Yesterday I decided to actually try applying some dream interpretation stuff I’d been reading about, you know, just to see if any of it felt real. Didn’t want anything too textbook, just wanted to pick apart my own weird dreams and see if patterns popped up. Started simple.
The Night Before
I kept a notebook right by my bed like people say to do. First thing when I woke up – and I mean eyes still crusty – I grabbed it and scribbled down whatever scraps of the dream I could catch. This one was vivid: I’m lost in my old high school, but all the lockers are giant filing cabinets, overflowing with shredded paper. Can’t find my class schedule anywhere. Feeling totally panicked.
Picking it Apart Later
Over my coffee, I looked at what I’d written. Didn’t try to force some deep meaning immediately. Just asked myself:
- What specific things stood out? (Filing cabinets, shredded paper, lost schedule)
- How did I feel in the dream? (Frantic, lost, unprepared)
- Was there anything going on yesterday in real life that might connect? Ding ding ding.
I’m not gonna lie, my desk at home looks like a tornado hit it. Bills needing sorting, work deadlines looming – and I’d spent all evening stressing about organizing my taxes but just shuffled papers around instead. That “lost schedule” feeling? Felt exactly like opening my calendar app yesterday and seeing back-to-back meetings. The filing cabinets overflowing? Yeah, that’s my actual physical “to-file” tray mocking me. The connection slammed me right between the eyes.
Another Dream a Few Nights Ago
This one was different. I dreamed my long-dead grandma showed up at my door holding a dusty photo album. She didn’t say anything, just smiled and handed it to me. Felt calm, warm even. When I opened the album, the photos were all blurry landscapes, not people.
So I did the same thing. Woke up, wrote it down. Later, over lunch:
- Stuff in the dream: Grandma, photo album, blurry landscapes, silent calm.
- Felt: Peaceful, curious, nostalgic.
- Real life link: Spent the afternoon talking to my mom about old family recipes, and she mentioned Grandma’s apple pie. Also spent like an hour doomscrolling depressing news, wished I was somewhere quiet and green.
It wasn’t some ghostly message. It felt like my brain was mashing together stuff I actually experienced: missing Grandma, wanting peace and nature, maybe even needing a tangible connection like an old photo album rather than just hearing stories. The blurry photos? Honestly, I’m bad at identifying plants, so forests kinda are just a green blur in my memory sometimes. No big hidden trauma, just a messy mix of memory and wishful thinking.
What I Figured Out (So Far)
- Write it down immediately. Seriously, that detail disappears fast.
- Forget the “meaning dictionary.” Start with your day and your feelings. What did your eyes see and ears hear? What got stuck in your craw?
- Look for obvious parallels first. Most times, it’s way less mysterious than books make it sound. That feeling of being unprepared? It’s probably exactly what it feels like!
- It’s messy. Not every dream is a neat puzzle. Sometimes it’s just your brain sorting through yesterday’s mental junk mail. Acknowledge that.
Honestly, it’s less like decoding ancient runes and more like asking yourself, “Okay, brain, why did you show me that last night? What got you buzzing?” The answers are usually humblingly straightforward once you look right at them. Still gonna keep the notebook handy though.
