7 Tips to Remember Your Dreams
This article is for those who very rarely remember their dreams. Or for those who are in the phase of their lives that they have almost no dream recall.
It is now common knowledge that we all have dreams every night. When you wake up thinking that you did not dream last only means you do not remember them. You may believe that you will be just fine without the non-sense of dreams. Dreams speak the language of the unconscious mind. Your dreams are your unconscious mind speaking, conveying truths that you overlook during the rush of your daily life. The unconscious mind is not mindless; it has a different kind of wisdom. It knows the depths of your soul better than your conscious mind and can light the path to the best version of yourself. Never underestimate the power of the unconscious.
I will write another article about the significance of dreams. Let focus on strengthening your ability to recall dreams. Here I will be focus on things that are easy to integrate into your daily life.
1. Use the power of affirmations
Affirmations might not feel that powerful as you repeat them with your rational mind. However, they echo in the unconscious and will influence it. Since your dreams happen when your conscious mind is asleep, you need to find a way to connect the conscious and the unconscious to remember your dreams. Repeating affirmations before sleep and during the day can help you with that.
You may find your powerful affirmation, but here is what I suggest.
I recall my dreams with ease.
If you want to come up with another affirmation, here are a few things you might want to make sure:
- Use first-person language in your affirmation.
- Use present tense in tour affirmation.
- Repeat it at least eight times.
2. Create en environment for a good quality sleep.
Good quality sleep is essential for your life in general, as well as good dream recall.
- Get rid of the electronics.
You want to sleep in an environment as natural as possible. You do not want any electronic devices buzzing. You do not want the artificial light coming through them. You do not even want the vibrations they are radiating close to your while you are sleeping.
- Have a regular sleep cycle.
If possible, have regular sleep cycles. If you do, your body will know when to prepare for the rest and when to wake up. It will make things a lot easier. You will also wake up with a clearer mind.
- Make sure you have eaten and done with the digestion before you go to bed.
Having snacks all night is not a good idea if your aimfor a high quality sleep. It is better if your organs find a chance to really rest rather than working on digestion as you sleep.
3. Get rid of the alarm.
I know this one is not easy at all. Yet waking up to the sound of an alarm makes it very hard to remember your dreams. I understand that it is not practical just to turn off your alarm, but there are still steps you can take.
- Go to bed with an intention to wake up before the alarm goes off.
- Turn it into an affirmation and repeat it before you go to bed.
- Wake up at the same time every day.
If you are consistent in these little things you will begin to wake up on your own evetually.
4. What to do as soon as you wake up?
When you are working on dream recall, it is crucial what you do as you wake up. Basically, do not do anything. Do not open your eyes, do not move; do not stretch your body. Relax. Just focus on your eyes to a single point behind your eyelids and catch glimpses of your dream. As soon as you can grab on to some part of your dream, hold on to it. Be patient; keep focused and let it take you back to your dream.
5. Dream Journal
In any dream work, it is a must to have a dream journal. Even if you do not remember, any dreams have a dream journal next to your bed. As soon as you remember anything about your dream, write it down. Try to write down as much detail as you can. Mostly focus on the things that feel irregular, out of order, or odd. If you have nothing, just write down your affirmation about remembering your dreams. Be patient with yourself. It is your mind; those are your dreams. You will eventually access them as you direct your attention to them.
You may also carry your dream journal with you, in case you remember something during the day. Having your journal with you will also empower your intention.
If you find it challenging to write things down while still in bed, you may also consider getting a voice recorder.
6. Share
If you have people around you with whom you feel safe to share your dream, share them. It will improve your connection with your dreams and improve your understanding.
7. Work on 6th chakra
Dreams are very closely related to the 6th chakra. ^th Chakra is the 3rd eye center. Any work you would do to balance your 6th chakra or strengthen your intuition will also improve your dream recall. The good thing is that it works both ways. The better your dream recall is, the more open you are to your power of intuition.
Feel free to work on colors, crystals, essential oils related to the 6th chakra, and working with Mandalas and meditations on the 3rd eye.
Bonus tip: Drink water to wake up in the middle of the night some nights.
This one depends on how much you want to work on your dreams. Good continuous sleep during the night is essential to get the rest that your body and mind needs. Yet it is not very easy to remember your dreams if you kept sleeping for hours after the dream. If you drink water before sleep, your body will usually gently wake you up for nature’s call just after the dreaming stage of your sleep.
Personally I always choose a good night sleep over this last trick to remember my dreams. I am only conveying the information that there is this trick to wake up during the night. There are some sources that also offer setting an alarm to wake up in the night but I am not fan of that idea. It will interrupt your sleep abruptly and here is a good chance that the alarm will not go off at the right stage of your sleep.
Your dreams are among the tools of power you have just like your conscious mind, your intuition, your emotions etc. Whenever you feel like you lack guidance, power; whenever you feel lost or in doubt remember that there is a part of you that knows all the answers.
Embody the sacred within.
Yoga Alloy