Dream signs and reality whats?
A critically important part of lucid dreaming is, well, knowing how to confirm that you're dreaming.
Dream sign - a telltale sign that you're dreaming, which can be something present in the location of the dream, an anomaly regarding your own actions (you're more confident than normal, for example), or another obvious signal that you're not awake at the moment. A flying pig, being in an unknown location, or being on the run from a person you've never met all scream "you're dreaming!"
Reality check - a quick action on your part that allows you to confirm whether you're currently dreaming or not. If you become aware in a dream, you need something to make sure you're not awake, or you could end up losing your awareness. There are certain things that work differently in real life than in dreams, and these are deemed "reality checks".
List of reality checks:
Plug your nose - this can be slightly awkward to do in real life, but it may be the most reliable RC yet. Plug your nose and try to breathe through it; in real life you'll feel pressure in your nose and chest, and obviously won't be able to breathe. Here's the catch - in a dream, you won't feel any pressure, and the air will rush into your lungs as if nothing was blocking it! Be sure you know this reality check because it rarely fails!
Count your fingers - Look at your hand and see if you have the proper amount of fingers. In a dream you can have less or more fingers, as well as fingers sprouting off of other fingers... Quite a sight to behold.
Digital clock - Look at the time on a digital (not analog) clock and see if the time is unrealistic, like 1:98 or 8:62. You can also look at the clock, look away, and check the time again to see if it's changed; it may even change before your eyes.
Reading - Sometimes in dreams, writing can be distorted or nonsensical, and change when you look away and look back again.
Push your finger through your palm - Try pushing one of your fingers through the palm of your other hand. It may take a bit of effort, but if you're dreaming it will may go through as if you were a hologram or made of jello.
Lights - Turn a light switch on or off to see if the light levels change. In dreams, the switch may not do anything, or the lights in the location could be dim.
Location - Where are you right now? Can you remember how you got there? In a dream you can have no memory (or false memories) of how you ended up in a certain place, or you may be somewhere you shouldn't - such as on mars.
Gravity - Expect yourself to float upwards and see if you do or not. Or, simply see if you can feel gravity acting on you right now.
Grogginess or lethargy - In dreams, sometimes you're groggy and do things without really thinking about it. Sometimes you can feel tired like you do when staying up late at night.
The next step? Choosing the right technique(s) for you!
Be sure you have a couple of the reality checks above memorized, most importantly the nose-plug one, and put them in your LDing toolkit. You're going to need them once you become aware in a dream.
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