Are dreams a peephole into the mind?

^{(Source: Mental Floss)}

Have any of you ever awakened after having a really vivid, really bizarre dream?

I bet most of you have. I find that this happens when one is under extreme stress, anxious about something or looking for a way out of a particular situation. My mind cooks up particularly weird scenarios that are so vivid that they feel so real. Sometimes they are so bizarre that I begin to question what is happening.

Some say that dreams are a glimpse into one's subconscious. Others opine that dreams are just that... dreams. I say that they are both.

I say this because, if I'm feeling down or if I am acting out of character, I sit and introspect. I try to figure out what is really bothering me and what I can do to change my situation. So, when I wake up one morning and realise that I have had a weird dream, I try to figure out and connect dream sequences to my real life.

Key pointers in dreams like what one is doing, what situation one is in... things like these can be linked to real-life situations or worries. That is when one can figure out what is happening in one's mind.

Like many people, I find that it is difficult to remember a dream. Most people have more than one dream during a sleep cycle. Often, people remember the last dream they had, that too, only if they consciously try to remember details.

Usually, dreams that are particularly jarring tend to linger in one's mind even months after one has had the dream. I have had this happen to me. I still remember some dreams that I have had from when I was a child.

As a child, I was plagued by nightmares, most of them involving kidnapping or getting separated from my parents.

^{(Source: The Hans India)}

As an adult, most of my nightmares involve zombies or death of a loved one. Dreaming about the death of a loved one has obvious inferences. Dreams about zombies are a little more ambiguous- depending on who is the zombie or whether or not you are being chased by them.

^{(Source: The Independent)}

What I noticed is that I would be terrorised by zombie nightmares whenever I was under extreme stress and feeling helpless. I was always being chased by zombies and trying to make sure that my family and I remained safe. The fear and helplessness always felt real and I would quite literally breathe a sigh of relief after waking.

Now, however, my dreams are mostly bizarre and a little comical. I end up laughing after waking up just thinking about the dream. Funny as they may seem on the surface, they are very relevant to my current worries and situations.

Here are two of my most recent dreams and some interpretations:

^{(Source: New Atlas)}

I was offered a part-time job of dressing up as Santa Claus and dancing in a mall for 2 hours a day. I wanted the job, but in my dream, my boss would not allow me to accept the part-time gig.

Now just look at this. The part-time job is a few pay grades below my current one but I want it really bad. I clearly remember that the joy and "smiling" part of the job are what I desperately wanted.

My interpretation of wanting to take up the job? I am not happy in my current situation.

My interpretation of my boss not allowing me to take the job? My real-life commitments.

^{(Source: Southern Living)}

I moved to Bangalore and found a beautiful independent house. The rooms were tiny, but the garden was huge. The house was surrounded by mud, grass and potted flowering plants. The care-takers of the house- an aged woman and her sons (I don't remember how many) lived next door and two of my friends were in a house just in front of mine (houses in many parts of Bangalore literally touch each other). I moved into the house, found that it has been stocked with the latest gadgets that will make my life easy. I invite people over to see my new house. My mom's there. All of a sudden, someone walks up to me as asks me if I have informed the landlord before moving in. That's when I realised that I haven't and begin to worry about what is going to happen. I remember not having even discussed the rent.

That's when I catch myself in my dream going "no way would I do something like this". After I realise this, I start to wake up.

My interpretations? I want to move to Bangalore. This inference is not that hard since I have been thinking about moving for a while now.

My interpretation of the house? I have always wanted to live in an independent house. The fact that two of my friends and the caretakers are close by seems to mean that I want someone to be around in case I need something or someone.

My interpretation of being worried about the landlord and the rent? I think this is my fear of change, being unprepared and my fear of making the wrong choice too soon.

What do you think?