n00b alert

hello everyone! my name is mel. i'm 21 years old and i hail from NY, USA!

lucid dreaming was an old hobby of mine (i was a beginner who mainly resorted to flying around whenever i had the chance lol) which i wish to ressurect because i remember it being so fulfilling.

unfortunately, going through college has been putting me through a lot of stress these past few years, which has significantly affected my dream recall. i used to remember my dreams every night - now i can remember one a month, if i'm lucky.

i've always had particularly amusing dreams. part of what has always hindered my advancement in lucid dreaming was my fear of a lot c dreams. i have depression and a lot of repressed emotions which makes me have very dark, gloomy dreams. i rarely have nightmares, but my dreams aren't happy "places" to be in. there's a lot of tension and fear in the air. it's kind if held me back because i'm afraid to go back into that gloomy world, although i'm well aware that lucid dreaming will help reduce these negative feelings in my dreams.

ah well, anyway, that was my introduction. i just wanted to get myself back on track and i'd appreciate it if anyone had some advice to offer me! particularly in the stress and dream recall area...

glad to be here :)

One thing that will really help with the recall is starting a dream journal. Whether it is one that's online here, or in a book you keep by your bed (or even a tape recorder if that helps you more). Consciously recording everything you remember from a dream will help you concentrate on remembering more details. Try to highlight or take note of things that seemed strange in the dream, and I think soon you'll find your recall gets better and better.

As far as the stress, I think that LDing might actually help you. I have a set of recurring nightmares, and the one time I've been lucid during one I was able to change the dream to make it more pleasant. You can use LDing as a tool to help you confront some of those bad dreams, which I think is a really powerful aspect of lucid dreaming. I know it is scary at first because you can't control it as much, but remember that even minimal control will be better than just being helpless to your nightmares.

The people here are always happy to help. Particularly look for people with green names, they are selected by the staff because they are really helpful to new lucid dreamers!

Hey Mel, welcome to DV!

Mortalis iw correct, even just the act of intending to recall your dreams will greatly help you. The more you think about them, the more your subconscious will realize they are important to you, and consequently help you out. Check out this http://www.dreamviews.com/dream-sign...ompendium.html if you haven't yet, I am sure it will be very helpful.

If you're going through a lot of stress, I would suggest choosing a lucid dreaming technique that is very convenient for you. That way, you get an ample amount of sleep without forcing yourself on LD attempts. Your welfare always comes first and if you have things bothering you in real life, it is best to take care of them since they can greatly affect your dreaming state. You will find that the better you go through waking life, the better your dreaming life also becomes.

Cheers. If you need anything, don't hesitate to post or send a pm! :)

Hey, Mel, welcome to the forum!

I don't know if you're male or female but I am also Mel...in a fashion. :)

Lucid dreaming is a great tool for handling gloomy dreams and thoughts. Conversely, understanding and facing gloomy thoughts while awake can aid with lucid dreaming. Most all of our dream material comes from our waking thoughts and experiences. Positive and forward-thinking attitudes and habits can really help you have a better night's sleep, and a kick-ass dream.

Stress isn't always easy to deal with in life, awake or asleep, but learning to process it and get past it or through it is probably the best thing you can do to ease your dreams. Making small changes in life could include taking time to be calm during the day, dietary changes, entertainment changes, even changes in the people you associate with if they cause stressful emotions. Living happy is so worth it and can have a wonderfully positive impact on your dreams and your ability to control them.

A good way to help get you on track with your dreams is to take the Intro class in the DreamViews Academy. It promotes the basics like keeping a dream journal and recognizing your dream signs but because there is a structure to the class the ideas are reinforced and you build the habits you need for success. Check it out here: Intro Class

We're here to help and we love answering questions. If you need specific help you may contact any staff member.

Pleasant dreams! :)

Welcome, Mel!

Overcoming high stress is unfortunately something I have lots of recent experience with. In my case some of the things I did to reduce the stress included: leaving another online forum (not about dreams) that was contributing to my high stress and joining DreamViews, paying more attention to myself / my emotions / what triggered them (my dream journal and a variation of all day awareness exercises (ADA) helped with that), reducing caffeine, increasing exercising, and changing my attitude consciously. It was not easy, and I cannot say I am now stress free, but I know I am much better than I was in February.

I wish you all the best on your journey of figuring out what you need to reduce your stress - and what works for you may of course be different than what worked for me.

thanks for the advice, everyone. stress is actually my biggest problem and staying motivated is a challenge that comes with it but i think trying to stay active on these forums would help.

and melanieb, my name's melanie too :)