In the world of lifestyle and self-care, journals with various themes come in and out as fads. Many of them are quite time consuming and involve complicated rules, but a dream journal is extremely simple. To keep a dream journal, all you have to do is record all you remember from your dream as soon as you wake up in the morning. This can be done in the notes of your phone, but it is definitely more fun to have your own personalized journal dedicated to this.
There are many reasons why you should give this a shot. The first is that this habit improves the memory of your dreams over time. It trains your brain to go into “recall mode” right when you wake up in the morning. So, if you seem to rarely remember your dreams, just writing them down the few times you do will eventually allow you to recall them every morning. Most people have had dreams so fascinating that they stuck with them for years, so you can imagine what you might be missing out on! Dreams can inspire you with unique ideas and give you clarity on all the pent up emotions you’ve been ignoring inside your head. There is no reason not to give your brain it’s best shot at holding on to these “experiences.”
Dream journals also increase the likelihood that you will experience the phenomenon of lucid dreaming. Lucid dreaming occurs when you are aware of your dream as it is occurring, and meaning you can have the ability to control them. When you write down your dreams, you will start to, at least unconsciously, notice patterns. Then, when these patterns occur in your dream, your mind might awaken to the fact that it is sleeping.
Even if you do not experience these benefits from your journal, you are better off just because you have broken your habit of starting your day with Instagram!