The thought of journaling may seem a bit scary; I’m sure we all have some notebooks with a few pages filled out that we eventually forgot about. However, dream journaling is less harrowing, and it’s pretty fun.
There are several different ways to keep a dream journal — you can physically write them down with pen and paper, use an app on your phone, or type them out on your computer. I like to use the app Astronaut’s Journal to log my dreams. This app is super helpful because not only does it have a dream journal section, there are sections for you to jot down ideas, list your achievements and goals, note any good things that have happened to you, and just write freely about anything that you want. The app has so many features, and it has a very cute, minimalistic design that makes everything organized and easy to navigate.
I tend to forget my dreams as soon as I wake up or as the day goes on. So, I try to write about my dreams as soon as I wake up. If I can’t write about my dreams in full, I try to jot down short, quick reminders to refresh my memory when I get the chance to document them later.
I usually start a journal entry by writing the date of the night before at the top (for example, if it’s the morning of November 8th, I write “Night of November 7th” at the top since that’s when I had the dream). Then, I just let everything else flow naturally. I like to write in my journal as if I’m talking to a friend. I ramble, use run-on sentences, and voice every single thought that comes to mind. I type out emojis to express the feelings I can’t put into words, and I list out every single moment and detail about the dream that I can remember.
You can organize your journal any way you want and write in it in whatever way works for you. I do it partly for fun and partly because I think it’s cool to analyze my dreams. Journaling is also a good method of self-care; taking time to reflect and lay out all of your thoughts is freeing and relaxing. With dream journaling, you get the opportunity to break your dreams down at a deeper level if you want to. You can look for hidden meanings, see what recurring themes keep popping up, or you can literally read back over old entries when you’re bored. It’s a great way to look back on memories or make connections to things you encounter in real life.
Keeping a dream journal doesn’t have to be anything extravagant, and it doesn’t have to feel like a chore. You don’t have to write down your dreams every single night, and the entries don’t have to be anything super long or drawn out unless you want them to be. Let it be something you do to unwind or start your day and make it a nice little side activity that you do when you’re normally doing self-care or taking a break.
Definitely consider writing down your dreams! Find a method that you like the best, and see how it works out. Even if it’s not something you think you’ll do for long, try to keep it going for a while so you have many dreams to look back on.
Happy dreaming!