Last Updated on October 9, 2022 by theworldofsleepstaff
Dreams of walking, while not as common as dreams of flying, are closely related to such dreams. In a sense, a dream of walking or hiking is a variation of a dream of flying. Both have their own meanings, but they are closely related.
In fact as you’ll see, dreams of walking are far more interesting dreams than they may seem at first glance. They take us on a walk through our subconscious, and the way we walk, where we are, and how easy or hard the walk is, can show us a lot about ourselves.
In this article we will be discussing the meaning around dreams of walking, and showing that they can be a reflection of your own life obstacles and how your approach or feel about them.
CONTENTS
- Why We Walk in Dreams and What They Can Tell Us
- The Way We Walk & What it Signifies
- The Directions We Walk in and What it Means
- Scenarios We Experience While Walking in a Dream
- Where We Walk and Why We Dream of Walking There
- Our Final Thoughts
Why We Walk in Dreams and What They Can Tell Us
Dreaming about walking may seem like a pointless dream. Why walk when you are asleep and then wake up recalling yourself going on a walk? There is, however, plenty that dreaming of walking can tell us.
Whether one is taking a leisurely stroll, a brisk walk, or a long hike in a dream all could possibly relate to the goals or ambitions one might have in life and how one feels about reaching them.
Perhaps your dream may be an encouraging voice from your subconscious telling you to keep going, or a warning that you may be pushing yourself too hard too fast.
Below we look at what your subconscious could be trying to tell you in a little more detail. Before then looking at the types of walking you do in dreams, and where the walk is happening, and what that all could mean.
1. Destinations of the Physical and Metaphorical Nature
Dreams about walking could signify destinations we are moving or planning on moving towards, and those could be metaphorical destinations or physical ones.
If a destination is a mental or emotional one, it could be a representation of something like a relationship we are aiming for or working on. Other scenarios could include our careers or even our own well-being emotionally or mentally. It could be that we have a moral dilemma we are battling with and are trying to reach a finality with.
It could also be of a physical nature, wherein in our waking life perhaps we may need to travel somewhere or move away to a new place. Subject to what is occurring in your waking life these could be representative of how you feel you may be coping with attaining the end of whichever journey you may be on.
The difficulties or obstacles we may be facing are another important factor to look at, how we walk and where we walk may show us how we are dealing or attempting to deal with something that may be a blockade to our own progress in our waking life.
2. A Need For Distance
A dream of walking could also mean a need for distance.
Even though we are highly social species, often we need some distance from other people, or perhaps just one person. Your subconscious could be telling you that you need time to yourself or time away from a specific person. Sometimes being on your own is exactly what you need to recharge.
3. Reflections
Another meaning could be that dreams of walking are a reflection of the self within. You may feel you have to take a second look at some aspect of yourself, or that you have made improvements that your subconscious is acknowledging.
It could be that we are looking at our behaviours, morality, emotional capabilities, or even our responses to situations around us.
The Way We Walk & What it Signifies
The ease with which you are walking in your dream is usually an indicator of the ease in which you’re dealing with the subject your subconscious is alerting you to in your waking life.
Should the walk be easy-going, it could be that you feel you have a handle on the situation your mind is alerting you to. If the walk is one where you feel it is difficult or strenuous it may be your mind telling you that you are struggling with the situation.
The easier your walk is, the more it tends to be indicative of your belief within yourself. However that said, walking backwards with ease could be a sign from your subconscious that you may either be giving up on a situation, you’re feeling left behind, or that you may be giving up on yourself.
With that the case, for a true interpretation of walking in dreams we need to look at the way we walk in dreams along with the ease or difficulty of our walking:
The Directions We Walk In AND wHAT IT mEANS
1. Forwards
If you are walking forwards in your dream it usually represents that you believe you are managing to get through your waking life in a confident manner.
Should the walk be difficult, but you still progress forward, it would still mean you are confident in your approach to your waking life situation, but that some aspects of it may be making you feel hesitant.
Alternatively walking forwards could be a metaphorical representation of us walking away from a person or situation.
2. Backwards
When we dream of walking backwards it is often a way for our minds to tell us that our approaches may be counter-productive to our aims. I.e you may feel that you are failing and unable to reach an end goal.
Alternatively to dream of walking backwards could also be our mind’s way of telling us we need to back away from a certain situation for our own wellbeing. Your subconscious may feel that you are making a bad choice in regards to a situation in your waking life, but that remains up to you to decide if that is truly the case.
3. Sideways
If you are walking sideways in your dreams, think of it as your mind telling you that you are sidestepping a situation, avoiding a situation, or perhaps feeling stagnant in your approach to a situation in your waking life. It is the way our mind lets us know we are not progressing or maybe even regressing with an obstacle.
This however is not necessarily a bad thing. At times you may need to take a moment to stay in place while you think through a situation. Ask yourself, “Is it in my best interest to sidestep or avoid this challenge?”
4. Barefoot
Walking barefoot in a dream could have a few meanings. And these depend on how you feel in your dream about being barefoot.
On the one hand, if the experience is a bad one for you, it could show that you may feel you are stuck in a cycle of poverty. Alternatively, it could be a reflection around a lack of confidence or belief in one’s self. Perhaps identity issues you may be grappling with, making you feel like you are in poverty within yourself rather than financially.
If you are delighting in your barefoot walk within the dream it could be that the dream is representing a relaxed or playful nature you may have. This nature could be one you are showing to the world or one you wish you could.
Scenarios We Experience While Walking in a Dream
1. Walking and Balance
In a dream where we may be walking and balance is of utmost importance, such as on a tight rope, the dream could be making a comparison around the various parts of your waking life that you are attempting to keep in stability.
It may be telling you that you need to pay more attention to a situation that perhaps requires your full focus at this point, so as to not risk throwing the delicate balance you are attempting to keep in your waking life, awry.
It may also be hinting that you could be in a situation that you feel is dangerous to yourself. In a sense, it could be a way of being warned by your mind that you need to evaluate this situation carefully.
2. Walking on Coals
If in your dream you are walking on coals and it seems like an easy task, it could mean that you feel you will overcome whatever hardship life may be throwing at you currently. It could also mean you have a strong belief in your own abilities.
If the dream is the opposite and you’re struggling to walk in coals, it may mean you need to believe in your own abilities more, and so could be a reflection of self-doubt.
3. Walking on Glass
If in our dreams we walk on glass, it can be a representation of how a relationship with some person in our lives is currently affecting us.
If the glass is whole it may be that you have put up a barrier between yourself and another, but you feel it is not strong enough to protect you.
Broken glass, on the other hand, tends to be indicative of our emotional pain or some heartbreak we may be living through. It could be that you have recently experienced some major upheaval in some social aspect of your waking life and that the subconscious is trying to process it.
4. Walking on Air
To walk on the air is a different type of dream than flying through the air. If we dream we are walking on air it may be that we feel carefree, but does this carefree attitude fit our waking situation?
In some cases, it may be that the carefree attitude is a representation of having lost a grip on our waking lives and not caring enough to attempt to be grounded again.
5. Walking Through a Doorway
Walking through a gate or another type of doorway in a dream speaks of a transitioning phase in our lives. Usually, it is indicative of having or being about to start a new phase in our lives. The ease with which you pass through this gate or doorway speaks of how you are feeling about your transition into this next step in your life.
The more difficult it is to pass through, the more difficult you may be finding it in your waking life to either accept this new phase or move past any obstacles blocking you from your next step.
Where we walk and why we dream of walking there
Below we will be looking at a few of the common places where we dream about walking at.
Remember to look at these places in relation to how your walk through them goes. For example whether the walk is easy, hard, backwards, forwards and so on.
1. Aisles
Walking down an aisle often speaks of balance in our waking lives and being able to move forward with our lives. Alternatively, it could be a representation of a conflict in your waking life where you may be feeling stuck between two opposing forces or views.
2. Alleys
Alleys tend to be seen as dead-ends in our waking lives and the same is true for our dreams.
Dreaming of walking in an alley could be because you feel you have reached a dead-end and can go no further, or that you have missed something that could have helped you make progress in your waking situation.
3. Corridors
Walking down a corridor in a dream usually speaks of the self and the phases we go through in life. This could be related to self-developmental potentials, such as emotional growth or finding one’s sense of self.
If it is a long corridor it could be an attempt by your mind to tell you that you may feel trapped in a sense, and you’re trying to find a way to escape what could be repetitive behaviours you feel you need to rid yourself of.
4. Stairs
Dreaming of stairs and walking can mean a few things, but two main points stick out. Firstly when we dream we are walking up a flight of stairs it could indicate a belief that you feel you are reaching a deeper understanding within yourself.
Second, when we dream of walking downstairs it often signifies that we are repressing ourselves, especially our subconscious. It also often refers to obstacles or setbacks you may be experiencing.
On one last note for walking on stairs when dreaming, should you dream you slip while walking on stairs it could be indicative of a need to slow down in your waking life. This could be by feeling a need to achieve some goal or a need to delve into the inner self, one’s subconscious. At times we may not be ready yet to do a deep dive into our minds. Sometimes it is best to take a brief rest, rather than take on too much.
5. Sidewalks
If you dream of walking on a sidewalk it is usually an indicator that you are making progress in your waking life. However, if the sidewalk is damaged it could be that you feel there are setbacks in the way of your progress. If there’s any damage to the sidewalk that would be indicative of how minor or major you feel these setbacks are.
6. Railroads
To walk along a railroad in your dream tends to mean you feel on track regarding your destination or goal. But should the railroad feel monotonous and the walk hard, it may be indicative of a belief that you may need to change the course you’re currently on.
7. Deserts
If you find yourself walking through a desert in your dreams it could signify that you may be feeling a loss of some kind. Deserts also usually represent loneliness and isolation in dreams, which often brings with it a sense of hopelessness.
8. Forests
However, if you are walking through a forest it may be that you are in a phase of life where things are changing, perhaps rapidly and you feel a need to find a way back to simpler times.
If you become lost on your walk it could mean that you are trying to find a better understanding of who you are, in a sense it’s a search for your identity.
9. Swamps
Walking through a swamp in your dream, especially when it comes to walking through mud, could suggest that you may be feeling you are stuck, or that you are being sucked in by some difficult situation.
You may be feeling overburdened perhaps, or even weighed down in your waking life. Often a swamp speaks of the darker sides we have within ourselves. Are these darker sides weighing you down truly darker aspects of yourself? Or are you taking on the words of others to define who you are?
When it comes to being weighed down, the words of others can easily cause us to feel trapped and to start believing that what they say about us is the truth. However you are the only person who truly knows who you are, another’s words do not define you. You don’t have to take on the mental burdens of what others say about you.
Walking in Dreams: Our Final Thoughts
So here we are at the end of our own walk through dreams about where our feet may lead us.
At the end of it all, the most important thing to remember is that dreams of walking are far more interesting dreams than they may seem at first glance.
When we walk in our dreams we wander through our subconscious. Just as in our waking lives, a walk may take you on an unexpected journey, and so can a walk in our dreams.