Reality checks for the very new

A few of you have messaged asking how to start lucid dreaming, so here's what actually worked for me, minus the mystical packaging:

1. Pick one check and do it twenty times a day. Mine is pressing a finger into my palm. Awake, it stops. Dreaming, it sometimes goes through. 2. Read something, look away, read it again. Dream text rarely holds still. 3. Ask 'am I dreaming?' and actually mean it. Doing it on autopilot doesn't carry over.

It took me about six weeks the first time. Be patient and be kind to your sleep. If it's making you anxious or wrecking your rest, stop. The dreams aren't going anywhere.