A dream journal is an invaluable source of information about your most important concerns, activities, and relationships in the waking world,” says the psychologist Bulkeley (1). Do you dream at night? Do you have a hard time remembering its content? When you remember them, do they seem indecipherable to you? If yes, there is no need to worry, it happens to all of us! Although it is not known exactly why, it is said that five minutes after a dream, people forget half of its content, after another few minutes, almost all of it. Thus, many psychologists recommend dream journaling, so that we could really get the most out of our dreams - using them as tools to better understand our personality, be more creative and understand our emotions and deficiencies. So how to keep a dream journal?

How To Keep A Dream Journal

So let's jump right into how to keep a dream journal template in the most effective way. First find a notepad or journal in which you can write down your dreams. Don't use it to write anything incomparable. Alternatively, you can use an application on your phone. Dreambook Journal is a dream journal app where you can write dreams and keep a track of them. If you are wondering: how to keep a dream journal in a busy life, then Dreambook is just for you. Keeping a dream journal online with a Dreambook Journal application is practical and easy. Remember to write it down right after you wake up, as dreams fade very quickly after you get out of bed. If you don’t avoid this mistake, the memory of your dream will start to fade, and at some point you might forget all about it. Later, write in the present tense because it will help you remember more details as you dive back into the dream story. Since dreams can be very bizarre, confusing, and even overlapping at times, it can help you keep things simple and follow the main goal of writing down as much detail as you can. Now let’s see how to write the best dream journal possible.

How To Write A Dream Journal

In order to have good planning, separate the page into parts. If you are feeling confused because of overlapping dreams or if you don't have enough memories, don't panic. Try to write down everything you can remember and don't try to tell a story or follow a sequence. Later you can read it and maybe try to improve the connections. You can try to draw pictures of your dream, no need to be pretty or exact, just a quick sketch to have different dream journal ideas. You can also use different colors for drawing and writing to express different emotions or themes. Write a title for each dream! It helps in reference and in some cases it is an opportunity to better understand the situation.

What To Write In A Dream Journal

First, write the place of the dream - what was around you, is it an unfamiliar or familiar place? Then, your emotions and feelings - how you were feeling, or if it changes throughout the dream. After, note who were you with, were these the people you usually hang out with? Try to precise their actions. What were they doing, were they acting weird or normal? It would be good also to mention the weather, if it changes when you were in certain places or with specific people? Was it sunny, misty, or dark? It can give us some points about our inner self. After describing the environment of your dream, you can talk about what you were doing. Another thing to mention is dream symbols that come up in your dreams, or those that will help you trigger lucidity. You may also talk about the feelings that the dream made you feel. Were you happy, excited, sad or afraid? The key rule is to write down everything without seeking for meaning or logic in your dreams. Don't censor yourself, even write down what you think is absurd or shameful since you will be the only one reading your own dream journal book.

Benefits Of A Dream Journal

If you wonder why you should keep a dream journal, it is time to look at some significant dream journal benefits! Keeping a dream journal will help you deal with your emotions better. In fact, they often depend on everyday life. Does keeping a dream journal help by also reducing stress? Yes! For example, you have suffered professional stress at work! And this anxiety shows up in your sleep. But, these worries are different when you are dreaming! Indeed, the subconscious whispers to your consciousness to offer you a solution when you wake up. You will be able to react more effectively to stress, and give yourself a chance to be happy. Also, keeping a dream journal is a fountain of inspiration. Keeping a dream journal stimulates the imagination in your waking hours and interpreting dreams encourages creativity. Not only that but writing your dreams in a journal will also stimulate your mind and promote better memorization! You are sending a message to your conscious and subconscious mind! Then you will be able to access lucid dreams. Lucid dreaming is a fantastic way where you can take control of your sleep and dream about whatever you want! However, it takes practice! Why not take the next step by indulging in astral projections?

The dream world is mysterious. Keeping a dream book is self-discovery! So what does a dream journal do? We hope you found out! and we tried to show how it helps us in our daily life with different dream journal examples! Your dreams will reveal all the secrets buried deep within your being. In fact, writing your dreams down in a notebook improves our everyday life! So why not start now?