Did you know that on average we will spend 229,661 hours of our lifetime asleep?! And in those moments of shut-eye, we will spend between 90 minutes to 2 hours dreaming each night. So it’s no big surprise that we want to know what these dreams mean! While each dream is obviously unique – and specific to the dreamer – there are some common themes and symbols that occur in most people’s dreams. Though there are many theories out there about the interpretation of dreams, it is most commonly thought that these symbols are often extensions of your own sense of self – or that they stand for something else in your life rather than how they physically appear in your dreams. Here’s what your dream last night (probably!) meant!
1. The Chase
This is a classic anxiety type dream. When you are being chased in your dream, it means that you should pay attention to the fact that you are running from something (and not necessarily from someone) – because in real life this “person” is just a symbol to remind you that something needs your attention.
2. Animal Kingdom
Animals are creatures that operate using their primal instincts, and so dreaming of animals often represents aspects of your psyche that are related to instinct and habit. They can be fairly insightful dreams as the animal is a representation of your daily patterns as well as your deepest desires. More so, animal dreams relate to the part of you that feels connected with nature and survival. If the animal in your dream is a predator, then it may suggest that you are holding back repressed emotions, like sadness and anger, which you need to an outlet for in real life.
3. The Baby Boom
Dreaming of a baby can very well represent your desire to produce new
! But it can have other meanings as well. It can simply represent the desire for wanting to have something new and fulfilling in life – this could be a new idea or even a project at college. It means you are looking for a new start or the potential for growth in your life.
4. Destination Unknown
Whether it’s by car, plane or even a bicycle – dreaming of travel means that you are sub-consciously pondering the direction that your life is taking. If you are the one driving the vehicle, the dream could also be about control – and how much of it you think you have in your waking life. An easy journey to a destination means you have a lot of control of where you want to see yourself, whereas dreaming and then not reaching your destination could convey messages of doubts or hurdles that are in your way.
5. The Ex Files
Dreaming about an ex does not necessarily mean that you are not over him or that you two are meant to be together in your waking life! Rather it just means that there are issues that seem to be unresolved. This dream depends on the time at which you have it. Have you just gotten out of the relationship? Are you entering a new one? Etc. Depending on where you are in your life, the messages can range from figuring out the good and bad of the relationship and gaining closure, to your sub-conscious protecting you and resolving issues for you in your dreams so that you can have success in current and future relationships!
6. Home Sweet Home
Just as a house has many different rooms, so does your mind have many different compartments and levels of consciousness. The lower down you find yourself in a house – for instance in the basement – or what you find in there represents the things that you may have been neglecting or forgotten about in your life. The things you keep most locked away will be in the lowest levels of these residences.
7. The Beginning of The End
Dreaming of death or the death – of a loved one in particular – can be an alarming experience. The dream is frightening enough for most of us to carry on into the conscious realm of our day. It is not as alarming as it seems, however – death in the dream world represents the end of something as a beginning of another. In other words, dreaming of death may mean that where one door has closed in your life, a window is yet to open.
8. Falling Does Not Mean Failing
The feeling of falling in a dream is common. When we have this dream, the sensation of falling is so real that we often rouse ourselves from deep slumber. This is because your dream is trying to tell you that you are about to wake up. It’s confusing because we feel like we are woken up abruptly because of the falling, but actually it’s the other way around – and the falling is acting as a precursor to returning to the state of awake consciousness. Most often than not, the dreamer does not “hit bottom” but will awaken or stop dreaming beforehand.
9. Soaring Above The Clouds
Flying in your dream relates to how much control you believe you have in your life. If you dream that you are soaring high, it is a reflection on how you feel about reaching your goals – you are confident and as such your sub-conscious rewards you with a feeling of euphoria. But if you find that you are skimming low to the ground or hitting obstacles, then this could mean that you are feeling a sense of doubt or loss of power when it comes to your goals – time to address it IRL!
10. Freudian Food
Food has been the symbol of knowledge since biblical times, so dreaming about food can be interpreted as your mind feeling the need to satiate “hunger” and wanting to gain new insight and intellect. Sometimes, though, and this is especially true if the dream is a morning dream (where you have more control over what your dreams are) dreaming of food could just mean that you are literally hungry!
11. Sex Me Up
Having a sex dream is usually just an outlet for sexual desire and expression – you want it in real life, and so your dream conjures it up for you. However, sex dreams can also symbolise a feeling of connection and unification of your own conscious and sub-conscious ‘selves” and with other people. Perhaps there is something in your life that is allowing you to gain a level of personal growth, that is good for you – and as such your dreams are showing you that even on a subconscious level it is good for you!
12. That Naked Dream
Most people have had or know someone that has had the dream where they are meant to be a at a public function, but when they arrive there, they are not wearing any clothes. It is a common anxiety related dream; and expresses the fact that you are feeling some emotions like fear or stress to a point beyond limitation, such that you begin to feel vulnerable – hence the nudity. Try and see if there is a specific part of your body that is more exposed than others, as this may help delve into what aspect of life you are feeling emotional about.
13. Wave After Wave
If you have dreams about floating on water, your dreams are telling you that you are managing your emotions and have a good handle on a difficult situation in your waking life. In other words, you are keeping things afloat – and your dreams are offering you a sense of relief from the current stress in your waking life, by giving you the opportunity to feel weightless!
14. People Are Strange
Seeing other people in your dream can be a nice feeling, especially if these are people you no longer see in real life. However, these people are actually just agents in your dream that are manifestations of extended aspects of the self. The way they behave and what they are doing in your dream relate to the interpersonal issues that you may need to work through in your life.
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