What’s a Dream Journal?
By Abigail LoManto
Do you ever have a really bizarre, scary, freaky, or even amazing dream? Dreams are naturally-occurring images we see and experience during the time we’re asleep. Almost every morning, I wake up from a dream, or even two. Dreams are one of my favorite, and mind-blowing, things about the human experience. I can’t really understand how our brains come up with these dreamscapes. Sometimes my dreams make sense, or they involve things I was thinking about before I went to sleep, but often they involve people and places I’ve never seen before, or they even bring up things I haven’t thought about in years. I’ve learned that I love to write down my dreams when I wake up so that I can remember my dreams in the future or be able to tell my friends about the insanity that goes on in my brain.
A dream journal is a place where you write down your dreams. Pretty self-explanatory. You could be fancy and use an actual notebook, or feel free to use the notepad on your phone! What you choose to write about your dreams can also vary. Dream journals should include the basic plot of the dream and as much detail as you can remember. For example:
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The setting of your dream: Was it somewhere familiar? Somewhere you’ve never been? Reality or an imaginary world?
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The characters of your dream: Were you the main character? Were the other people your friends, family, people who are no longer alive? Were there any talking animals??
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Your feelings during the dream: Were you happy? At peace? Terrified? Anxious? Did it feel real?
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Whether or not this dream has happened before. Is it a recurring dream? Are elements or places in your dream recurring?
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Why do you think you had this dream?
You can also include things that may help you understand why you have these dreams such as:
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The date you had the dream.
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What time did you go to bed?
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What time did you wake up?
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Did you get a lot of sleep that night?
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Did you wake up feeling rested or tired?
After you write down your dream, try looking online to understand the underlying themes of your dream. Personally, I think that some dreams have underlying meanings, but other dreams may not.
Try to start a dream journal of your own. If you don’t undercover any crazy truths or patterns, don’t worry! This can just be a fun activity and a unique version of a journal. It’ll be cool to look back on and laugh at all the dreams you had one day. I still remember dreams I had when I was little like flying over NYC and hanging out with the Jonas Brothers…(I know that’s all of our fantasies so don’t even judge). I definitely recommend giving this a try!