Signs Of Self Neglect (Or Just A Dream?)

 

Dreams range from simply unique to extremely bizarre. They are hard to explain most of the time, and tons of dream interpretations try to make sense of this unusual phenomenon. Whitney Lauritsen opens up about her fair share of disturbing dreams of neglected animals and being forgetful. Citing several resources online, she discusses the possible meanings and symbolisms of dreaming about dying pets, hungry animals, and misplaced possessions. Whitney tries to connect these explanations to her fear of being set aside and constant pursuit of validation.

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Listen to the podcast here

 

Signs Of Self Neglect (Or Just A Dream?)

I’m recording this episode on July 4th, 2022. There’s a little bit of noise outside from some of my neighbors, but you probably won’t be able to hear it. I think it’s nice. It’s the sound of people laughing and having conversations. Hopefully, there’s no intense music. It’s a little too early for fireworks, so we should be good but I’m always very conscious about noise, especially because I record in front of a window. I do that because I like sitting here. It’s very comforting. I have these windows that go all the way to the ceiling and I can see so much sky because the buildings only go maybe 1/3 of the window and 2/3 is the sky.

It’s a perfect blue sky and sunny. I was out for a little while running some errands. It’s the perfect temperature, probably in the late ‘70s. It’s not too hot. Not too cold. I don’t have anything planned for the 4th, except I’m grilling out some food. I wanted to have the Beyond Burgers but they were sold out at the store I went to, so I got the Impossible Burger, which I enjoy. It messes with my stomach and I’m trying to be careful because I’m leaving for my upcoming trip to Costa Rica and Singapore, as I talked about in the last episode.

I’ve been trying to be mindful of my stomach, and it’s tricky sometimes. This is not what the episode is about but I feel challenged with food. I always have. It’s a big part of my story. Even though I’m vegan and gluten-free, I have all these food sensitivities. They’re hard for me to avoid. Soy, for example, which is in the Impossible Burger. It doesn’t make me feel very good, but every once in a while, I’ll crave things that have soy. I even crave tempeh or tofu, and so I’ll have them. I have to work my way through any reactions to it.

I have been taking probiotics more frequently as a way to boost my immune system before the trip. I think that’s helped a lot. I also started experimenting with drinking organic Aloe Vera juice. I heard some people talking about on TikTok and thought, “This is interesting.” I got the juice from Trader Joe’s, where it was pretty affordable. It’s still expensive. It’s this huge bottle for $10 but it was all organic and very simple. Aloe Vera and lemon juice were in it. I heard that it was good for immunity, your skin, and your gut, so I gave it a try.

I haven’t noticed a big difference but I liked the taste. It’s got this nice tart, interesting flavor to it. Not a texture I was expecting. I thought it would be thick and slimy like aloe but it’s watery. Anyways, I’ll keep you posted if I notice any difference from that. I hope that if you did decide to celebrate the 4th of July in whatever way made sense for you, it was a nice time. You’re reading this episode at least two weeks after the 4th of July, so it probably feels like a distant memory but as I always say towards the end of my episodes, I would love to hear from you. I love hearing your stories. I want to know more about you and your life.

This is one of the big perks of my private community, Beyond Measure, which you’re always welcome to join. It is a place where I connect with people like you. They connect with each other. We all learn from each other and share stories. It’s one of my greatest joys. A little side note, too, since I started recording this episode, I’m thinking about the show Only Murders in the Building.

I don’t think I mentioned that I started watching it. I gave it a try in late 2021 and didn’t feel it into the show but I kept seeing references to it especially because the second season started. I started watching it from the very beginning and fell in love with the show. If you don’t know about it, it has a big focus on podcasting. That’s one of the big parts of it. It’s a true crime podcast specifically. It’s got an incredible cast. It’s on Hulu. If you haven’t tried it, I encourage you to watch at least three episodes.

So far, the second season’s good. Also, I was talking at the beginning of this episode about being sensitive to sound. I had mentioned in my solo episode that I was thinking about buying these reusable earplugs from this company called Loop, and we’re talking about it in that episode. It inspired me to pull the trigger. I’d been thinking about these earplugs for a while, so I got them.

I’m going to hold them up for the YouTube video, which by the way, if you’ve never watched the YouTube channel, there are videos for most episodes, including all the way back to the beginning. There are some at the very beginning of the show that I hadn’t uploaded because before the pandemic started, Jason, my former cohost and I used to record them with a fancy camera. They were in 4K resolution, and it became an ordeal because the files were so large. I haven’t uploaded every single one of those.

 

One day I will. Either myself or hire somebody to help because even now, with the super simple system I have through Zencastr, the tool that I use to record my episodes, I still find it hard to get the videos up. I have been thinking about asking the team that helps me with the show notes and the audio editing to assist with the videos. Maybe I’ll get around to that. That’s through this company, Podetize, who’s amazing. I love them. I consult with them on their social media. Anyways, it’s a little behind the scenes.

My point being that you’ll be reading to this episode likely far in advance when the video comes out because I’m several months behind. Now that I think about it, I’m at least 6 to 9 months behind in the episodes, but my goal is to catch up. If anybody is interested in seeing things like these loop earplugs, you can look them up. They are much smaller or more compact than I thought they were going to be.

I ended up getting the Loop Experience Pros. They have three different types. The Experience Pros were the more expensive version. They cost $35, which I didn’t think was too bad because I started reading all of these reviews of people with autism, ADHD, various types of neurodivergence, and sensory issues raving about them and recommending the Experience Pro. I also heard great things about the other models too. Because of the return policy, you can safely try something out and return it if you don’t like it. So far,  I like them.

One big part of the experience pros is that they come with a little carry case, and they’re pretty. I got this rose gold color. The other big perk is that they come with different adjustments for the ear so that you can control the sound. It’s taking me some getting used to. First of all, they have different sizes so I’m not quite sure I have the size on YouTube. I’m showing what they look like inside. They look cool but they definitely stand out, especially this rose gold. You can get them in black, white and regular gold.

I got them for my upcoming trip because, as I was talking about in the previous episode, I have sensory challenges and that is what I suspect to be part of autism or, for me, at least because I’ve been trying to figure out my neurodivergence. I wanted to try these out to see if they work as well as it do with other people with autism and ADHD that can help you focus and reduce noise. At the beginning of the episode, I mentioned how the sounds of people laughing and talking while it’s very pleasant, it’s distracting to me and my attention will be pulled.

When I’m recording the show, for example, I get nervous about it affecting you because I’m so sensitive to it. I don’t want to distract you or bother you. On the airplane, babies are crying. In the airport, people are shouting or talking. One thing that I’m also curious if these earplugs will help me with is that I feel uncomfortable when I’m around a lot of strangers. I don’t fully know why. I’ve always had this pet peeve.

Now I’m thinking, “Maybe this was a sign of being on the autism spectrum.” Huge pet peeve about strangers walking close behind me. I can’t stand it. Even talking about it in this moment makes my skin crawl, especially if they’re talking. If they’re walking behind me, it’s not necessarily them being close to me physically that’s bothered. It’s the noise. I’m probably not going to talk about it very much because it’s already irritating me. I thought, “This is a quirk, a pet peeve of mine,” but things like that are very common for ASD, Autism Spectrum Disorder. I’m curious to see, and I’ll keep you posted. I’m so excited to do an episode after I return from my trip.

Anxiety

As I prepare for this trip, I have to say I am experiencing a lot of anxiety. I want to talk a little bit about that and then something else not related to the trip that I’ve wanted to talk about. That is tied to what I believe an anxiety but I’ll get to that in a moment. A few hours ago, I was grocery shopping, mostly getting food for the 4th of July, foodstuff that I’m doing. Also, getting some things before I leave for my trip and maybe a few snacks. I mentioned in the last episode how I’m bummed after hearing about what’s going on with COVID now on airplanes.

It’s been recommended by people who are COVID conscious to not eat on the plane. That’s a big bummer because I love eating on the airplane and packing snacks. I find that so satisfying. Every airline or flight I take, I will think, “What would make this flight more enjoyable?” First of all, with all my food preferences and sensitivities, I love the meals that they serve. If they serve them on a plane, don’t work for me. You will usually have to buy food on the airplane or in the terminal, which can be very expensive.

It’s common to eat to get a dopamine rush and feel pleasure especially if you have a low point. Share on X

I try to think about what I can bring that’s cheaper, going to fit my dietary needs, and for the wherever destination I’m going. Food is big for me. There are also some sensory elements to this and maybe dopamine, especially for ADHD. I’ve learned that it’s common to go to food to get a rush of dopamine and feel pleasure, especially if you have a low point. I’m a little nervous about not having the sensory experience of chewing food and the pleasurable experience of that.

I’m afraid that’s going to make this flight challenging for me. I was thinking about that when I was in the store and I felt this wave of anxiety come over me. It was interesting because it felt like I had and still have, hours later, butterflies or a pit in my stomach. I feel tense, off, and uncomfortable. I was trying to figure that out as I was shopping, like, “Why was the shopping triggering this?” I’m sure all of those thoughts that I shared were subtly playing in the background in my head.

I also felt all this pressure at the store to like, “Pick the right foods and figure out my whole plan.” For example, I’ve planned to eat something hearty and feeling right before I get to the airport so I can keep my mask on for as most of the time as possible. That’s again what’s being recommended. It’s another bummer and not even safely being able to eat in the terminal. This might seem extreme, but even now, somebody I know came back from an international trip and got COVID. This person has been incredibly cautious. They think that they got it on the airplane because of the way the timing worked out.

I felt so bummed about that, like, “If that person got it, my chances are probably pretty high.” That gives me anxiety because I don’t want to get COVID. It could also ruin my trip and get in the way of me coming back. My brain started spiraling. I was carrying around a lot of heaviness then I started packing. I’m working on some videos for TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and all those different platforms that allow for those short-style videos. I wanted to do a series of packing videos.

I was surprised by how much stuff I had planned to pack. I’ve been thinking about these two international trips for at least a month and slowly buying some new things like the Loop earplugs, which are luckily small. I’m planning snacks until I learn in the past week about the COVID stuff and gathering all my existing stuff together. In my head thinking through the packing and where things will go.

As I was recording these videos, I started to feel even more anxiety because, first of all, there’s so much stuff. Here I was thinking, “This is great packing and traveling gives me an opportunity to be minimalist.” Certainly, it is because I’m packing carry-on only. I have my personal item, which is a backpack, and I have my carry-on bag, which is on the smaller side for carry-on bags. If I can jam up all the essentials into those two bags, that’s pretty minimal, considering that I am in a home with plenty of room and a lot more stuff that I’m not taking.

These bags are packed to the brim, and the anxiety crept into thinking, “Am I bringing too much? Do I need all of this stuff? Did I waste my money buying some of these things? They’re so packed I can barely close them. How am I going to bring anything home if I want to?” This disappointment sunk in of thinking, “All this planning and it didn’t turn out as I hoped. What if something goes wrong?” My brain was like, “What if?” That very reason if it is just in the past few hours.

I do feel proud that I recorded the video, but then I also started going down this path of, “People are going to judge me for all of this stuff.” I’m afraid of being judged for all the sensory stuff I’m bringing on board. I talked about this in the previous episode, like my hugs sleep pod, a blow-up sleep pillow, these things that are “extreme,” and my fears around that. Not only are the people witnessing me on the airplane but what if the people on TikTok or wherever else judge me and write mean comments. My fear started coming up for that and wondering, “What if somebody thinks that I’m so extreme with COVID?” Even as I’m talking in this episode, I’m afraid of being judged for that.

I covered this, but a lot of those emotions have been carried through with me, and it’s heavy on top of all sorts of intensity. Certainly, the challenge with the day like July 4th, the day that I’m recording, is the heaviness and the timing of the Roe V. Wade decision. There was another mass shooting out in Illinois. That’s heartbreaking and having conversations about how hard the fireworks are on animals. Someone was saying how awful it is because many animals have to be put down or they’re putting themselves in harm’s way doing that. I felt the heaviness. I hope I’m not passing that on to you, but if I am, I completely understand if you want to move on because it’s tough.

 

I also think it’s so important to talk about these things and share them. Not just to get them off your own chest but to share with others how we’re feeling, in case they’re feeling the same way but struggling to verbalize it. If you are, I hope you can imagine yourself walking through this with me or holding space for me if that makes you feel good or considering what triggers you have in a sense.

Disturbing Dreams

Now, the other big thing I want to share with you is connected but simultaneously unrelated. The connection is the anxiety. I noticed that I’d had this pattern of disturbing dreams. In fact, it’s also connected to what I said about animals on the 4th of July. I have this reoccurring moment in dreams where I find out I have neglected to take care of animals. It’s very commonly centered around me being hired or volunteering to help somebody while they’re out of town and I’m looking after their animals. It’s such a specific thing, especially since I haven’t done anything like that in a long time.

When I was in high school, I used to do a lot of house sitting, dog sitting, and babysitting. I used to do dog-walking when I was in college and after college. I loved that work. I love animals. Once I got Evie, that shifted because it became more complex for me to look after certain animals with her. It’s interesting how this storyline is played out in my head. It’s so intense that I usually wake up, shoot out of bed, and will start to go try to save this animal. I’ve talked about in the past how I have sleepwalking, which often is me reenacting something or waking up in a pure panic, not knowing if my dream was real or not.

Usually, with this type of dream, I am so convinced that it’s happening. I either jumped out of bed and stood or sat down feeling awful like, “This animal is either injured or no longer alive because I neglected it.” I got out of bed, left the bedroom, and started going towards where I thought this animal was. I noticed that I’ve been having those types of dreams for many years. I remember them in some other places I’ve lived. I was able to go through my timeline. I finally decided to sit down and try to figure out what these dreams meant.

When I was younger, I used to be into dream meaning. Over time, I started to wonder, “Is dream meaning similar to a horoscope where it’s made up to make somebody feel good?” No judgment to horoscopes. Calling that made up is a judgment, but I tend not to believe in horoscopes as much. They feel usually used to making money from somebody, but certainly, there must be some people who could predict or better understand human behavior through astrology.

Forgetting Things

Please put my personal judgments aside if you believe in that. No judgment towards you, but for me, I wonder. I’m skeptical of some of these dream interpretations. However, when I started looking up the meaning behind these dreams I was having and this reoccurring theme, I found some interesting things. I’m going to pull up my notes and read some of them to you in real-time. The other thing that has coincided with these dreams is forgetting things.

When I was trying to type into the search to narrow down or describe my dreams, I remembered how I also had reoccurring dreams of losing things, not being responsible and prepared like if somebody is coming into my home and I’m not dressed. I’m still in my pajamas, naked, or someone is coming in and my place is a mess. I’ve had that dream a bunch. I’ve also had dreams of leaving something behind and similar to the animal dreams. I’ll shoot up in bed and panic like, “I left my wallet behind.”

For a while, I had these reoccurring dreams of a forgotten storage unit or leaving things behind in an old apartment and forgetting to pick them up. These dreams feel so real that when I wake up, I feel like I’m sitting there forever in full belief that it’s happened. My consciousness is slowly coming out of that dream. I don’t know if you’ve experienced this. I guess a lot of people have. When you wake up and you have a brief moment where you feel like your dream is real, then suddenly you realize, “That was just a dream.” Sometimes, that’s a good thing. Sometimes, that’s a sad thing. You wish that dream had been real.

That’s a very common experience. From my research, I don’t think these panicked reactions in the extreme way that I have. I will sit up and yell. I will flail about, move about, start sleepwalking, all of that, and I can feel my body and my brain trying to figure it out what’s going on in those stages of belief versus reality. I tried to figure out how I phrase this so I could get some support. One of the things I typed in was reoccurring dreams about neglect.

When you wake up from a dream, you will have a conflicting feeling. You will be glad to wake up from a bad dream but feel sad if it is a good one. Share on X

I think that the term neglect came out of some other searches. I was typing in things like forgetful or loss, losing something or someone, caring for animals and neglected pets or animals. These were all some of the terms I was picking up, and these are fascinating. I also typed in dead animal dream. It was fascinating. As I was searching for these things, I even found the results of people on platforms like Quora. One of them is, “I have a recurring dream in which I suddenly realize I’ve forgotten to feed my pets. Often, I’ve forgotten for weeks.”

This is one of the exact things that I’ve thought of. In fact, I feel like I had this dream in the past, but I don’t remember any sleepwalking around it, but I have been convinced that some animal under my care hasn’t been tended to. They’re trapped wherever they are without food or water. Sometimes, I go and discover them. I think my brain will wake me up before I can see them in bad shape. It’s almost like what they say about how you rarely die in your dream because you’ll wake up before you die. I don’t know if that’s a myth, but I don’t recall ever dying in a dream, so maybe it is true.

Dream Interpretations

Another subject, but I think that my brain, the fear of seeing this animal no longer alive, is so intense if that’s the point where I will wake up. It’s interesting that other people are feeling this as well. I’m going to share with you some of the different interpretations. First, I’ll go to the website DreamLookUp.com. This one said dreams related to pets. They have this whole list of all different things, so buying a pet, your existing pet dying.

Let’s go to that one. I don’t think I’ve had this about Evie, but maybe I’ll get some clues here. Envisioning the death of a beloved pet is a subconscious reaction to doubts and fears from your waking mind. You may feel uneasy or worried that something bad is about to happen either due to certain indications or a generally pessimistic attitude. In either case, your preoccupation with this concern is unlikely to be beneficial and could, at worst, hinder you or hurt the situation further.

That’s interesting. Certainly, as I’ve already disclosed here and in many other episodes, I do have doubts and fears. I often feel uneasy or worried about something bad happening. I wouldn’t say that I’m generally pessimistic. It’s fearful. Another example on DreamLookUp.com is a pet needing your attention. Although, that doesn’t apply. There’s a lot of pet related. One is undernourished pets. Dreaming that your pets look malnourished or undernourished is normally interpreted as a neutral symbol. It carries a possible indication of a change in your future likely related to your career.

I don’t know about that one. Another one is accidentally killing your pet. Saying that out loud brings me uncomfortable feelings. That will mean such as getting defeated. It indicates a period of time rife with misfortune and negative emotions. You could find yourself the victim of bad luck on multiple occasions, often getting into accidents, or being passed over for praise and recognition. This would be the source of great sadness and frustration. Since I’ve been having these dreams off and on for the past years, I can attribute that to a period of time with misfortune and negative emotions.

I feel like I’ve had lots of fortune over the past years and my emotions balance each other out quite well. This part about being passed over praise and recognition is something that I’ve struggled with throughout my life. I often crave validation. I want people to acknowledge me, and that’s huge. I like getting recognized for things. I feel upset if I work hard on something or I do something that I feel is good, and I’m not recognized for it.

Maybe that can relate to this website. I highly recommend this if you ever have dreams related to pets, whether or not this is that accurate or not. I don’t know. On another site, DreamsOpedia.com talks about forgetting to feed animals. I’m not alone because it seems fairly common. That refers to your flexibility and ability to blend and adapt to various situations. You want to create your own path and do things your way. You’re going around in a loop. The dream is a premonition from the unrealistic goals you have for yourself.

You’re incorporating your new realizations with your spiritual feelings and knowledge. I don’t know about this, but it does break it down. Forget in your dream stands for involvement in deeply painful relationships or unhealthy destructive behaviors. You are feeling hurt by the little things that may seem insignificant. That, for sure, I am often feeling hurt about things that seem insignificant to other people. You feel that you’re doing the work while others are not pulling their own weight. I have felt that before and fairly recently too. Your dream is assigned for secrets and confusion, and you are refusing or rejecting some advice.

 

There’s this term too. Dreaming of forget and fee and animal. What does fee mean? Maybe this website meant to say feed? I’m not sure. A little skeptical about that one. The Quora one, there’s a bunch of people writing about this. Some people think that forgetting to feed pets is related to procrastination, putting off taking care of important things. I certainly struggle with procrastination but I don’t think it’s just procrastination. It’s that I’m afraid of the consequences of procrastinating something. I’m afraid, in general, of forgetting to do things. That’s a huge part of my anxiety now.

I wouldn’t be surprised if I have one of these types of dreams again. There’s one website that’s in-depth. It’s BackOfTheBrain.com that gets into Carl Jung’s descendant to the unconscious. It had another article that was written by somebody about a menagerie of wild animals in the backyard, and this person was interpreting dreams. I read a couple of articles from this person here. It was interesting. Things like animals being in captivity for exhibition can mean not feeling physically well.

Animals can reference your physical and instinctual self. If they’re thirsty, it can be related to something that you might be feeling thirsty for. The article gets into wild nature, demanding attention. I like the phrasing of this back of the brain site that was also linking to Carl Jung piece and how the absence of water. Hydration can be a symptom of sickness but it can also be about ourselves and our muscles. The deeper meaning of water being central to life, so if an animal is dehydrated, maybe you need to reconnect with life force in some way.

Some of these interpretations get deep into this. The first time I found BackOfTheBrain was in response to what Lena Dunham wrote about in her memoir. She shared a reoccurring dream that she had. This is similar to mine. Lena said that she would remember that she had a number of pets living in her home that she hadn’t tended to for years. She would open the door and find them completely neglected and be afraid that they had passed away. She’ll still find them alive but barely alive.

I’m not sure, again, if I get to that point in my dreams, but I would be surprised. The back of the brain person who writes this, Satya, is the website owner who broke this down, so I’m going to read more about this. Lena has wondered about it being related to having kids and not being sure of being able to take care of it because you’re too busy trying to survive. Satya seems to think that these dreams are related to subtler parts of yourself. For example, how animals are the sweet creatures that live at home with you that depend on your conscious self for survival.

Satya encourages you to think about the symbolism of your whole being. What are those parts of you that have become so neglected, undernourished, and unseen? That’s always a good question. That ties into the other part I read it earlier from a different site about feeling unseen, the persistent undeniable and demands of one’s animal nature in modern life. We need more attention and awareness. The dream can suggest that you let your self-care slide and you’re terrified to face that neglect. I don’t know about that for me, but it would be interesting. Maybe I do, on some level, have that fear.

For example, I’ll often get into a place of feeling like I put on weight. That’s my responsibility and I didn’t take the best care of myself. Even my food sensitivities like now, I’m eating something with soy in it knowing that it’s not going to feel good. Am I neglecting what I need, burdening myself with judgment over food or self-care physically? Usually, when I make those decisions, I’m doing it for my mental health and emotional self-care. That’s why I feel confident in those decisions.

Satya also says, “If you ever see a suffering animal, pay attention. Ask what it needs and don’t run away.” That’s something fascinating for me and my dreams. I don’t feel like I have an opportunity to ask what these animals need. Usually, I feel terrified of somebody’s reaction, like I let down somebody. I think there’s a big theme. For me, it’s not that I’m fully in charge of this animal. A lot of times, it’s somebody else’s animal that I neglected to take care of. I wonder whether it is coming out of this deep fear that I’m not doing enough for other people, I’m not doing a good job for other people, I’ve neglected them, and I’ve been selfish. As I mentioned, a lot of times, when I procrastinate, that’s a form of self-care because maybe I feel overwhelmed or burned out, so I’m taking a break. That’s part of the anxiety and feeling now too.

I still feel the weight of a typical Monday on my shoulders now and I feel all this time pressure preparing for this trip. I’m worried that I’m going to forget or make a mistake with something. That’s part of this and maybe not so much these self-neglect interpretations, as well as needing more attention or awareness while those are common themes for me. I don’t know if that’s what these dreams mean.

Water is deeply connected to life. If you dream of dehydrated animals, maybe you need to reconnect with your life force. Share on X

Another website, BellaOnline.com writes about caring for pets and neglecting pets in the dream symbolism. It starts off by saying that animals often represent parts of ourselves. They may represent those aspects of ourselves that are more familiar, parts of ourselves that are easier to acknowledge, and what is being represented depends on the animal. For me, they’re all sorts of animals. I’ve had this dream about dogs, cats, and some other types of animals. I can’t even name them off the top of my head.

I feel like horses were involved. I grew up with horses, so maybe that makes sense. On the BellaOnline website, there’s a section about neglected pets and dreams, how it’s very common, especially forgetting to feed the pet and one has pet. I’ve had that dream. I dreamt that I had a bunch of kittens. They were all stuffed away in a drawer at my home and I forgot about them. It gives me this awful feeling. That dream is usually accompanied by panic, embarrassment, or sheer horror, according to this BellaOnline.

Another one is it made an unconscionable irreparable mistake that has resulted in the injury of something one dearly loves. Dreams of that sort usually indicate feelings of not living up to one’s responsibilities or feeling that one is failing in an area of life one considers important. This, to me, feels like the most likely meaning for my dreams. They may also symbolize feelings of neglecting some aspect of oneself, as the other websites have pointed out. Meaning something’s being ignored that may be worthy of developing.

These dreams are indications that the creative impulse is demanding attention even at the cost of sacrificing practicality. I feel like I’m pretty good at taking care of my creativity. I’m prioritizing that, but it’s got to be this responsibility, not living up to it. That’s huge. A few more articles. As I mentioned, sometimes I dream about forgetting something or losing something valuable. One website DreamSymbolism.info has a page about forgotten or lost purse. This person wrote about how it’s an odd dream. They go somewhere, leave, then realize they forgot their purse. They would go back to find it but couldn’t. This is interesting.

This interpretation was related to someone who was suffering from lung disease and would often get very tired and sick at work, which is also very important to her. She was taking time off and knew she would be fired. These dreams could be related to these life changes. In some senses, losing a purse could relate to the loss of income that would result in her being fired. After all, a purse contains money. A purse connects with money but is also linked to personal possessions. Money and dreams can symbolize things that are valuable to us.

It could be an identity that’s being lost. This is fascinating. In this sense, in the case of this dream, it refers to the dreamer having to come to confront major life changes and having to restore her sense of identity and self-worth. Dreams are fascinating. One last website I will refer to before I wrap this up is CheckMyDream.com and this was about forgetting things in a dream. In the opinion of a large number of dream books, according to the site, is a symbol of the fact that at the moment, not everything goes smoothly with your self-organization.

Although, some interpreters claim that this plot speaks of relieving the burden of problems and worries. This doesn’t feel super well-written, so I apologize. According to Miller, “You don’t just forget your stuff but do not remember where it happened. This is a symbol of a pleasant purchase.” It goes into some specifics like certain things that you might lose, and property could be a signal that you’re missing something important in a hurry.

Big Takeaway

This website is pretty confusing. I’m not going to go more into that. I think there seems to be a like lost in translation type of thing happening here. My big takeaway is that my dream seemed to be representing losing something of value and being afraid that I’m going to miss out on opportunities or lose income. Perhaps neglecting part of myself, being afraid of panic, embarrassment, horror, or feeling that deep down.

It could be the fear of making a bad mistake that impacts somebody else or nourishment. Not nourishing myself or taking care of my needs, my instincts, and my creativity. The line that most resonated with me is not the exact reason to have these dreams but that neglect, undernourished, and unseen are playing a big role for me. If you happen to be someone that likes to interpret dreams or has resources, I would love to hear your thoughts.

 

What do you think? Why do you think that I am having these dreams? If you’re someone that wants to share that with me, I would love to hear it. You can send me an email or a direct message on social media under @Wellevatr or my personal accounts, which are under @WhitLauritsen. My email is on both Wellevatr.com and WhitneyLauritsen.com. It’s very easy to find both emails and get in touch. You could also join Beyond Measure and share it with me in real-time during one of our live calls. That’s the huge component of Beyond Measure.

It’s the opportunity to hang out in real-time and chat with each other. However you want to get in touch if you have a book or a website you want to share that could help me get to the bottom of this. Certainly, something I want to bring it up in therapy, and currently on hold with my insurance trying to get a new therapist sorted out. This is something that I’d love to hear a professional’s opinion on. If I get some more answers, I will also share that with you whenever they come about. That’s it for now. I’m going to wrap this up and go enjoy my 4th of July evening and see if I can release some of the anxiety.

I feel better talking about it. I enjoyed the show because I like to share and process verbally. Thank you for holding space for me and being part of this technically one-sided conversation. This is why I welcome your feedback and response so that we can keep a dialogue going. This is also exactly why I created Beyond Measure. I think of it like a live show, except it’s not just me talking. It’s you and other people and we’re all exploring things like this subject matter.

I’d love to hear from you and I can’t wait to share more with you. In the next episode, I’m going to share some more details on the retreat I’m going to. After I get back, we’ll be sharing all the details about what that was like as well as my time in Singapore. Fingers crossed that I make it there and back without getting COVID. I don’t know that COVID is inevitable for everybody because if you do things like flying internationally, certainly, it’s harder to prevent. My hope is that I can complete those trips. If I get it when I come back, I can rest, although that terrifies me too. I imagine if I got COVID, my anxiety about not being able to complete things would be so high.

One of the big reasons I don’t want to get COVID is it scares me. I’ve struggled so much with things like food sensitivities and gut issues. I don’t want to add any other physical issues to my body if I can prevent it, but it’s also the anxiety I would feel taking however many days off to recover. Maybe that’s capitalism speaking, but for someone like me, I’m freelance, and my clients are all dependent on me. I’m taking time off from multiple clients. It’s not like I call into one job and say, “I’m taking the week off,” if I could even do that.

I don’t get paid time off as a freelancer. Having to coordinate time off with all these different clients I have now sounds like a nightmare. I’m trying to be excited about the destinations and experiences I’m going to have without letting the whole COVID fears get in the way. I will certainly have a lot to report to you. I will tell you all about my journey there and back and the experiences in both locations, wherever I make it. I’m looking forward to being on the other side of this. Until then, I wish you all the very best with your own journeys, whether they’re emotional, physical, or whatever it may be. I hope you’re having a wonderful day, week, month, etc. Bye for now.

 

Important Links

• Loop
• Zencastr
• Podetize
• Quora – Forgotten To Feed My Pets
• DreamLookUp.com – Pets Categories
• DreamsOpedia.com – Dream About Forgetting To Feed Animals
• A Menagerie Of Wild Animals In The Backyard
• BackOfTheBrain.com – Carl Jung’s Descend Into The Unconscious
• Lena Dunham – Dream Of Neglected Pets
• BellaOnline.com – Caring For Pets
• DreamSymbolism.info – Forgotten Or Lost Purse
• CheckMyDream.com – Forgetting Things
• @Wellevatr – Instagram
• @WhitLauritsen – Instagram
• WhitneyLauritsen.com
• Beyond Measure

 

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