Thread: What Reality Checks do you use and when?

I talk to people a lot in my dreams, probably because I work in retail. But yeah, I was curious about other peoples reality checks and when they actually perform them so I can take some new strategies. Of course this forum is for anyone looking for new reality checks and times to do them.

My RCs are: look at my hands, try pushing a finger through one of my hands, look at the clock on my phone.

I perform them: when I talk to someone at work very subtlety (every customer) and any time when I think "well that's weird" or "this is weird."

I try to push a finger trough my hands, look at my hands and I flip a pen and try to make it float.

Ah the pen, simple, but that should be effective!

Count my fingers, look at the clock and plug my nose (not in public )

I usually do them at random, or when I notice something weird, or potentially wierd.
I'm really lousy noticing any dream signs though. Everything seems so naturally, perfectly placed, in dreams, so it''s hard to ever question anything

The pen thing is a bit risky; say you dream that you look at your pen, but the dream plot steers you into not to be able to make the pen hover?

I use nose-plug and digital watch RC. If possible, I try reading and rereading a text and I pay attention if I am not fabricating the words without distinguishing the letters. My fingers often look normal in my dreams and I can't push my finger through my palm. When you become lucid, do many different RCs to discover what works for you.
I do RCs whenever I remember, about 100 times per day.

Originally Posted by Ibis

Count my fingers, look at the clock and plug my nose (not in public )

I usually do them at random, or when I notice something weird, or potentially wierd.
I'm really lousy noticing any dream signs though. Everything seems so naturally, perfectly placed, in dreams, so it''s hard to ever question anything

The pen thing is a bit risky; say you dream that you look at your pen, but the dream plot steers you into not to be able to make the pen hover?

I don't know, it might happen, though I've always managed to float them in my few LDs. Then again, I'm a pen spinner, so even if I didn't get it to float I'd recognize it if the pen didn't move as it should.

I count my fingers (which has given me most of my DILDs) and i read something and then reread it to see if it reads the same the second time

Interesting, you count your fingers? And it works well? Is there any time you choose to do reality checks? And do you count both sets of fingers?

Moved to General Lucid Discussion

I guess a person can create a unique RC for themselves.

The nose plug RC, it hasn't failed me yet, but I always count my fingers or try sticking one through my palm as a back up.

BTW Game of Thrones is awesome

Originally Posted by NickCamp

BTW Game of Thrones is awesome

You got that right .

Just so we do not go off topic, I had another LD last night, and the nose plug worked as usual .

Nice I added the nose plug to my RCs

I do 3 at once.
Look at my hands, Bite my finger and plug my nose.

Might start just doing 2 though.

I've been starting the nose plug, I have a few experiments I would like to try regarding ld-ing

Nose pinch and rubbing hands. I actually tried the nose pinch today.

rubbing hands? how does that help you check?

My reality check is mostly mental - when I feel that is not working, i perform a finger count or nose pinch, but I've never actually had it fail within a dream before. The secondaries are just for reassurance. As for when; I try to keep my mental RC up all day. Constant RC = lucid in no time.

Originally Posted by fOrceez

As for when; I try to keep my mental RC up all day. Constant RC = lucid in no time.

Hmm is there a way you can describe this?

Also I've been wondering if my mindset whilst doing my reality checks is in the right place. Is there any tricks you do to get into that mindset?

There is a subtle but very definite feeling of the 'dream world'. When you recall your next few dreams, try and focus on how you felt and how the atmosphere of the dream felt. Not just your emotions, but the feeling of the dream itself. The best mindset would definitely be to question whether you are dreaming or not.
Don't do it half-heartedly. This could lead to false RCs in your dreams which would really not be good at all.

I agree with what fOrceez is saying here, nowadays most of my LDs come from an awareness of how the dream literally feels within my body and everything around me. It's when I catch on to this feeling that I'll do an RC to confirm that I am dreaming

During the day the two most common RCs I use are to count my fingers and the nose plug. Both are extremely reliable for me, though I have had the nose plug fail when I haven't been expecting it to work properly. I generally do them any time I see, hear or feel something strange, or just when I feel like it. Whenever I wake up during the night, I also make it a habit to look at my large digital alarm clock and do an RC using that quickly, and this has let me catch many FAs before

The key to any RC is to use it to confirm the suspicion that you are dreaming - and relies on you really having the intent that they will work. Really question if you are dreaming every time you do an RC, and take a second to think about where you are, what you've been doing and what's going on around you. Do this, and your RCs will never fail you

I usually just bite my tongue when things dont feel real or anytime I wake up just in case of a false awakening.

I do the nose plug RC I've been doing it for so long it's like second nature to me. I just do it whenever

I'm with forceez and Dark_Merlin on this one. My RC is very mental. I take about 30 seconds to stop what I'm doing and search for that surreal "feel." My main physical RC is trying to fly, a willful jump. An RC itself can confirm whether you're dreaming or not, but that peak in awareness is what really makes you lucid. I believe genuine RC's require some mental preparation.