6 Common Dreams Decoded
Updated: Oct. 04, 2018
It’s sometimes difficult to interpret what your subconscious is trying to tell you, which makes analyzing other people’s dreams so fun. Check out this list for a few classic dream symbols and what they really mean.
Common Dreams: Being Chased
One of the most common dreams and a classic anxiety image, the vision of someone in hot pursuit invites dreamers to ask themselves what they’re afraid might catch up to them. See if you can remember what you were being chased by. Was it a family member, an unknown presence or even an inanimate object? If you’re being chased in your dream, you likely need to turn around and confront whatever it is you’re fleeing.
Common Dreams: Animals
Animals appearing in dreams are often a stand-in for the basic needs or deepest emotions of the dreamer. The state of the animal-caged or free, angry or happy-can be an indicator that our fundamental requirements are being ignored and need care. Alternately, having an animal appear in your dream could also mean it’s time for your significant other to stop fighting the inevitable and let you get a dog already.
Common Dreams: Babies
Don’t worry, you’re not pregnant! Babies usually represent new ideas and fresh beginnings. Maybe that frantic worry list you keep while you’re nodding off is actually getting you somewhere! Giving birth in a dream is a terrific omen and suggests you will probably be grunting through the process of bringing a great new project into the world sometime soon.
Common Dreams: Death
As in tarot-card readings, the appearance of death in dreams is not the grim omen it may seem to be. Rather, it signals the symbolic death of a period in your life, like the end of a relationship.
Common Dreams: Nudity
Appearing fully naked in your own dream generally means you feel exposed. If you show up unclothed and uncomfortable in a public place like work, it’s a sign that you suspect you’ve exposed too much of yourself to others or that the world around you isn’t quite picking up what you’re putting down. In rare cases, nudity in dreams can represent intense freedom or an impression that you have “nothing to hide.”
Common Dreams: Flying
Flying is a very fun thing to do in a dream. It frequently suggests you’re on top of whatever situation you’re in. But if you find yourself struggling to stay aloft, chances are you feel out of control in your waking life. Sometimes dreams aren’t very subtle.
