Into Nightmares
We all deal with daily hassles and negative life events. However, when these negative life events aren’t dealt with properly, they can worsen our mood and affect our dreams, turning them into nightmares — and I’m not just talking about that dream where you go to work and realize you forgot to put on pants. If you’re stressing, you may have bad dreams characterized by getting chased, falling, or being attacked, as well as sad or angry emotions. If you’re having recurring bad dreams, it may help if you try to redirect how you deal with stress and take up some de-stressing activities.
How to Deal with Stress
There are a variety of ways you can beat your stress, including meditation and breathing techniques, as well as thought reevaluation. Mindful meditation can help you relax, destress, and even feel calm and happy. Practicing mindful meditation involves breathing techniques and focusing on the here and now. If you’re having nightmares or just a tough time sleeping, you may find it helpful to meditate before you go to bed each night! You can also convert your stress to peace.
Changing Your Mindset
Though the causes of your stress may vary, it may be helpful for you to try changing your mindset by letting go of unrealistic expectations (not even robots are perfect) and forgiving yourself and others (it’s easy to hold on to grudges, but it isn’t healthy). Also, coloring books are great ways to eliminate stress.You might try coloring before bed to calm your mind. If you’re having nightmares, try any and all of these to help eliminate frustrations and stress as potential causes.
By working through frustration, like through mediation and redirecting your ways of dealing with stressors, you can start having good dreams. If relaxation techniques like meditation and coloring don’t help you, you’re having difficulty with thought redirection, or you just need some extra help, talking to your doctor is a good place to start getting help. You deserve sweet dreams full of bliss, not awful nightmares haunted by negativity. Go get some happy Zzz’s, ya hear me?
