What Psychology Says

What do our dreams mean?

Being Chased
The Dream: Run as fast as you can. You still won't get away from whatever's on your tail, even if you don't have a clue what it is.
What It Means: Just like you can't seem to lose the bad guy behind you, chances are you're having trouble getting past some issues in your waking life.
What You Should Do: What are you avoiding? According to Schredl, this dream is often a representation of avoidance behavior, which is linked to psychological problems including anxiety and depression, according to a 2003 study published in Addictive Behaviors. By examining the issues you can't seem to shake-and are probably running from in the real world-you can address them head-on and eventually move past them.

Teeth Falling Out
The Dream: It's like a scene out of a cheesy horror film-your teeth dangle, crumble, shatter, and leave you freaking the hell out.
What It Means: Teeth are symbols of power and confidence. After all, you show them when you are smiling, biting, or even snarling.
What You Should Do: Fake it till you make it, Wallace suggests. Studies show that mimicking confidence leads to the real thing. For example, research by Harvard social psychologist Amy Cuddy, PhD indicates that confident body language increases testosterone levels, which leads to higher feelings of confidence.

Unprepared For An Exam
The Dream: You're back in school and it's time to get out the number-two pencil. Only problem is you've done absolutely no studying. Why? You're not quite sure. You knew about the test and bought the books-but now you're screwed.
What It Means: Are you a perfectionist? If this is a recurring dream (or nightmare), chances are you live in fear of messing up even things you're well prepared for, suggests Wallace. If you dream about flunking an exam you've already passed, this could reflect worries about performance, not actual competence.
What You Should Do: Give yourself a break or you'll always feel like a failure, who notes perfectionists are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression. What's more, perfectionists have 50% higher rates of early death, according to researchers from York University in Canada. It might be time for you to differentiate happiness from success, and start making the former your goal, rather than the latter.

Flying

The Dream: Whether you're soaring on your own or in an aircraft, your head is literally in the clouds. Even Superman would be jealous.

What It Means: Just like in your dream, you've most likely surmounted a big obstacle in your life, according to Wallace. At this moment, you may feel free of limitations, and open to making unfettered decisions.
What You Should Do: "Look for other opportunities on the horizon," Wallace says. The best time to make a move is when you're feeling confident from recent accomplishments. After all, having an expectation that you will succeed is the strongest predictor of achievement, according to research from the University of Florida.

Falling
The Dream: You step off of a curb and fall flat on your face-or you take a nosedive right off a cliff.
What It Means: While the sensations may feel similar, these are actually two types of dreams, according to Wallace. The minor slip dream happens when you first fall asleep and have that last little twitch (called a myoclonic jerk) after your muscles completely relax. The second, more dramatic dream, happens when you're already in a deep sleep. This dream often reflects a perceived failure in your life or a realization that you don't have control over a situation.
What You Should Do: Whatever type of fall you take in your subconscious, tension is to blame. And not to make you even more anxious, but 60 to 90% of doctor visits are related to stress or stress-related symptoms, according to the American Psychological Association. So relax. Do something you enjoy, spend time with friends, exercise more, or stretch before bed. People who exercise regularly have 20% less anxiety than those who don't exercise, according to a 2012 study from the University of Georgia. Also, it might be time to pinpoint what exactly is stressing you out and work toward solving it, Wallace says.

Out Of Control Vehicle

The Dream: You're barreling down a road, over sidewalks, and screaming like a baby. You hit the brakes, turn the steering wheel, but still have no control of the car. Crap.
What It Means: In dreams, vehicles represent an ability to move toward a goal or destination. And if the car is out of control, your life probably is, too, suggests Schredl.
What You Should Do: Just like you learned in Driver's Ed, over correcting only makes things worse. But it might be natural: scans show that every time you do something-like worrying-you create new brain cells for that exact purpose in the future. Don't let worry cells overtake your brain. "Evaluate what areas you can take charge of in your current situation," Schredl advises. Calmly approach those details, and learn to stop fighting the ones that are beyond your control.

Being Late

The Dream: You thought you had plenty of time to hit your deadline, make your meeting, or get to your date. But now you're supposed to be across town in 15 minutes and everything is going wrong. The alarm didn't go off. Your phone is ringing.
What It Means: Whatever you're rushing to in your subconscious represents a real-life goal or milestone, Wallace says. There is likely an actual deadline looming or maybe an arbitrary one (like having a certain salary by the age of 30 or 40), and it's stressing you out big time.
What You Should Do: Ask yourself: In the waking world, are you being proactive-or reactive? There may be changes that have distracted from your original goals in life, according to Wallace. Now is the time to commit. Once you start to focus, you'll control your own time, dictate a schedule, and get to where you really want to be. Try an accountability partner: A recent study from clinical psychologist Gail Matthews, PhD showed that people who write down their goals, share them with others, and send progress updates to that friend are 33% more successful in hitting their goals than those who don't.