402. Recurring Dream

Do you have one of those recurring dreams that brings up feelings of anxiety or pressure? Jo Piazza sure does, and today she shares how she reframed her dream to release some of the emotions around it.

Jo Piazza is an author, podcaster and journalist. Her latest book, The Sicilian Inheritance, is on sale now and it’s SO good!! Jo also hosts the podcast Under The Influence, about social media marketing and how we all interact with it.

Transcripts may not appear in their final version and are subject to change.

Jo PIazza:  Hey there, I’m Joe Piazza, and I’m your host this week, for It’s Going to be OK.  I have this recurring dream. I have it a lot, actually.  In it, no matter how hard I try, I can’t find my biology classroom, or American Lit classroom, or chemistry. The classrooms change. But the thing that’s always true is that I don’t know if I’ve ever even been to the classroom.

or to a single class.  I’m not sure what time it starts, but I know that there’s going to be an exam soon and I’m definitely going to fail it.  Sweat pours down the back of my neck, tears sting my eyes, and an intense dread settles into my stomach as I curse myself for being so careless.  And then  I wake up. 

I’ve had this dream for years, and they come in different varieties. Sometimes I’m in college, sometimes I’m in high school.  All of them bring out all of the anxiety inducing emotions.  They strum at my nerves, and every time I wake up, I feel like a failure.  I’m always scared. I’m always scared that I have no idea what I’m doing. 

with my life.  I’ve googled this and, I mean, apparently it’s pretty common. The dreams are telling me that I’m anxious.  But something telling me I’m anxious just makes me more anxious and it becomes a time loop or a Mobius strip of anxiety.  But I recently found a way to flip this script,  to stop being so anxious when I wake up in the morning, to reframe this dream. 

See, recently my son was telling me about his own bad dream.  And afterwards he asked me what my nightmares were like.  I decided to be totally honest and I told him, Well, I’ve got this dream that I’m in school and I’m scared that I’m not going to do well.  He just looks at me and he laughs. He laughed straight from his belly, his whole little body shaking. 

You’re the silliest, Mommy, he said. You’re so old. You’re all finished school, so aren’t you happy when you wake up and remember that you did it all already? You don’t have to do it again! You’re doing great.  I mean, I love it. His brilliant little brain reminded me to be grateful for what I have, for what I’ve already accomplished.

I did finish school. I did end up with a job that I love. I did end up with a life that I’m so grateful for. And so instead of being so anxious and so shaken when I have that dream, which still comes on a regular basis,  I let myself simmer in a sense of wonder for what I actually have.