Dream Away

What if we can enrich our lives simply by dreaming more?

This post comes from our blog intern, Emily!

As a kid, I think I spent half my time daydreaming. I can vividly remember waking up on Saturdays and spending a few hours in my bed “somewhere else,” playing with my hair, and singing to myself before getting up. Playing scenes in my head that were as clear as a movie, fantasizing, or recalling the dragon-princess filled dreams I was creating the hour before. Not too much has changed. When I recently saw a headline on Facebook feed that read “Daydreaming is Good for You,” I was intrigued.

As we get older, we daydream less. Most of our time is occupied…by work, tending to our needs and others’ needs, we’re busy people with complex lives and we wouldn’t, couldn’t admit that daydreaming “fits” into our schedule of productivity. But dreaming is part of what makes us human — it’s in our nature, and the influence it has on our lives is powerful and healthy!

When the ‘dreaming mind’ cycles through different parts of the brain, it accesses information that was before out of reach. Connections can be made between bits of data that you may never have considered in your waking, “normal” thought patterns. Creativity, insight and problem-solving may not be readily achieved without the freedom and ability to dream. We are more apt to think outside the box and find new paths as we dream.

Regardless of whether you dream during the day or night, it is important. It helps recharge and revitalize the body. It is an excellent way to increase imagination and intuitive capabilities. When we dream, we are playing. We find new patterns, create ways to break through a rut, and work with ourselves.

Next time you wake from a dream, write down whatever you can remember. Keep a journal by your bed to make this process even easier. Note the emotions, colors, moments… and see if you can’t relate them to something in your life. Maybe it will spur a new project, a story, a photo essay? There certainly are NO limits when we dream, so why not bring some of “that world” into your waking life? Use your dreams as a tool to see beyond and let your creativity flow.

I hope you’re always inspired to dream away!

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