Once I started having LDs I stopped using techniques at all. I'm sure that everyone has different experiences but for me LD techniques helped me change the way I see the world. It increased my critical thinking skills, analyzation of my surrounding, and self awareness. There is no magic trick that you can do and voila you're lucid. You have to train your brain to be ready to recognize the difference between dreams and reality. The exercises and techniques take a different amount of time for everyone who tries them because everyone's brain is different. You'll get out of it what you put in.
Here are my suggestions:
DO keep a dream journal. Writing down your dreams will help you to see patterns. It might also help you recognize holes in your logic in dreams later on.
DO RC. There are loads. I've found the nose pinching one to be the most reliable. The hands one isn't bad but there have been times when I was LDing that my hands looked completely normal.
When to use RCs: Using RCs at prearranged times during the day, when your watch beeps for instance, is fine but it isn't training your brain to think differently, it's training a behavior. Instead of scheduling it try RCing when something odd happens, or whenever you think about sleeping, dreaming, or going to bed. This is where analyzing your dream journal can come in handy. If you know what to look for, even a completely ordinary event can cause you to realize that you're dreaming.
DO take a nap. I have far more LDs when napping, fully dressed, with the lights on then I do when I'm sleeping at night. I can't really get up in the middle of the night and go back to bed either, but an hour or two nap in the middle of the day, or after you get out of school can sometimes trigger an LD.
DO use mental reinforcement. Tell yourself you're going to have an LD. Imagine yourself having an LD. Think about becoming lucid as you're falling asleep.
DON'T get discouraged. People teach themselves to LD all the time. It takes longer for some people than it does for others but it will happen if you put in the work. Getting discouraged or frustrated will be counter productive and hold you back. Relax. Take a break from techniques if you feel like it will help.
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