I tend to be able to wake myself from dreams when they start getting 'nasty' or uncomfortable by thinking (or maybe saying outloud) ""1..2..3 wake up".

Thinking about it, it is usually at this point that I become lucid in dreams, so maybe rather than waking myself up, I could continue with the dream.

This reality is like a goldfish bowl. The dreamworld is the same, but larger. It's easy to get lost.