Are your anxiety dreams now nightmares? Welcome to the next phase of pandemic sleep | Bidisha
Lost a shoe? Teeth crumbling? Late for an exam you haven’t studied for? Naked on stage with no recollection of your lines? Believe me, you’re not alone
I’ve always had crushingly obvious and literal dreams. I once dreamed I was wheeling luggage up a hill, paused to catch my breath and said out loud: “I wish I could let go of my baggage. It’s so heavy!” It was a medium-sized wheelie case. Another time, I dreamed I assembled a mid-range Nespresso machine, organised all the little pods by colour and selected a purple one. It was called Savannah Roast in the dream, but in reality I believe it’s called Arpeggio. I sat down and drank it, in real time, sip by sup.
Under lockdown – or whatever this fugue state is – the dreams have got darker. Everyone’s psychological “stuff” is coming up. Without any fresh stimulus from the outside world or positive speculation about our individual futures, all our fears and nightmares are getting an airing. That means the classic anxiety dreams are back.