I keep having school dreams!
I am 30, and I graduated college 5 years ago. I still occasionally have dreams that I'm falling behind! Like, in some of my dreams it's the middle of a school semester and I have so many missing assignments and a science project that I was supposed to start weeks ago. Thankfully these are the worst dreams I have. But the feeling of dread is so real! Anyone else have dreams like those? Think I just have a deep-seated fear of failure?
@easyScarf7950 Yes, I'm not sure they will ever completely stop but they are pretty infrequent for me now.
@easyScarf7950
From my understanding, when we are dreaming, we get access to our subconscious mind. Did you know that is where we store everything we experience in our daily lives? The subconscious records it all, whether it is experienced actively or passively. So it can get really crowded in there and I think dreams are our brains way of working through conflicts and challenges we may have had during our waking state. That is why getting good quality sleep is so important.
The anxiety about falling behind or forgetting something big can stick around long after school is over because ADHD wires us to constantly fight against that dread of missing deadlines or dropping the ball. It’s not necessarily a fear of failure, it might be more about how those struggles from the past still echo in your subconscious. Your brain remembers those stressful patterns, even if your life looks totally different now. It’s annoying, but it makes sense. The good news is, you’re aware of it, and awareness can make those dreams feel less powerful. You’re no longer the person scrambling in school; you’ve graduated, you’ve succeeded, and you’re here now. Your brain might need some time to catch up to that reality.