Dream On

I’ve always been fascinated by dreams. It’s so amazing to me that our sub-conscience can create an entire world of impossibilities while we’re reenergizing for a new day. A couple years ago, I began keeping a dream journal; my dreams were always so odd and adventurous that I wanted to keep a record of them. Fast-forward to 5 years later, and I’ve gone through 1.75 journals. Writing my dreams down had a really interesting effect on me. When I go back and read my dreams, even the ones from five years ago, I find that I remember exactly what happened in the dream; I can picture it in my mind as clearly as I did the first night I had it.

Basically, I’m pretty into dreams.

So, this post is going to reflect that! I’ve put some tips for dreaming (for those who simply can’t seem to remember them when you wake up), tips for journaling those dreams, and a few interpretations of common objects and themes found in dreams. 

Dreaming

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It used to be believed that dreaming only occurred when you were in REM sleep, but this has been debunked. It is now found that dreams happen in all stages of sleep; however, the dreams had in REM sleep seem more realistic. Everyone has tons of dreams at night, though remember only a few or none at all. Here are some tips for remembering those adventures!

Get 8 hours of sleep.

I know. I get it. I’m in college; getting 8 hours of sleep? You might as well ask me to climb Mt. Everest. But it’s true. The more sleep you get, the more dreams you’ll remember.

Use your bed only for sleeping.

This one, too. Studying while sitting on my bed is so comfortable! But when you use your bed for anything other than sleep, your sub-conscience has a harder time sleeping when in the same space. Since the space has now been used for more than just sleep, it will be harder for the sub-conscience to associate the bed with sleeping. So, only sleep on your bed (I know. I’ll probably ignore this, too)!

Try to get all your sleep cycles in.

There’s actually a sleep calculator that, after you tell it what time you’re going to bed, tells you when to wake up so that you go through all your sleep cycles. Not only will this make you feel more awake—nothing is worse than having to wake up when you’re in the middle of deep sleep—but it will also help you to remember your dreams!

Journaling

That's right, Elena. Write all about your dreams of your vampire boyfriends! (Image Source)

My favorite thing! A lot of my dreams have inspired some of the short stories I’ve written.

Write in present tense.

This is so important!!! In order to put yourself back in the dream, you have to write it in present tense. When doing so, you picture your dream occurring at the same time as you’re writing it. It’s like writing down a live stream of what’s happening right in front of you. When I first started dream journaling, I wrote in past tense. But once I switched to present tense, I found that I was able to remember more of what progressed in my dreams.

Write it down as soon as you can!

It’s no secret that dreams seem to fade from your mind as soon as you wake up. Therefore, it’s imperative that you write it down as soon as you possibly can before too much of the dream fades from your memory! I’ve even typed up my dreams before to write down later, since physically writing dreams takes a lot longer. But no one said a dream journal had to be in an actual journal! Yours could be on your computer if it’s easier for you to type it up!

Try to stay true to what happened.

I find myself almost convincing myself that certain things happened in my dreams without them actually occurring at all! It’s very hard to remember exactly what happened and not edit your dreams. If you had a dream about a woman named Patches (I did once) make sure to keep her name the same (even though it makes no sense).

Interpretations

This movie messed with my head way too much (Image from Inception).

I remember that I had a dream about umbrellas once; there were umbrellas strewn on the ground throughout my entire dream. As soon as I woke up, I immediately searched for what umbrellas mean in a dream. It turns out umbrellas equal emotional protection from disappointments, which I thought was pretty deep for seeing umbrellas while I was asleep (DreamBible.Com). Here are some of the more common objects and themes and what their presences in dreams mean (Meanings found at DreamBible.Com).

Being Chased

The rising terror bubbling in your throat as you can’t seem to run fast enough to get away from some unknown entity—we’ve all been there. And it’s terrifying. Especially when you feel like you’re running in slow motion. Being chased in a dream represents situations that you want to avoid or feel are impossible to overcome. DreamBible.Com says that it “may also reflect something you don’t want to acknowledge”—running from the truth, essentially (DreamBible.Com). All I know is that I wake up panting and scared.

Nudity

Mm, the classic. Everyone has it. You’re going through your day when, all of a sudden, you look down and notice that you must have forgotten to put on clothes. Dreaming of being naked means that you may be feeling vulnerable. DreamBible suggests that an unexpected change might be causing you to feel like your private life is on display. So, basically exactly what you’d think. No clothes = no protection = vulnerability. It’s not fun.

School

I used to have dreams of going throughout my day at school; everything was completely normal…except I could fly. So, that was pretty fun. But dreaming of being at school usually represents social concerns or insecurities. It also may represent anxiety about how you’re perceived by others. DreamBible suggests that there may be something happening in your life that you’re sensitive about (DreamBible.Com). Sounds like high school to me.

Animals

I don’t usually dream of animals, personally, but when I do, they’re usually my pets who’ve turned into other animals! DreamBible says that to dream of animals represents parts of your personality based on the animal you see. They may also represent the untamed parts of yourself. If you’re fighting with an animal in your dream, it usually represents a part of yourself that you want or are trying to reject. Dreaming of a dead animal may reflect loss. Now that I think of it, I dreamt of a baby chick once—what does that say about my personality?

Death

Unfortunately, I’ve frequently had dreams about loved ones dying. DreamBible says “To dream about death represents change” (DreamBible.Com). It says that something in your life is transforming either for the better or for the worse. A part of your life has come to a close, and things are changing. DreamBible also suggests that death could mean failure or an actual loss.

Guns

I actually haven’t had too many dreams with guns in them, thank goodness. The meanings of guns in dreams varies depending on who is wielding the weapon. For instance, if you dream you are holding the gun, it represents a decision you need to make. On the other hand, if you dream of someone else wielding the gun, it symbolizes a decision that embarrassed you, or a bad choice (DreamBible.Com). Dreaming of actually shooting someone bad represents a decision where you overcame negative thinking. Dreaming of shooting someone good represents giving into negative thinking.

Flying

My favorite! The feeling of flying high up in the clouds is the most euphoric feeling I’ve encountered—of course, I was sleeping, but still! Dreaming of flying represents feelings of freedom from restrictions. You feel like nothing can hold you back. DreamBible says that flying in your dream may be a reflection of creative freedom of expression in waking life or escaping a burden (DreamBible.Com). On the other hand, dreaming of flying may show that you enjoy running from your responsibilities.

And that’s it! If you’ve experienced a theme or object frequently in your dreams, and it’s not listed here, try DreamBible.Com! All you do is type in the keyword, and tons of results come up! What’s the strangest dream you’ve ever had? Tell me in the comments! Thank you for reading!

Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye 

Ten Signs You've Found the Perfect Roommate

It’s that time of year again. The time when you pack up all your things from home in preparation to move into your other home. It’s always bittersweet for me. I love living at home with my family during the summer and spending time with them. But I always find myself excited to move back to school and catch up with my friends. It feels like leading a double life; my life has been split in half. During the summer, I get to spend time with my family and high school friends, and during the school year, I get to spend time with my college friends. But this year is my senior year, and I’m bound and determined to make it the best year I’ve ever had! And already having the best roommate in the whole world, contributes significantly to my goal. So, this post is dedicated to my amazing roomie!

1) When you’re having a bad day, she surprises you with Baked! cookies.

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2) You both decide to hit the gym, determined to exercise…then promptly come home and make brownies because you both ‘earned them’.

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3) She shares her clothes when you’re having an outfit emergency.

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4) You do each other’s makeup because “I can’t do my eyeliner as well as you can!”

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5) You take millions of Buzzfeed quizzes and laugh at each other’s results.

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6) You design wedding rings and dresses and hope that you both find someone who can afford to pay $20,000 for an engagement ring (maybe that’s just us…).

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7) You have a chill night in, watch movies and drink wine, when you both don’t feel like going out.

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8) But when you do go out, you have just as much fun!

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9) You attempt to cook fancy meals and settle for mac and cheese when it doesn’t work. 

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10) You're always there for each other and are a shoulder to cry on, a partner to laugh with, and a best friend forever!

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Ah, I’m going to miss my roomie so much after this year! What has your roomie done to make you sure that they’re a perfect roommate? Comment below! And be sure to subscribe!

Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye 

5 Awesome Pets for Apartments and Dorms

College can be one of the best times of your life, but it can also be one of the loneliest. Especially in dorms, where it feels like you’re trapped in a cave. A small, low-maintenance pet can bring happiness and light to any dreary dorm room or liven up an apartment! I’ve put together a list of five awesome pets perfect for dorm and apartment living. 

1) A Venus Flytrap

Personally, I think Venus Flytraps are awesome (obviously, because it’s on my list). I’m planning on getting one soon, just to have a living thing in our apartment, other than my roommate and I. It obviously can’t communicate with you or show emotions at all really, but I think it’s a great in-between pet for college! (I know it’s a plant. But still.)

Just pretend it's an Oddish! That's what I'm going to do anyway. This is my Oddish on Pokemon Go (Go Team Mystic)!

2) Parakeet

I had a parakeet for a year and half, and she lived in our apartment. Daisy was so fun to listen to; her incessant chirping brought happiness to our little place. A parakeet probably isn’t the best idea for a dorm, but it’d be great for an apartment. They’re relatively easy to take care of; just clean out their cage every once and a while and feed them a diet of seeds and vegetables.

This week's post was actually inspired by Daisy; she passed away earlier this week. I love you, Daisy!

3) Hermit Crab

A hermit crab would be a really cool pet to have in college! Though they are about as emotionless as a Venus Flytrap, they’re fun to mess around with. Just keep one in a little tank and feed it, cleaning the tank regularly. Easy enough, right?

4) Betta Fish

I had a Betta fish during my freshman year of college. He stayed in my dorm room on my desk. It was nice having something to talk to when my roommate was away; plus, it was a great way to meet new people. My floormates would pop in to see my fish every now and then. I cleaned out the tank in the community sink area, but it wasn’t too hard to take care of! My fish ended up coming with me to my apartment as well. I just fed him a pinch of food every day. He lived pretty long for a fish; about a year and a half!

His name was Macapuno, which is a Filipino coconut!

5) Rat

I know, I know. Rats get a bad rap. But my brother and sister-in-law had two rats for a while, and they were actually really cute! They have great personalities and are relatively easy to take care of. The only downsides are that your new pets may scare away some potential friends, but rats are honestly great pets. We watched my brother and sister-in-law’s rats for a while once, and my family all grew to like them.

If all else fails, you can always keep a plant in your dorm or apartment, just to have something to take care of. Sometimes, having to look after something is therapeutic. I know it was for me when I took care of Daisy. It helps to diffuse the stresses of school, and it’s nice to have a living thing relying on you. 

That’s all for this week! Be sure to subscribe and visit my Facebook page, “Emiliana Maye”!

Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye 

6 Easy DIYs for a Bedroom Makeover!

Hello, everyone! I’ve decided my room is way overdo for a makeover, so this post is dedicated to DIY room decor! I, a poor college student, have a very tiny stream of income, so DIYs save my wallet a lot of money. Of course, I’ve found some of these tutorials on Pinterest and other blogs, so I do not claim ownership! Just click on the photos to open the tutorials. Here we go!

Himmeli Geometric Sculptures

So, the first DIY I found are these Himmeli sculptures on Ash and Crafts. I absolutely love how mine turned out. All you need is floral wire, tiny straws, and spray paint. Here is my finished product:

I made three: a diamond, as the tutorial shows, a pyramid, and a...quadrilateral-type shape. I originally saw these on the Urban Outfitters website, but theirs were for the wall. You can see their version here. I'm sure you could easily manipulate this tutorial to make sculptures for the wall!

I think I’m going to be going for a geometric, minimalist type theme for my room, so these sculptures will fit in perfectly.

Modern Mosaic Painting

I found this mosaic painting while browsing Pinterest! I love how each painting can turn out completely different every time, but they always look clean and minimalistic.

All you need is tape, paint, and a canvas! On the tutorial, it mentions using glitter, which I didn’t choose to do, but I love how it turned out!

Crepe Paper Succulent

I haven’t actually made this DIY yet, because I’ve yet to find a planter I like. But I have all the other materials waiting for me in my drawer. I am so excited to make these paper succulents—I won’t have to water them or try to make sure they don’t die (I’m not the best with plants)! 

Photo from Ash and Crafts website

I love how the crepe succulents work with the Himmeli sculptures, too; I’m going to try to find a geometric planter for mine so it all ties in nicely!

Sunshine Earring Box

I’m proud to say that this sunshine box was of my own creation! All I did was buy a wooden box from Jo-Ann Fabrics and paint it! I was tired of hanging my earrings up, so I painted this box to keep my earrings in. You can paint this box to match any theme.

Mirror with Necklace Hooks

This was actually my mom’s idea! We bought a cheap mirror from the dollar store and, after she covered it with fabric, drilled hooks into the sides. Now it acts as a necklace/bracelet display, and you don’t even have to walk far to see which necklace looks best with your outfit!

Thank you, Mom!

Painted Letters

This was also my mom’s idea—it’s a good piece of personalization for your room, and it lets all your friends know what your name is if they’ve forgotten it by the time they get to your room. Obviously. But it’s super simple to do. 

Just buy wooden letters--we got ours from Jo-Ann Fabrics--and paint them whatever color you want! Easy.

And that’s all! I’d love to see how your DIYs turn out, so feel free to comment below or message me via my Facebook page, ‘Emiliana Maye’! Happy crafting!

Until next time!

-Emiliana Maye