Anxiety dreams, anyone?

[LizStreithorst]

I don't have them as often as I used to.

My oldest one that I've had a gazillion times is finding out that I never really graduated high school and the powers that be made me go back.  I got there and there were all these kids who all knew what to do and there I was, an adult without a clue, afraid that they would never decide that I knew enough to graduate.  Talk about a life of hell...I don't think I have that one any more.

Before my husband got sick, but when I knew in my soul that he wasn't right, I had the one where a circuit breaker trips, I go look at the breaker box, and the condition of the wiring is beyond terrible.  I think, OMG, the house will burn down and I don't know enough about wiring to be able to make it safe again.  It was a very disturbing dream.

These dreams are never about what they appear to be about.  They use my insecurities as fuel.  I had one last night.  It woke me up, as they often will. I realized it was a dream.  I went back to sleep and I was shown Part II  of the same dream.  It woke me up again and I knew that if I didn't get up and walk around, I would get Part III.  So at around 3:30 am. I got up, had a heal of rye bread slathered with butter, and checked the forum.  Nobody was on at 3:30 in the morning.  Imagine that   I went back to bed and slept until my usual time.  I didn't have part III or the dream

Still, it is 12 hrs later and I'm still stressed even though it has been a good day.  I know what I'm stressed about.  It has nothing to do with my dream.  I wish that my subconscious would leave me alone.  My damn subconscious has a mind of it's own, and it has an extremely strong voice.  If my conscious could get to it there would be a fight worth watching.

[Mugwump]

I don't have them as often as I used to.

My oldest one that I've had a gazillion times is finding out that I never really graduated high school and the powers that be made me go back.  I got there and there were all these kids who all knew what to do and there I was, an adult without a clue, afraid that they would never decide that I knew enough to graduate.  Talk about a life of hell...I don't think I have that one any more.

Before my husband got sick, but when I knew in my soul that he wasn't right, I had the one where a circuit breaker trips, I go look at the breaker box, and the condition of the wiring is beyond terrible.  I think, OMG, the house will burn down and I don't know enough about wiring to be able to make it safe again.  It was a very disturbing dream.

These dreams are never about what they appear to be about.  They use my insecurities as fuel.  I had one last night.  It woke me up, as they often will. I realized it was a dream.  I went back to sleep and I was shown Part II  of the same dream.  It woke me up again and I knew that if I didn't get up and walk around, I would get Part III.  So at around 3:30 am. I got up, had a heal of rye bread slathered with butter, and checked the forum.  Nobody was on at 3:30 in the morning.  Imagine that   I went back to bed and slept until my usual time.  I didn't have part III or the dream

Still, it is 12 hrs later and I'm still stressed even though it has been a good day.  I know what I'm stressed about.  It has nothing to do with my dream.  I wish that my subconscious would leave me alone.  My damn subconscious has a mind of it's own, and it has an extremely strong voice.  If my conscious could get to it there would be a fight worth watching.

....I dream in color a lot and sometimes I like to change the colors with my mind.....if I get an unsatisfactory dream going...I simply change channels til I get one that amuses me.....it's like 'dream channel' surf'n.....LOL.....but it works for me.....rearranging the fish room is an old reoccurring staple that works for relaxing to sleep.....and spending the $$$'s we won off hitting the Lotto....

[LizStreithorst]

I can't direct my dreams.  I have no idea whether I dream in color.  I expect it's in color because I see my waking life in color.  It would be weird if my dreams were in black and white.  I like it when I think about fish room projects when I go to sleep.  It's cool when I wake up knowing how to solve the problem in my head.  Alas, I have no fish room projects to distract me.

[Mugwump]

I can't direct my dreams.  I have no idea whether I dream in color.  I expect it's in color because I see my waking life in color.  It would be weird if my dreams were in black and white.  I like it when I think about fish room projects when I go to sleep.  It's cool when I wake up knowing how to solve the problem in my head.  Alas, I have no fish room projects to distract me.

I do dream in black &white too.....it just depends I guess on what the dream may be...??

found this while looking just now....

" But people over 55 who grew up with little access to color television reported dreaming in black and white about a quarter of the time"........so our older generations may become the last of a breed..

[wsantia1]

I dream in color. Don't have many anxiety dreams if any. I usually have trouble remembering my dreams unless I dream about my late mother and wife. I remember that I dreamed about them but not what the dream was.

[wallace]

I can't direct my dreams.  I have no idea whether I dream in color.  I expect it's in color because I see my waking life in color.  It would be weird if my dreams were in black and white.  I like it when I think about fish room projects when I go to sleep.  It's cool when I wake up knowing how to solve the problem in my head.  Alas, I have no fish room projects to distract me.

I do dream in black &white too.....it just depends I guess on what the dream may be...??

found this while looking just now....

" But people over 55 who grew up with little access to color television reported dreaming in black and white about a quarter of the time"........so our older generations may become the last of a breed..

Hey, that's really interesting. I have some dreams that are black n white, and I have always called those my "cinematic dreams" because they are like watching a movie.

I had bad dreams when I was little-- they always involved infinity. A typical example was being given a command that I needed to clean out a stadium that was filled all the way to the top with matchsticks.

[BillT]

I don't have dreams that I remember. I think I make up for it by being able to visualize things pretty much at will while waking. I think I am also fairly in touch with my unconscious feelings.

When I was young (maybe 6-10), I had a repeating dream of losing my balance on a bicycle. I would jerk the handlebars reflexively to right myself which would wake me up.

If I were having problems with some recurring anxiety dream and I could identify the underlying cause (which you seem to imply exists, although may not be identified), I would try to do something that would emotionally acknowledge it. Like maybe some open ended art project. The underlying source of anxiety may then reveal itself, at which time the dream might go away..

[Mugwump]