My Mental Health Story 11 - Is It Real Or Am I Dreaming?
Mental health issues, who needs them, eh? Nobody does, and I just wanted to tell you a strange story of how the mind works, or maybe how it plays tricks on you, because right now I don’t know which it is - bear with me!
Yesterday was amazing, yet we didn’t really do much. There is a small white church up on the hill near the campsite, and we took a walk up quite a steep hill with steps, but it was worth it, as once again the views were amazing, as you can see.
It was very hot, so when we came back, we just relaxed. There is a bar on the campsite, and my first drink, a pint of coke with ice, was so refreshing, and we didn’t really do very much after that, and it was just nice, so much so I told my wife, and I even sent a message to my sister (my mate) back in Scotland letting her know too.
My sister, my mate!
So, what has all this got to do with mental health? Well, why was it this morning, whilst lying in bed, I felt my anxiety pop up to say hello? If you’ve read my stories, you will know I use a 0-10 scale to judge how bad it is, and this morning when I felt it, I would say it was about 3, maybe touching 4. It certainly wasn’t the best feeling, but certainly not the worst, but it was there, and as I have also mentioned, I believe it just pops back now and again, just to say, 'hello, remember me.’ Or was it, because I don’t know if it was real or if I was dreaming it?
That will sound strange, but we all get to that stage when we are waking up, and we are only really half asleep and so half awake. Personally, I find it hard to remember what was real and what wasn’t. If the same thing happens to you, you will know what I mean.
If you have read Part 9 from my stories, you will know the strange happenings around sleeping, and I have also questioned whether dreaming plays a part with our mental health; after all, they are both to do with our minds.
So, I don’t know what happened this morning. Was it a bad dream, or was I awake and the feelings were real? Because I know one thing: I will never know! Although what I know now is I am feeling just fine.
The connection has never been queried for me; with all the help I have received over the years, I never asked the question, although admittedly this only really happened later in my life and probably after the help had finished, so let’s do some real-time research. And I hope the world’s biggest search engine doesn’t mind me doing a quick copy and paste. If I have offended, please let me know and I will remove it from my post, so I started by putting this into the search engine:
‘Is dreaming connected to mental health issues.’
And I got this reply:
Yes, dreaming is deeply connected to mental health. Dreams act as an emotional processing system. While occasional vivid dreams are normal, sudden shifts in dream frequency, intense nightmares, or recurring distressing themes can serve as early warning signs or symptoms of underlying mental health concerns.
Specific ways dreaming connects to mental health include:
Emotional Processing: During REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, the brain processes the day's events and emotions while suppressing stress-triggering hormones. If you are experiencing heavy stress or grief, your brain may use dreams to work through those feelings.
Anxiety and Depression: Frequent nightmares, vivid dreams, or feeling emotionally exhausted upon waking are highly correlated with generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder.
Trauma (PTSD): People with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) frequently experience repetitive nightmares that replay or symbolically represent past trauma.
Nightmare Disorder: When nightmares happen frequently and cause extended distress, sleep disruption, or fear of going to sleep, they can become a standalone condition known as Nightmare Disorder, which responds well to therapies like Image Rehearsal Therapy (IRT)
So, I think that has finally answered my question after all this time, as I had never even taken time to look online. Yes, they are connected, which I think I actually knew anyway, but it’s confirmation for everyone to see. And I never have any nightmares (see Trauma PTSD) the source of my problem.
I do think about the time it happened and the effect it has had on my life, but remember, I have no recollection of the actual fall, not the slightest memory; even the photo of me lying on the stretcher does not recall a second of the fall or the day it happened and for weeks after, and maybe that is why I don’t have nightmares. I don’t know, but what makes me wonder is, with our minds able to play tricks with us, maybe it could conjure up a bad dream or two if it wanted to. Best I don’t prompt it.
I always cut out my mate's image to save embarrassment; maybe one day I’ll post it for the world to see?
But either way I still can’t link this morning to my relaxed mood from yesterday, other than it wasn’t real and it was just a dream. Here's hoping for the dream, and I’ll let you know how it goes!
Thanks for reading.
DJ
