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Help with bad dreams
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Hi all,
I'm currently in lockdown in Vic. I've lived with depression (and anxiety when things get bad) most of my life. It's been a tough year and I've had some really really low points, but I think I'm doing ok, considering. I meditate, try to move and try to make sure I reach out to people (I live alone). Even on 'good' days though, my dreams are terrible. I've always tended to bad dreams (it's often a first sign of depression getting bad).
I started keeping a dream journal just to figure out why I wake up feeling awful and I've realised this is happening every night right now.
It's really wearing me down. I get to sleep ok, and I wind down before bed. But every morning I wake up with a brain full of stress, from fighting, screaming, being lost, being chased - you name it. No matter how ok my day has been or if I've managed to walk, and meditate and do the right things it all comes out at night (and usually early morning just before I wake up).
It's making it impossible to get going in the morning - I lie there trying to calm down, to process and remember the grief/fear/etc was in a dream. I lie there and name everything in my room to try to ground. It's just hard enough to get through the day and I feel like I'm starting so far behind.
It doesn't seem to matter - I have a day of exercise, meditate, eat well - bad dreams. I have chips and wine for dinner and binge netflix curled under my doona - bad dreams. My subconscious is not giving me a break and it's hurting.
Just reaching out to see if anyone has any insight or advice to help get through this, because it's really getting to me.
Thanks for being there and my care and support to everyone out there,
Tired in Melbs.
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Hi there,
I get bad dreams like you do too when my depression is on its way back. Kinda like an early earning by my subconscious. Mine relate back to being at uni and exam time when I was massively anxious. They actually terrify me!
my psychiatrist has told me it shows that I am under some kind of performance pressure and that’s why it shows up in my dreams at certain times. I don’t get them every night like you do for which I am grateful.
I don’t really have any advice for you other then to let you know you aren’t alone with your experience.
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Hi op . Ahh man , it must be terrible. l've always hated any dreaming even good ones it just messes with me too much and also wrecks my sleep which l've always had trouble with. l'd just rather plonk and wake up in the morng, no dreams , no nothin.
But l do dream only in small streches though thanks God. And just this last 2wks l've been in terrible nightmares , l hate them so much , l couldn't dream of a worser dream. l don't usually nightmare very often thk god so l'm not sure wth l've started with these out of the blue. Although l have had depression and stress this last few wks so it's probably just from that.
Nit nice at all being on your own at those times though is it.l live mostly alone atm too. damn house is too big for one too even though l'm a 6ft guy l feel like a bloody dot in bed. l get up , walk about grab some food ,throw on the tv watch adds or pathetic sitcoms or something, things l hate that are so damn stupid and in your face that they just make me forget the dream.
l've thought about researching dreaming but really , l just don't wanna even know, l just don't wanna dream , full stop.
rx