The dream that made me feel uncomfortable when I woke up
A few weeks ago, I had a dream that left me feeling out of sorts when I woke up.
In the dream, I was running down a narrow, dirty alleyway. The ground was covered in mud, and my feet were stuck. I was chasing a black dog, but it wasn’t running very fast, and I couldn’t catch up with it. Suddenly, it started raining heavily, pouring down like water.I stood there, soaking wet, unable to move, feeling very heavy, as if I were being pressed down.
The dream was so real that when I woke up, my heart was racing and my chest felt tight. I’ve had dreams before, but I always forgot them. This time was different. The images kept replaying in my mind.
Instead of immediately making coffee and checking my phone as I usually do, I grabbed a piece of scrap paper and wrote down a few words:
- “Black dog”
- “Muddy road”
- “Heavy rain”
- “Can’t catch up”
- “Can’t move”
The writing was messy, but I managed to capture the key feelings.
II. A few days later, I had another strange dream
I thought that was the end of it.But a few days later, I had another very special dream.
This time, I was riding a water buffalo through a rice field flooded with water. The buffalo was walking very slowly, but I felt very stable. I was carrying a large bag of coins on my back. It was heavy at first, but it got lighter and lighter as I walked, until the bag was almost empty. When I woke up, I felt extremely tired, as if I had been working all day.
I took out the piece of paper and added a sentence to the original entry:
- “Riding a water buffalo”
- “Carrying coins”
- “Getting lighter and lighter”
- “So tired”
Two dreams, two completely different feelings. The first was “trapped,” and the second was “trying hard but getting nowhere.” I began to wonder: what were these dreams trying to tell me?
3. I searched online randomly and became even more confused
While eating breakfast, I looked at the piece of paper covered with words and decided to look up the meaning of these dreams.
I opened my phone and searched for “dreaming of a black dog Chinese interpretation.”
A bunch of answers popped up:
- “A black dog represents a villain who is trying to harm you.”
- “A black dog is a guardian who protects you.”
- “Dreaming about a dog chasing you means you should be careful about losing money.”
The same dream, three different interpretations. I was even more confused.
I searched for “dreaming about a water buffalo,” “dreaming about coins,” and “dreaming about rain.” Each word had dozens of interpretations. Some said coins meant good luck, while others said losing coins meant loss. Some said rain meant good emotions, while others said rain meant bad luck.
I looked at it for half an hour and my head was spinning.
There was too much information, but none of it felt right for me.
I realized: I can’t just listen to what others say; I have to think about it in relation to my own life.
4. I started to take dream journaling seriously and used a new method
I threw away that piece of scrap paper and went to a stationery store to buy a small notebook specifically for recording my dreams.
The cover was blue, and I wrote “My Dreams” on it.
From that day on, the first thing I did every morning was write:
- Who or what was in the dream?
- Where did it take place?
- How did I feel? (Scared? Tired? Relaxed?)
- Were there any particularly vivid images?
I no longer just wrote down keywords, but wrote them down as if I were telling a story.
Even if it wasn’t complete, I made sure to record my feelings clearly.
Soon, I found that I often dreamed about a few things:
- Water (rain, floods, rivers)
- Mud or muddy roads
- Animals (dogs, cows, snakes)
- Money or coins
- Being trapped, unable to catch up, unable to walk
These things don’t appear randomly; they always show up when I’m under a lot of pressure.
5. I looked up a lot of information and found that some explanations were repetitive.
I no longer just look at one website, but find several books and webpages and compare them.
I found that some meanings appear in many places:
- Water: Most say it represents “emotions.” Clean water means a good mood; dirty or flooding water means a chaotic mood or high stress.
- Mud or muddy roads: Indicates “difficulty in doing things” or “feeling held back.”
- Black dog: Many old books say it represents ‘obstacles’ or “bad news is coming.”
- Coins or money: represents “your time, energy, and value.” If you lose money, it may mean that you feel your efforts are wasted.
- Water buffalo: moves slowly but steadily, symbolizing ‘persistence’ or “things that must be done.”
These explanations are not magic, but they gave me direction.
6. The most important thing is not what you dreamt, but how you felt at the time
At first, I only looked at “what I dreamed about,” but later I realized: what really matters is how you feel in the dream and your real life.
For example, the first dream: I was chasing a black dog, it was raining heavily, and I couldn’t move.
I recalled those days, when I was rushing to finish a project, my boss was nagging me every day, and I was working overtime every day, but progress was still slow. I felt like I was walking in mud, the more I wanted to go fast, the slower I moved.
So the “black dog” might not have been a real dog, but the difficult project I was facing.
The “heavy rain” wasn’t the weather, but the anxiety inside me erupting.
“Unable to move” was how I felt: “I’ve done my best, but it’s still not enough.”
Now look at the second dream: riding a water buffalo, carrying coins, getting lighter and lighter.
At that time, I had been working continuously for three weeks without rest, doing the same thing every day, and the client was still not satisfied.
I spent a lot of time, but I didn’t see any results, and I didn’t earn any more money.
So that bag of “coins” wasn’t real money, but my time and energy.
They “became lighter” because I felt that I had put in so much effort, but why wasn’t I getting any return?
These two dreams weren’t predicting the future. They were telling me:
You’re too tired. If you keep going like this, you’ll break down.
7. Dreams helped me see what I didn’t dare admit to myself
What surprised me most was that I already “knew” these things when I was awake.
I knew the project was difficult, but I dared not tell my boss, “I can’t finish it.”
I knew I was tired, but I didn’t want to take a day off, afraid others would say I was slacking off.
So I pretended everything was fine during the day, but my dreams exposed everything at night.
Dreams are like a mirror, reflecting the emotions I hide during the day.
It doesn’t say, “You should quit your job.”
But it tells me through images, “You feel trapped, and you can’t hold on much longer.”
8. I started using dreams to adjust my life
After understanding these two dreams, I didn’t keep pushing myself.
I did three things:
- I had a talk with my boss and told him that I had too many tasks and asked if he could assign some to others.
- I adjusted my work schedule and stopped working overtime until 10 PM.
- I took two days off and went for a walk in the suburbs, doing nothing.
After doing these things, I found that I slept better.
Strangely, those “trapped” dreams didn’t come anymore.
Later, I had other dreams:
- Dreaming that my teeth fell out—at that time, I was always worried about saying the wrong thing and offending clients.
- Dreaming that I was flying in the sky—I had just finished a big project and felt particularly relaxed.
Each time, I was able to find a corresponding event in real life.
9. My summary of “dream interpretation methods for ordinary people”
If you also want to try to understand your dreams, I can share the method I use. It’s very simple, and anyone can do it:
1. Buy a special notebook
Don’t use scrap paper or your phone’s memo app. Get a small notebook and use it only for recording your dreams.
Every time you finish writing, flip through it to easily see patterns.
2. Write down all the details, especially your feelings
Don’t just write “I dreamed of a dog,” write “I chased a dog but couldn’t catch it, and I felt very anxious.”
Feelings are more important than images.
3. Identify recurring elements
If you often dream of water, getting lost, or taking exams, these are your “common symbols.”
They are often related to your biggest sources of stress.
4. Look up information, but don’t believe everything
You can read some traditional dream interpretation books, such as Zhou Gong’s Dream Interpretation, or you can look at modern interpretations.
But remember: other people’s interpretations are for reference only; your life is the answer.
5. Ask yourself, “What am I afraid of lately?”
Dreams rarely tell you about the future; they are more about emotions you haven’t dealt with yet.
Ask yourself: Am I too tired? Is there something I’m afraid to say? Am I dissatisfied with myself?
6. Don’t expect “magical answers”
Dreams won’t tell you “what numbers will win the lottery tomorrow.”
They just help you understand yourself better.
10. Dreams are not fortune-telling, they are your inner voice
Now I am no longer afraid of strange dreams.
I know that dreams are not there to scare me, but to remind me.
They are like a friend who cannot speak, saying to me at night:
“Have you been working too hard lately?”
“Have you been holding back?”
“Are you really happy?”
As long as you’re willing to listen, it will keep talking.
All you need to do is spend two minutes after waking up to write a few words.
It doesn’t have to be well-written, and you don’t need to understand any theories.
As long as you start recording, you’re already getting to know yourself.
This isn’t magic, nor is it superstition.
It’s more like a quiet conversation—
a conversation with yourself, the most authentic one you’ll ever have.
