Wednesday, May 6, 2009

I Hate Sleeping

About five to ten percent of adults have nightmares once a month or more frequently.

Nightmare #1: This is what I get for eating too much fish!


I would fall off a cliff and be attacked by giant piranhas. After I am killed, my spirit would float to the top of the cliff and watch from afar as my body is eaten.

This is the reoccurring nightmare I had through out college. It would vary slightly but it always ended the same: death. I’m the type of person that knows when I’m dreaming. After having this dream many times I tried to change it. While I was dreaming I would walk far away from the cliff or stay away from water in general. No matter how I tried to change it, the dream would carry on as always. If I tried to stay away from the cliff then I would be pushed or dragged by someone else to the edge.

I had no idea how to stop this nightmare and it continued for years. Some times I would have it a few times a week and other times it would only come every few months.

Eventually the nightmare stopped. I don’t know why, but I’m glad they did.

Nightmare #2: English class.

I am back in college and receive word that I can’t graduate because I am failing one of my classes (It’s ALWAYS an English class).

“That can’t be! I’m not even taking an English class right now!”
“Well, we have you signed up for one and if you fail it then you can’t graduate.”

It turns out that I registered for a class and then forgot about it! Now I am going to fail and I can’t graduate!

Another variation of this dream is that I am already graduated and I get a call from BYU saying that they need my diploma back because I didn’t complete my English class.

Man, oh man, how I hate that English class!

This nightmare is more common now. Since, I graduated in 2007.

Nightmare #3: Birds of prey


This nightmare consists of being chased by dinosaurs. And not just any dinosaur, but a herd of Utahraptors! Like the ones in Jurassic Park! The thing that made this dream so much scarrier then the other ones is that my little brother was always in them and I was afraid that he was going to get eaten. Don’t worry, he didn’t. I was always able to wake myself up right as the Raptors got close.

This dream is not as common as the other ones. I remember having it as a kid (probably shortly after Jurassic Park came out), and randomally through out highschool and college. But it hasn’t been for a while.

Conclusion:

I realize that I get these nightmares during stressful and life changing times. Of course, college was stressful. And my life right now is totally out of control. I don’t sleep well anyways and waking up with my heart beating out of my chest is not a fun thing.

I think that this is a reality slap that I need to make decisions. I have many paths that lie before me and, even though I love having options, I need to make a decision.

4 comments:

Rach said...

Oh Courtney! Your travel plans sound absolutely DREAMY! Sorry about the bad dreams, you will have to let us know what decisions you make. Changes can be hard, yet rewarding. Good luck.

emilie s. d. p. said...

I feel for you, nightmares are the worst! I usually have about 2 a month for a few months and then I won't have any for a few more months and then they'll start up again at random.
In my nightmares huge spiders are hanging from a thin web above me while I'm sleeping. I usually wake up either pointing at the ceiling and teary eyed or wake up at the bottom of the bed under all my covers trying to escape out the bottom of the bed before the spiders fall on me. Mitch thinks I'm insane but there's nothing I can do to stop the dreams. They are so real and vivid.
Your dreams sound awful, especially the one with your little brother. It would make sense that stress is a factor in causing the dreams. I hope that you'll have good dreams this month and that you'll feel good about whatever decisions you need to make!

Brendon said...

That is soooo funny...we had some friends over the other day & we got to talking about nightmares & reoccurring dreams. We had ALL had the English class dream where we signed up for a class, didn't attend the entire semester, & were going to fail. For most people it was Math, not English...I don't remember my subject, just the dream.

Sorry about all the stress...good luck with all your decisions.

Karilyn Carreon said...

Hey thanks for the comment! yes i took those! Im really getting into photography... like BIG TIME.... its so much fun! But i have just a simple camera so we are also looking for a new one as well... with our tax return most likely! hAHA