Anyone who has experienced falling dreams will tell you that it is a terrifying experience. What does it mean when you see yourself falling in a dream?
As frightening as falling dreams are, they are pretty common, and many people dream about falling in some form or another.
It is instilled in us as babies to be afraid of falling, with the natural consequences of taking a great fall quite obvious, so we do have reason to be scared. But what does it mean if we experience falling in a dream? Should we be as wary of falling as we are in our conscious state or are there different interpretations when dreaming?
Generally speaking, falling in a dream indicates a lack of control or fear in some area of your life. It suggests that you feel insecure, lack stability, have low self-esteem or feel aimless in life. You could fear losing your job, your partner, your house, your social status, etc. Falling dreams can also suggest a sense of inferiority, shame or feeling under great pressure.
In order to explore what your falling dream means to you personally, we have to look at the different types of falling dreams:
Tripping over
If you tripped over and fell down, this is indicative of a small problem in your life that may halt your progress for a short while. If you got up immediately after you tripped, you will overcome this problem relatively easily. If it took you a while to recover, expect the problem to be larger and to last for longer before it is resolved.
Losing your balance
If you lost your balance before righting yourself, then this suggests you should be confident in yourself. If you lost balance and then fell, it suggests a lack of confidence in yourself that is not warranted. Be positive about your abilities and work to accentuate your positives, not your negatives.
Falling from the sky
This is a health warning from your subconscious and is telling you that you are over-working and should take a rest. Otherwise, you might succumb to an accident due to fatigue.
If you fell at speed, this indicates a rapid change in your life. Falling slowly suggests you are taking your time to make an important decision in your life.
Falling off an animal
It doesn’t matter what kind of animal you fell off, these types of dreams are not good omens. They all indicate some kind of loss, whether it be social standing (falling off an elephant) or being beaten in a competition (falling off a horse).
Falling into water
This strongly indicates an emotional stress that you are probably already aware of but do not want to face. The act of you falling into the water is literally trying to shock you into action.
The condition of the water should also be considered. A calm sea suggests there is an easy solution, a stormy sea typifies hardship, whereas a warm swimming pool points to a reunion with a loved one.
Being pushed and then falling
The meaning of this dream depends on who pushed you. If you knew the person, think about how they relate to you in real life. Are they pushing you to your limits at work or home?
If the person who pushed you was a stranger, then the onus is on you. Are you a pushover? Do you always say yes to people? Consider that your self-esteem might need some work.
You lost your grip and fell
One of the most common lack of control indications is if you lost your grip and then fell. It strongly suggests that you are hanging on for dear life to something where you feel completely out of control. Examine the people in your dream to give you a better idea of what the dream is trying to tell you.
Falling from different heights
If you fell from a great height, your subconscious mind is implying that you will experience a period of hardship and poverty. If you managed to land without injury, however, these setbacks will be temporary. If you hurt yourself when you landed, expect to have to endure the hardships for an extended period of time.
Falling from a medium height indicates a small fall from favor from those around you. To fall from a short height, or from standing generally means be wary of friends around you that do not have your best interests at heart.
If you jumped and fell
Unless you are an extreme sports fan and love to go skydiving, jumping and then falling suggests you feel under a great amount of stress. Your subconscious mind is telling you that you want to escape, it could be from responsibilities or a financial situation.
If you fell with other people
Dreaming that you are falling with others could indicate that someone very close to you is letting you down, or falling short in some way.
If you watched someone else fall, you feel helpless in real life about a situation or person.
How did you land?
The manner in which you landed is very important. If you landed on your feet, then the situation should readily right itself with little effort from you.
Landing on your back suggests you need more support, this could be from colleagues or a partner. To land on your hands is a sign that you could do with more of a hand from those close to you.
If the falling doesn’t end
This is an ongoing situation where you feel completely helpless and out of control. It could indicate a situation that you do not want to face that will soon show itself and you will have to deal with it.
To conclude:
Look at the details in your falling dream, where and how far you fell, how you landed, if you managed to get up.
Think about the current situation in your life and see where you feel out of control. By acknowledging where we feel helpless, we can then remedy the problem and the falling dreams should stop naturally.
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