Sixth Sign/Sense of Stress

The signs are all out there. A crimped forehead, heavy-headedness, puffy eyes, and distracted mind. All that and more, you're a stressed out freak on a Friday. Keeping my self-respect on stake, I report to work, fully aware I am yawning, and the first thing after switching on the PC, is resting my head on the desk (which I later discover much to my horror, is dusty). So, a lack of proper good night's sleep, which primarily had to do with an all-night long nightmare (been having those back-to-back for two nights now), I woke up worried.

In the nightmare, I was running away from some people. I had no money, no place to go, and there were pimps on my chase. I wish I had Freud on my speed-dial to know what it means. You cannot believe how scared I was when I woke up, still re-working the nightmare in my mind. Jarring as it may seem, everything in the dream was happening in a sequence, and I had a friend with me (whose name I will not take) and her family was pushing her into this dreaded dirty business for want of money. We both met, and we also had a conversation where I told her I would save her and both were running throughout.

A basic definition at a Web site states work-related stress can cause nightmares of being attacked or chased. So, it's fear, grief, and anger--all rolled into one.

"A more direct analysis of chase dreams is the fear of being attacked. Such dreams are more common among women than men, who may feel physically vulnerable in the urban environment. These dreams are inspired by fears of violence and sexual assault in which we are so over-exposed from the media, which magnifies such fears."

How much of this applies? I don't know! I'm confused!

I read a thread on nightmares, where people have vividly and rather explicitly described such nightmares.

Another Web site says: The Native Americans believe that you should turn on your pursuer if you dream of being chased, wrestle then to the ground then unmask them. Follow this wise counsel and you will discover that your fears may not be as terrifying as you thought.

Another Web site:

"This one is an extremely common nightmare. Some sources say that this nightmare represents a staggering 32% of all nightmare themes. What causes nightmares about being chased or being attacked is your fear or denial of some certain aspects of your own personality."

Science says, nightmares occur in the stage-3 of sleep and are often remembered if the dreamer awakens. They are sometimes linked to emotional distress during waking hours and may play a role in “working through” those disturbing experiences. A person can often talk about a nightmare and recount its scary story.

Sweet slumber, sigh....