Having trouble staying motivated

[Typho]

The title pretty much says it all. As much as I want to still have lucid dreams, I can't find the motivation to practice. Part of the problem is general school stress. I always feel stressed out and think "what's the point of trying to lucid dream, I am so stressed now it won't work anyway." Plus school sort of fries my brain and I don't have the will to keep thinking about lucid dreaming as I fall asleep. Another part of the problem is I am having trouble confirming my reality checks. For example when I first started lucid dreaming back in May, I could do a nose pinch RC and it would be very easy. But now, I've done that a billion times and it's hard to pay attention to If I can actually breathe. This makes RCs a lot of work and I no longer want to do them anymore. Finally, I am disappointed in virtually all levels of my lucid dreaming capability. I can't recall one or two full dream a night. I cannot become lucid or stay lucid very long, and I cannot control my dreams as well anymore. I know this sounds sort of like a redundant problem because if I find the motivation to practice, these will improve, but I am saying even if I am at my full LDing potential, I am disappointed in these areas. An in all, I sort of have a cycle where I pick up a hobby then drop it after a couple months and I don't want that to happen to lucid dreaming, because I have had so much fun, and there's still so much stuff I want to do! I want to reach a comfortably high level of motivation perhaps by the end of the month. Thanks in advance for your help.

[mcfundash]

I know what you mean and honestly if I were you I would quit for a bit, its ok to do that. Just wait until you have less stress and more time to figure out everything in your LDs and RCs etc. I actually just got back from taking a brake from LDing and I have lots of motivation now and am ready to start dreaming. Seriously it is ok to take a break, just like a month or two.

[Enjyu]

I agree that there's nothing wrong with taking a break. I went through something similar to what you described. When I discovered lucid dreaming I was very excited about it and couldn't wait to do it myself. Shortly afterwards, a lot of things happened that required a lot of my time and energy, and I eventually lost interest in lucid dreaming. I had too much stress to keep up with it. Eventually, the stress went away and I was more motivated than ever to get back to lucid dreaming. Shortly thereafter I had my first lucid dream, and since then I've been getting them more frequently. The following is a quote from a similar thread: I go through stages where I am super passionate about something, then it fades to a mellow love, then it just becomes a habit. Months later, my passion will return, stronger than ever. This is just part of being human. It happens with everything in life. Relationships, sports, arts, music. Perseverance takes willpower. If you know you want it, stick with it through the hard times so you will be ready for the good times. Your passion will come and go like the tides, so you can't rely on it completely. It's fine if you want to take a break, but don't give up. I recommend you read through Mancon's Guide to Staying Motivated, for more information on how to keep your motivation up. I hope this helps somehow.