1. Why did I start taking my dreams seriously?
Recently, I’ve been having a lot of nightmares that wake me up in a panic.
Once, I dreamed that all my teeth were falling out one by one, and when I tried to catch them with my hands, they all shattered. Another time, I dreamed that I was in a meeting at the office and suddenly realized I wasn’t wearing any clothes, and everyone was staring at me.
These dreams were so realistic that when I woke up, my heart was racing and my palms were sweaty. At first, I thought it was just my brain being tired and playing random movies. But then I realized that these dreams always appeared at certain times—like when I was under a lot of pressure, couldn’t sleep well, or had something I didn’t dare to say.
So I started to think: Are these dreams trying to tell me something?
I’m not an expert, and I don’t know how to recite spells or read horoscopes.I’m just an ordinary person who wants to understand what I’m worried about.
2. I tried “official methods,” but the more I looked, the more confused I became
I heard that there was a “dream dictionary” online, so I searched for it. I opened a website that said, “Dreaming of a turtle = moving toward wisdom” and “Dreaming of stairs = upward mobility in life.”
I was confused: I dreamed about a turtle yesterday because I watched a video about longevity, okay? What does that have to do with “wisdom”?
These explanations sounded like advertising slogans—they sounded impressive, but they had nothing to do with my life.
It was like someone gave you a set of standard answers, but you hadn’t even taken the class.
I tried it for a few days, but every time I looked it up, I was even more confused.
The things in my dreams were so specific, but the explanations were like poetry. Who could understand them?
Finally, I closed the website and decided to try a different approach: I wouldn’t look it up in books anymore. I would think about it myself.
3. I used the simplest method and finally understood
I took out an old notebook, the kind I usually use to write down things like “buy milk” and “buy tissues.” From that day on, the first thing I did when I woke up in the morning was not to pick up my phone, but to write down my dreams.
I didn’t try to write beautifully or use any professional terms. I just wrote:
- What did I dream about?
- How did I feel?
- Was there any image that stood out?
For example, one day I dreamed that my teeth fell out, so I wrote:
Dream: All my teeth were loose and fell out when I touched them. I tried desperately to grab them, but I couldn’t.
Feeling: I was scared and felt like I was going to die.
Strange thing: Why teeth? My teeth don’t hurt.
After writing it down, I put it aside and came back to it after drinking my coffee and clearing my head.
Then I suddenly thought: Next week, I have to give a big presentation at work. Everyone will be there, including my boss. I’m really afraid of saying something wrong and being laughed at.
At that moment, I realized —
I’m not afraid of losing my teeth. I’m afraid of “making a fool of myself.”
Teeth represent speech, expression, and image.
The “teeth falling out” in my dream actually meant that I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to speak, or that no one would believe me if I did.
This discovery shocked me: it turned out that my brain already knew how nervous I was, but I didn’t admit it during the day.
4. I looked through my old notes and found that dreams have patterns
I was curious, so I flipped through the dreams I had jotted down over the past few months. Though they were written haphazardly, I could identify several recurring themes:
1. Always being late or unable to move
Dreaming of rushing to catch a flight, running frantically but unable to find the boarding gate; or an elevator that doesn’t go up, the doors close, and I’m locked outside.
When I had this dream, I checked my calendar—sure enough, I had a lot of work to do during that period, and I always felt like I couldn’t keep up.
The “unable to move” in my dreams actually represents the “stuck” feeling in my heart.
2. Wearing inappropriate clothes in crowded places
For example, going to the supermarket in my pajamas, or standing in a meeting room wearing only my underwear.
These dreams aren’t because I’m weird, but because I’m afraid of being “seen through.”
For example, I have to meet a client, but I haven’t prepared my materials and I’m nervous. The dream plays out the “social death scene” in advance.
3. Falling and waking up scared
Falling from a tall building, stairs, or even a bed, and waking up before hitting the ground.
These dreams mostly occur after I’ve worked overtime for several days in a row. My body is tired, but my brain is still working, and when it suddenly stops, I “fall” in my dream.
It’s like my brain’s “safety mechanism”: I’m too tired, wake up!
4. Dreams related to water
Sometimes it’s clear lake water, and I’m swimming; sometimes it’s black water, and I’m being swept away.
I’ve noticed that:
- Clean water → I’m in a good mood and things are going well
- Dirty or rising water → I’m worried about money, work, or family matters
Once, I dreamed that floodwaters rushed into my house, and when I woke up, I remembered that I had just received a $5,000 car repair bill that I couldn’t pay.
The “flood” in my dream represented the “pressure” in my heart, which was too much to bear.
5. Dreams are not prophecies, they are replays of emotions
I now understand that dreams are not telling me “what will happen in the future,” but rather, “I’ll help you replay the emotions you didn’t deal with during the day.”
It’s like a video recorder that replays your worries, fears, happiness, and grievances in images.
For example:
- You’re afraid of failure → You dream about failing an exam
- You feel ignored → You dream that no one is paying attention to you
- You want to escape → You dream that you’re running but can’t run fast
It won’t say, “You’re going to get fired next week.”
But it will say, “You’re thinking about work all the time, and you’re too stressed.”
6. How did I gradually understand my dreams? (My four-step method)
After a period of recording and reflection, I summarized a simple method that anyone can use:
Step 1: Write it down immediately after waking up, don’t wait
Dreams disappear very quickly. Even if you only write a few words, such as “lost a tooth,” “scared,” or “naked,” that’s fine.
Step 2: Ask yourself: How did I feel?
The focus is not on “what did I dream about,” but “how did I feel in the dream?”
Was it fear? Embarrassment? Relaxation? Freedom?
Emotions are more important than images.
Step 3: Connect to real life
Ask yourself, “What has been bothering me lately?”
Work? Relationships? Money? Health?
Most dreams can be traced back to their source in real life.
Step 4: Don’t rush to find the standard answer
Don’t look up “water” in a dictionary and find that it means ‘wealth’ or “emotions.”
First, think about what the water was like in your dream. Where were you standing? Were you swimming or drowning?
The same thing can have completely different meanings in different people’s dreams.
7. Dreams are not enemies, they are friends
I used to be afraid of dreaming, especially scary dreams.
Now I’m not afraid anymore.
I know that dreams are not there to scare me, but to remind me.
They are like a friend who cannot speak, using pictures and feelings to tell you, “Hey, have you been too tired lately? Is there something you haven’t resolved?”
As long as you’re willing to listen, it will keep talking.
If you often have strange dreams, don’t rush to look up “standard interpretations.”
Try taking out a small notebook, writing them down, and then asking yourself, “What am I afraid of lately?”
You might discover that dreams are never random.
They are simply the truest voice of your heart, speaking quietly in the night.
