I often discover what I've actually been worrying about deep down through my dreams. The things that really upset me, scare me, worry me, seem to manifest themselves in the crazy world that is my brain when I'm asleep! Sometimes that's a good thing, as it means I can try and tackle it when I wake up, but more often than not I wake up more exhausted than when I went to sleep, because my brain has been fretting over these issues all night and hasn't actually switched off! I find that it can be easier to push something to the back of my mind during the day, however when my defences are down during sleep, it all comes back again.
This can be exhausting and demoralising, so I've compiled a couple of things that have been helpful to me with dealing with bad dreams, and hopefully they will be helpful to others too.
- Talk about it. One thing that I've found helpful is to talk about the dreams the next day. Either with family, friends or even just writing it down in a dream journal. Often, just the act of recounting a dream makes it seem less real and mostly I end up laughing at the bizarre things my brain invents! This can make it all feel a lot better and help you relax again. This is also a good way of working out what is upsetting you, and maybe is a step in the direction of resolving this problem.
- Relax before bed. I drink camomile tea before bed if my brain is working a little bit over time to try and relax and avoid stressing out when I come to sleep. Other things that help me to relax before I go to sleep are reading, watching something on YouTube or a film, and focussing on my breathing and relaxing every muscle in my body.
