Anxiety dreams can speak volumes about your life and surroundings. Many times, the only way we understand what’s going on is through these dreams.
Dream interpretation is all fun and games until you’re plagued with anxiety dreams.
These are not the same as nightmares, mind you. There is a bit of difference between the two. When you start to label anxiety dreams as nightmares, you miss the whole source of the disturbance. Interpreting anxiety dreams means understanding the different varieties as well.
Types of anxiety dreams
Anxious dreams are often repetitive. This is one way that they differ from your ordinary nightmare. They usually aren’t as intense either. Some anxiety dreams have underlying feelings of tension and negative emotion, where frightening dreams are extreme and horrifying.
Let’s look at the different types of anxiety dreams to help us understand their importance.
1. Falling dreams
A dream about falling is quite common. I know you’ve probably heard many people talk about dreaming that they are falling endlessly or falling into a dark pit. Well, usually this type of anxiety dream means you are moving toward a negative event, at least this is what you fear in life that could be happening.
Maybe, during your waking hours, you fear the end of a relationship, be it intimate or with a family member. Since you usually cannot control the ending of these chapters, your falling symbolizes a situation that cannot be changed, and you don’t know when it will happen. This dream can be agonizing.
2. Losing something
If you dream that you’ve lost something or even had something stolen from you, especially if it’s your car, then you could be suffering from lack of motivation. Your car can actually represent your drive, and the loss of this drive can be extremely stressful.
A dream of losing something can mean you are uncertain about a situation or relationship. You should analyze your life and pay attention to how often you have this type of dream.
3. Natural disasters (tidal waves etc)
This anxiety dream usually means you are overwhelmed with something in waking life. This could be a number of things and it will be up to you to figure out the source. Some examples of overwhelming situations include a new job, loss of job, death, divorce, or even an overwhelming feeling because of a future decision which must be made in your life.
If these overwhelming dreams are repetitive, then you should probably focus on what’s bothering you and pursue a well thought out resolution as soon as possible. Until the feelings are resolved, the dreams will probably continue.
4. Tooth loss
Many people see teeth as a symbol of power, mostly because teeth are used to break down food in order to digest it properly. Think about the connotation in that. Teeth are what stands between you and your goal, and if they work properly, then they hold the power of a solution to eating.
If teeth represent power, the loss of teeth in a dream usually means loss of control. It can also mean being in a situation where you cannot find a good enough solution.
5. Naked
Being naked in a dream has been reported many times. It is quite common. So, to be naked in a dream means that you are being exposed. It can also mean that you feel embarrassed about something. You may also feel like you cannot conceal anything about yourself, even your most ugly characteristics.
If being exposed in life brings on stress, don’t be surprised if you dream about being naked on a regular basis. Many times, your emotional state will be reflected in some physical form in your dreams. That’s pretty neat, huh?
6. Chased or pursued
Some anxiety dreams are about being chased. The weird part is that in some of these dreams, you cannot even see what’s chasing you. You just feel the sensation of being pursued.
These dreams usually mean that you are running away from something in your life. It could be a person, a decision, or a location. Whatever it is, until you stop running in waking life, you probably won’t stop running in your dreams either.
Take inventory of your life, face what you’re avoiding, and just get it over with.
7. The burning house
If you’re having this dream, beware. It usually means the burning house in your dream is actually your mind. You are completely overwhelmed by life itself and you could be headed for a nervous breakdown, panic attack, or something of that nature.
If these dreams are happening over and over, then it’s your mind telling you to take a break and renew your mind. Pay attention to these dreams, they could just save you from future mental distress.
8. Missing your mode of transportation
If you dream of missing the bus or missing your plane, then you are actually afraid of missing some deadline in your life. You are busy, and this is reflected in your dream world too. These anxiety dreams are probably warning you to not forget an important event or deadline in your near future.
Use these dreams to help you remember, and try to not let them create overwhelming stress if possible.
Learning to utilize anxious dreams
As I just stated above, you can take these stressful dreams and use them to your advantage. When you understand what your anxiety dreams mean, you can understand the moves you need to make in life.
It can be easy to let your dreams upset you and cause you to panic, but if you can take hold of this, you can make huge positive changes. Let the truth of these dreams show you the way. I’m working on my dream to life process as we speak. Good luck!
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Thank you, Sherrie, I have read a few books relating to dream interpretation and find that if I write down my dream as soon as I wake up it’s much easier to recall. My repeating dream involves being lost in a huge old house. I ask various people I encounter for directions but never get a response. I have no related fear but feel frustration in not being able to get an answer. Any comments? Thanks.
Wow, when I was reading this, something strong came to mind. I see you walking in an old house, and this house I see as being you. You are the house. I don’t know your age, but maybe, if you are young, the old house symbolizes being tired and worn. As for the people, I see that maybe you are still looking to others for self-affirmation. Maybe you are confused about things about yourself and about your purpose in life. You will not find these answers with others and they cannot give you direction in your life.
So, possibly this dream could be telling you to spend more time getting to know yourself. There is another option as well. Maybe you already have all these answers but they are buried really deep inside. You are frustrated because no one can give you the answers (directions). I think a dream in your future may give you the key to those answers. Keep writing these down. Dreams can sometimes be puzzles and the pieces are there. You just have to find them.
Interesting about the house dreams. I have dreams about houses a lot as well. It is always a house that is amazing in either appearance (like an old Victorian mansion) or with “treasures” inside it. They are always old, crumbly, dated houses, usually belonging to a family member that I do not know, but know of (great-grand mother for instance – and it is always a woman that the houses belong to). The houses are always huge, and they draw you in and make you want to explore every nook and cranny. All were elegant and well loved in their day. They all feel comforting to be in. They all have some sort of structural issue – usually a floor or stairs that are rotted and can’t be crossed. I always have a strong feeling that there is more to the house that I just can’t get to because of these floors and stairs, like a room where I know there are things I would love to discover, with family history, antiques and items like that. I can describe everything that I see in great detail when I wake up. I always wake up before finding what I am looking for. It always makes me kind of sad when I wake up, because I was just so excited to be where I was. In my real life, I have never been to any of the houses in my dreams. When I have these dreams, I can still remember them in vivid detail years later, and when they pop in my head, I can feel how it was to be there in my dream. I have always felt drawn to old houses.