There’s this dream I have where I’m working in an unfamiliar hospital or on a different floor. I can’t find the charts or the computers, and the rooms are not well numbered. I can’t be sure which rooms are my rooms and which patients are my patients. I go to try and find the assignment sheet. It’s the end of the shift, and I haven’t given any meds or charted any assessments. The oncoming nurse will be here any minute. It’s an awful dream.
Then there’s the one where an IV pump is beeping and I repeatedly try to silence the alarm, but it won’t go off. I keep trying. It keeps beeping. This usually ends in me waking to my alarm clock.
What Do Dreams Mean?
Dreams can represent work stress, and when I've shared my dreams with other nurses, I’m amazed to hear we have some of the same dreams.
Some recurring dreams have nothing to do with work- at least outwardly.
There’s one where the brakes on my car or bike aren’t working and I’m speeding down a windy mountain road at a high speed, about to crash. Or the car is out of control. Over time, I've realized that’s when...guess what? I am feeling out of control, often due to work stress.
When I wake up and can still recall my dreams, I also try to recall how I felt during the dream and then review what’s happening in my life at the time.
Loose tooth dreams are distressing. It’s always a front tooth, and it’s very loose, about to fall out with one push of the tongue. I don’t know what that dream means, but perhaps a loss? Loss of confidence, fear of aging? Loss of control? I’m not sure yet.
There’s the naked in public dream, or naked in a crowd. Sometimes it’s not being naked, it’s being underdressed, but always in public. When I have that dream, I look back to see where I felt vulnerable the day before. Maybe I revealed more of myself than I’m comfortable with, or to someone with whom I’m not entirely comfortable. Or it could be an impostor-syndrome dream, with me being a poser.
I have a dream of being in junior high school and I can’t find my locker. It’s the Not-Prepared dream. The hallways are empty, because I’m late to class, and I don’t know which is my first period class. Or it’s the end of the semester, I’ve cut class too many times, and hope to quickly make up all the work. Actually, the last time I had that dream, I did complete all of the make up work and actually graduated, so maybe it’s over. We’ll see.
Older Dreams
I have some retired dreams, meaning previously recurring dreams that I haven't had for years and even decades. One is where I’m being chased, or cornered by some kind of scary, big, wild animals, and I’m in a small one-room cabin. I try to scream but have no voice. I don’t miss that one, it’s a nightmare! Whatever it represented, I think it’s resolved.
There are dreams with vast bodies of water. Being underwater, swimming leisurely. Peaceful and quiet. I’ve learned dreams with bodies of water can symbolize the subconscious mind, and of issues rising from our subconscious to our conscious mind.
I love my flying dreams. I think it, then I levitate. I float over treetops and sometimes fly as high as the clouds. Sometimes I can fly for only short distances, and sometimes I soar over miles of land.
When I fly, I know it’s a special power I have. Sometimes I try to show others, but usually, I fly in private because others won’t understand. It’s exhilarating. I’m powerful, weightless, and free. I can go anywhere I want. I'm not sure what the flying dreams mean, but it maybe when I’ve accomplished some big challenge or resolved something significant in my life.
Sometimes I dream about babies or small children. These are very busy dreams, in which I'm caring for many children, feeding, dressing, comforting, keeping track of several of them. There are always responsibilities involved and I'm trying to do my best, but it's challenging. Usually, I’m thrust into the childcare situation without warning or explanation.
Some dreams make no sense at all to me and are just busy dreams. Other dreams are clearly when I really am thinking about work or school, and I do homework or work on a project in my sleep. I call it the Working-All-Night dreams and wish I could bill my employer for them.
What about My Husband's Dreams?
Compared to me, my husband is far more practical about the meaning (or lack thereof) of dreams. He says, “When you dream you have to pee, then you have to pee. Get up and go!”
On the other hand, sometimes when he describes a dream I ask him “But what were you feeling?” He’ll identify a feeling, and he’ll have an Aha moment when we can tie it to something going on in our lives. Are we moving? Worried about one of the children? Is he changing jobs?
Some people dismiss all dreams as meaningless, and some people, myself included, look for meaning. I believe my mind is processing and resolving issues in my life while I’m asleep.
Do you pay attention to your dreams? What do you believe? Do your dreams have meaning or are they just random brain activity? I'd love to hear.
