When you grow up in a reality that - for the most part - hinders your ability to experience new things as easily as other children because of a disability that leaves 3 limbs mostly useless, you will naturally begin to fantasize about the things you wish you had in life.
Growing up, my imagination was what kept me going, other than my loved ones and God. Imagination brought me a power of creativity I couldn't have as a child due to limited mobility. I could make up a world that was perfect. I could walk and run and jump... I could play tag or hug easier. Eventually, I learned how to imagine even with my eyes open. I would day-dream and learned to pick things out that would prompt good thoughts. For example, I love white dress shirts and black vests because they remind me of a simpiler, more "proper" way of life. This is an image I focus on that brings me peace.
I cherish my bedtime. It's a time that I get to be alone and private. It's a time that I use to journal, read or blog, but also my time to imagine. Since I was little, I have been a very visual person and have no difficulty picturing things in my mind. I am able to see my imaginations clearer with my eyes open, than if they were closed. I picture every detail: scents, facial features, settings and weather so vividly that it's almost like getting lost inside a piece of good music or writing. I always look forward to when my bedtime comes. I am grateful to have my dreams be realistic and in color all the time too, which is a true blessing. At night, through my dreams, I am able to take a break from the stresses and sometimes jealousy of reality. I wake up feeling reenergized and ready to face the new mountains.
I have also found being in the moment to be incredibly helpful too. At night especially, to prepare myself for sleep, I think about 3 things: God, my bed and the next day. I thank God for my bed and focus my mind on how safe and comfortable I feel in it. I measure my breathing and imagine the air swirling through me, giving rest to all of my organs and then I think about how tomorrow is an absolutely brand new day that holds incredible blessings and opportunities to learn more about myself and a new day to strengthen my relationship with God. All these thoughts calm me and help promote good thoughts that may carry over into my REM sleep.
MY TIPS FOR LEARNING TO IMAGINE AND DREAM WHAT YOU WANT AND WHY:
1.) Relax - relaxation greatly reduces stress and no one wants to have stress carry over into their fantasies or dreams. Focus on your breathing and feeling peaceful
2.) Pick a general feeling / situation that you want to achieve - being very specific with your desired dream will just disappoint you, as dreams tend to be a mixture of feelings and thoughts. Generally, if you focus on one emotion, you will dream about things relevent to what you are feeling. Positive affirmations can help with this. With imagination, you are able to consciously decide what you want to experience, so you can be more specific.
3.) Repeat a happy thought in your mind - positive affirmations are short, profound statements that express a desire as if it has already been achieved. Use these to help keep your mind focused even into your sleep. These may help with imagining, but once again, imagination is done in your consciousness and has more chance of being what you want
4.) Don't get discouraged - it is easy to become discouraged when you wake up from a dream you did not want, especially of you had been hoping for a certain one. If this happens, figure out what might've caused this (a past stress, etc) and turn it around with a positive thought. The more you think about something, the faster it becomes habit
5.) Get a restful sleep - being too hot is always uncomfortable and can make you sweat. Our core body temp has a lot to do with how well we sleep (click here for more info). When we are relaxed and our rem-sleep will be deeper, which promotes more dreaming
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