The never ending period of social isolation has unleashed a rash of psychosomatic aberrations. According to a research by digital marketing agency AGY47, Google search results for questions like “why does one get unusual dreams” have increased by 200% compared to last year. Besides, there has been a 190% increase in users asking ‘why do I keep having bad dreams.”
While some dream of falling, others dream about their teeth and hair falling out, which remind one of a post-apocalyptic TV series or a sci-fi film. However, each of these dreams carries a deeper meaning. If one sits down to analyse why one’s facing all of this then it’ll be easy to come up with answers to tackle these. Delhi-based clinical psychologist Priyanka Verma admits that since the lockdown began, she’s got an array of of clients with issues and complains related to dreams. In fact, she’s contemplating pursuing a fresher course in dream analysis. “Given the lockdown, we have a lot of time for introspection and it’s not unusual to experience anxiety and dream about things like one’s teeth falling. The endless self-examination has unravelled one’s core concerns. Most of us are psycho-analysing unconsciously since quarantine has allowed us to dig deeper. Even though we all might be having a great time wth our family, but we know there’s a villain out there. If there are dreams like that then one needs to address it. For some, it could be a feeling of liberation and others could be feeling imprisoned. However, one needs to understand that these are just thoughts of fear and not the real situation,” says Priyanka.
Another city-based clinical psychologist Pulkit Sharma has come across cases when patients have reported dreams in which they’ve seen their teeth and hair falling out. “Everyone is grappling with uncertainty. Hence it’s crucial to make your day as meaningful as possible. By doing that there’s a sense of helplessness and haplessness, which goes away and it ensures that these undigested negative emotions are not in our system. During the day, watch your breath, and inculcate the habit of making your breadth as calm as possible. Before going to sleep, retire to your bed in a conscious manner. Don’t snack on videos and feel very tired and then crash on bed. Instead, listen to relaxing music and dim the lights,” suggests Pulkit.
{{/usCountry}}Another city-based clinical psychologist Pulkit Sharma has come across cases when patients have reported dreams in which they’ve seen their teeth and hair falling out. “Everyone is grappling with uncertainty. Hence it’s crucial to make your day as meaningful as possible. By doing that there’s a sense of helplessness and haplessness, which goes away and it ensures that these undigested negative emotions are not in our system. During the day, watch your breath, and inculcate the habit of making your breadth as calm as possible. Before going to sleep, retire to your bed in a conscious manner. Don’t snack on videos and feel very tired and then crash on bed. Instead, listen to relaxing music and dim the lights,” suggests Pulkit.
{{/usCountry}}There’s a possibility that people who are facing those dreams may not have fully resolved those issues. Clinical psychologist Kamna Chhibber observes that now since one is at home and one’s social life isn’t robust, one may be able to put forth what may have been under the surface.
“It may not be only be about old friends, but it could be anxiety about the upcoming future. There are no clear answers as of today. We are confronting questions on jobs and the likelihood of the vaccines right now. People who are unable to detach themselves from those thoughts are struggling with sleep and anxiety attack. Having said that, one has to try and focus on what one can control. To begin with, one’s routine needs to be in place. At the start of the lockdown, a lot of us had a schedule in place, but some of us have got lax about it. One’s schedule allows one a semblance of control over life. One’s got to actively keep pulling oneself in the current moment since we can neither resolve the future nor change the past. We need to look at what can be done now. Do whatever you need to do it and do it with full heart,” says Kamna.