Thread: How do YOU check reality

I pinch my nose and try to breath through it. If I cant then Im awake, If I can then Im dreaming.

If you can’t then you are awake. I guess this is a better option.

Watching on alarmclock as 1st RC, then pinch nose as second.
My previous LD the alarm/digitalclock worked great.

Check my hands, then check my environment for weird things.

Good ol' finger thru' palm.

poke my hand, then just look around

Try to put my finger through my hand, that's most effective for me. One time I realized I had six fingers on my hand instead of five when I did that. Then I tried to change my whole dream... I got halfway to pulling over the "dream screen" and lost complete control. Not a happy experience.

If i question myself whether im dreaming or not, i know im dreaming.

I also pinch my nose

Normally if the dream is long enough I'll just know I'm dreaming and then nose check

I tend to switch between different reality checks when I'm questioning reality. I do the nose plug rc, look at my hands, look at my environment, or do an energy check. I don't think the energy check has ever lied to me before.

Looking for things that are out of the ordinary in the world around me combined with thinking about what I'm doing, why, and how I got there. That combination will never fail to distinguish dream from reality for me.

I try to Move objects in the world with my mind as my first one, and as my second one I read something in the world then look away and look back and try to read it again, If I can't read it or If it says something different I know I'm dreaming.

Try to recognise any 'oddity' in the dream environment which is usually visual, or anything that is out of context relative to my present real life.

Nose check's never failed me.
But in dreams I only ever do it when I already have a hunch I'm dreaming, not randomly. Of course, doing RCs in waking life helps create that hunch though.

I use a totem i had for years. (Silver hawk coin) I rub it ,and question my surroundings as it builds more awareness each time i rub it. It also helps stabilize the dream im in more too.

Wow how did you go about getting the Totem? Is it something you physically posses in Waking life that stays with you in your dreams?

Originally Posted by ZeraCook

Wow how did you go about getting the Totem? Is it something you physically posses in Waking life that stays with you in your dreams?

Yes, it was given to me by my Mom years ago. I keep it in my pocket everywhere i go. When i need to reality check, i just reach in my pocket grab my hawk coin totem and play with it thruout my fingers and knuckles.

It has become such a habit in my waking life that, it subconsciously carries over in my dreamstate. So whenever i reach in my pocket, it is there.

When I walk in the halls at school and see an attactive women I keep my eye out for anything out of the ordinary. I keep the question "Am I dreaming?" in my head until I am satisfied with the answer through a normal reality check.

I don't do reality checks. As a long time lucid dreamer, I find it unnecessary. However, once already lucid, I look at my hands throughout the dream to make sure that it's still a dream.

Originally Posted by Dreamprofesser

I use a totem i had for years. (Silver hawk coin) I rub it ,and question my surroundings as it builds more awareness each time i rub it. It also helps stabilize the dream im in more too.

Be careful on sharing how your totem works. Your subconscious may pick up on that you've shared it with someone else and it may lose some effect in the dream. Talking from experience here.

In my most recent Lucid Dream I plugged my nose and tried to breath. It didn't work, but I had a strong feeling it was a dream so I tried again and it worked. So yeah, that's my RC.

The Other day I tried flying to RC, which usually works but it didn't, luckily I didn't fall for it and still became lucid just a bit later

I usually start killing people and if the cops show up its not a dream...

I normally look at the backs of my hands and find if any of my fingers are crooked.

I look at my hand and count fingers, look for suspicious things and checks to see if I can read and if I do then I concentrate on the written sentence and see if it is changing or block it with my hand and see if it is changing.

I look at my hands, then I look at the environment for strange things, and as last RC I try the nose RC.
If one fails, another will work.