A dream Journal (a dream diary) is a diary in which your dream experiences are recorded. It includes a record of dreams, reflections, and waking dream experiences. It is a type of reflective diary. It is often used in the study of dreams and psychology.
Keeping a dream journal has a lot of uses. It improves your memory as recalling your dreams is an exercise for your brain. It increases your awareness and improves your creativity. It is overall good for your health.
The reasons why to keep your dream journal are as follows:
- It helps you remember your dreams and improves your memory
- It helps you understand your thoughts and emotions and how dreams affect your life
- You can solve your problems creatively
- It can also help to control your emotional dreaming
- Now I’m going to tell you how to keep a dream journal.
Recording dreams with attention:
First of all, keep your dream journal as close to your bed as possible, so that you can quickly start writing it as soon as you get up in the morning. As time passes, your mind forgets what you dreamt about last night or before that. So it’s important to access your dream diary quickly after having a dream.
Note down everything that you remember happening in your dream which includes where you were? With whom you were with? What time it was? What sounds did you hear? What scenes and objects did you see? How you were feeling emotionally? And how you reacted intentionally?
Writing them all may be hard at first, but it will be easier with practice. You will also get the idea of writing it. Suppose you’re an artist and you saw something unnatural and strange that you cannot explain in your words, you can better draw it. It is another way of expressing your dream through the picture. If you are talented in both, try to capture your dream through drawing and writing both, but keep recording it with great attention. It will lead you to a very interesting analysis!
Making the habit stick:
If you make a daily habit of writing your dreams, dream journaling will be easier to stick with you. This means that setting time to record your dreams by using a pen and diary is specifically for dreams. For example, if you record 5-6 dreams in a row that you see on Monday and the rest of the week, you didn’t dream, your dream book will be blank for some days. This means you need to stick on it at the start of every week.
No judgment:
Some dreams are socially unacceptable. They often fulfill a desire that would be inappropriate in our life. They basically give a natural clue to our unmet emotional desires and needs. This is natural and sometimes this type of stuff is symbolic. It’s trying to convey you a message that you need to follow. But don’t take your dreams so seriously!
Techniques for Dream Journaling:
Following are some techniques for journaling your dream:
- Pick your journal carefully. Make sure your diary is approachable to your dreams
- Keep your dream journal and pen near your bed ie, on the side table
- Record your dreams just after waking up
- And pay attention to what happens, by remembering your exact emotions and thoughts.
Best of luck with your dream diary!