We spend, on average, a third of our lives asleep, but the summer sun finding its way into my room well into the evening leaves little room for thoughts of slumber. Blades of light that pierce through even the smallest gap in my closed blinds can pull my mind away from rest, and while I virtuously choose not to roll into the next episode on Netflix in favour of calling it a night, sleep is nevertheless hard to come by. But if sleep itself is difficult, what of our dreams?
My earliest recurring dream was when I was in primary school. It began with me playing in the street, when, suddenly, a red car filled with monsters would pull up. They'd drag me into the car and then drive at speed into a brick wall. I would wake up just before impact.
I had this dream for years, until one night something shifted; rather than a crash, the car broke down just before it reached the wall. The monsters got out and there was a grand unmasking, redolent of the Scooby-Doo cartoons I'd watched growing up. These monsters were simply adults in disguise in Halloween costumes. I wasn't scared of them anymore, and they weren't trying to hurt me. This shift coincided with my gaining fluency in English, my second language, and discovering a love for reading nurtured by weekly trips to the local library. After the Scooby-Doo version of the dream, I never had it again.
Esta historia es de la edición September 2023 de Psychologies UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición September 2023 de Psychologies UK.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 8500 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
The Keyes to life
Celebrated author Marian Keyes talks to Psychologies about milestones, good intentions, and feeling younger than her years
Take time to treat yourself
Does a spa day seem like an overindulgence you can't justify? Heidi Scrimgeour - fresh from an unforgettable experience - shares five reasons why you should reconsider...
Spread the joy
Connect with your food, understand your body, and transform your health with JoyFull – Radhi Devlukia-Shetty's mouthwatering new collection of effortless plant-based meals
Rest to reset
Let's make taking time out to soothe the soul, release held stresses, and restore calm an everyday essential, writes Nahid de Belgeonne
Anna Williamson Summer lovin'...
There is nothing that's guaranteed to up our feelgood factor- and our libido - like a little bit of sunshine! So as we feel the fledging rays of summer this month - with beach holidays and cocktails hovering just over the horizon - I'm taking the focus of this month's musings to matters beneath the sheets...
Empty nest
As parenthood takes on a new guise, open yourself up to change and let your grief give way to opportunity, writes Yasmina Floyer
Coming up for air Go lightly
Rather than clinging tightly to control, fearful that things will fall apart, Caro Giles sits awhile with uncertainty...
The mirror of feedback
Seek out other people's perceptions of you and adopt a practice of regular self-appraisal in order to learn and grow
Spotting the unseen
Invite in curiosity and question the biases that inform your beliefs, to open your mind to new ways of being
HOW TO CHECK YOUR BLIND SPOTS
Learn to look beyond your peripheral vision, widen your perspective, and chase down new challenges, urges Holly Treacy