Reality Checks?

[Rattleglans]

I am going to begin training myself to have lucid dreams. But i have already noticed problems.

I can remember a couple of occasions (these are the ones i remember... and i don't remember excrement so...) where I'd bite my lip to see if i was awake. I wouldn't feel anything but I'd think i felt it so i'll just continue.

Here's what I'm going to do:
Everytime i see something red, i will do a reality check. I am thinking maybe I'll hold my nose and try to breathe, but i'm having doubts that i'll come up with some excuse like "its just a little air your not dreaming" in my dream and continue like the above.

So... What works for you?

[Zino]

What works for me is being in a common place where I think "hang on a second...something is different than usual" like at school / work

[radman32]

i was just reading, and when u come upon a common path, i guess try seeing around to see if it's right, or look at the time, and ask 'is this reality?'. i'm going to start doing this, but yeah idk what's good myself

[Timandra]

I always look at my hands. If they are deformed in some way, fingers missing or extra fingers, I know for sure that I am awake within a dream. 

[Stookie]

I look at around at the location and what I'm doing and then the small details and ask myself if this is what I normally do in real life. There are times in dreams where even though the situation is ridiculous, I still think it's real, but if I compare it to my normal life, I'm like "heyyyy......, this isn't right at all!". That's always my tip-off. So far, my dreams are NEVER close enough to real life that it slips by in that situation.

[Rattleglans]

I look at around at the location and what I'm doing and then the small details and ask myself if this is what I normally do in real life. There are times in dreams where even though the situation is ridiculous, I still think it's real, but if I compare it to my normal life, I'm like "heyyyy......, this isn't right at all!". That's always my tip-off. So far, my dreams are NEVER close enough to real life that it slips by in that situation.

My mind plays super tricks on me...

LOL. I remember becoming lucid in a dream, and something was totally wrong so i thought "i must be dreaming"... looked around and everything was still strange but i didn't realize it until i woke up. The only way i can describe my memory of dreams like that is i feel high... and i don't have the capacity to compare it to real life.

I must sound absurd... XD

[Stookie]

No, that makes complete sense. It's hard to raise enough awareness for true lucidity. I sometimes have dreams of being in sci-fi alien-like civilizations, doing strange stuff that doesn't make any sense, and it's like I'm clueless. I just don't get that first needed thought of, "...is this a dream?". That's one reason why reality checks are a good method.

[Rattleglans]

No, that makes complete sense. It's hard to raise enough awareness for true lucidity. I sometimes have dreams of being in sci-fi alien-like civilizations, doing strange stuff that doesn't make any sense, and it's like I'm clueless. I just don't get that first needed thought of, "...is this a dream?". That's one reason why reality checks are a good method.

of course.

My problem is i'll go "is this a dream", analyze it, and decide its not a dream... or totally forget i asked the question in the first place.

[Zino]

Yeah, I mean for me when I realize I'm dreaming it's only by the off chance...What you have to do is tell your mind things before you sleep...So therefore -every- time you have a dream your mind will subconciously know it's not real straight away and in theory every single dream you have will be lucid

[Athymari]

I found a good check for me was when I would turned a light switch on/off. I would like to myself 'if I was dreaming this light never turns on'. When it does I say to myself ' i am not dreaming' etc. I did this for a long time and it worked ever since.

Although it turned on me and it started to the the beginning of my nightmares! I would wake up,dark room head under the duvet so I couldnt see the room, think to do a check.. the light never turned on... As soon as the light didnt go on and i realised I was dreaming something would enter the room. I couldnt see or hear, just feel it and it was very primal hunter/hunted kinda thing.

So I changed, now i pulled my finger thinking ' if this stretches, i know I am asleep'

[Rusty]

Howdy folks for a reality check try the obvious pinching yourself works great for me then ask yourself if
you see colors when i am dreaming i don't pay attention to details like color so it always works.
next start asking for awareness until you are in a super conscious state . then you can do whatever you want. I always get lucid while dreaming about driving my car will go off road or jump or something silly.
but the color thing really helps.

[Xanth]

A quick tip for when you DO become lucid and feel it slipping away... spin like a top!
In the dream, just start spinning as fast as you can.  You'll feel the lucidity come back.
I don't know why or how it works, it just does.  LoL