Did you ever have a dream where you were able to breathe underwater? Perhaps it was a dream where you were supposed to drown but could breathe underwater? Or maybe you dreamt of being a mermaid or a sea creature.
Regardless of how it comes about, a dream about breathing underwater carries a lot of elements that make it both perplexing and thought-provoking. What do these dreams mean, and how should you react to them?
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Dream of breathing underwater
1. You’re feeling overwhelmed, even though you know you can handle life’s burdens
Water is often a symbol of one’s emotions, particularly depression and anxiety. When you dream that you’re able to breathe water, you might feel the fear of drowning at first. Does that jittery feeling translate into a particular area of your life?
After people eventually realize that they can breathe water in their dream, it becomes a much more calming experience. This same dynamic plays out in dream interpretation. While you may feel “over your head” now, you will be able to overcome it—and you know it.
This is a dream that suggests that you know that you will have a hard time confronting emotions, but that you will be able to overcome them. The key to being able to handle everything is to keep a level head and approach things with a logical stance.
2. You’re getting better at handling your emotions
Many people dream of drowning when they feel unable to cope with emotions like anxiety. This is also a common dream to have if you’re facing a ton of different stressors.
If you are able to breathe underwater, then it would make sense that you’re having a bit of a breakthrough. You’re able to handle your emotions better now. In fact, you might be able to explore things that weren’t able to before.
If you have been exploring your emotional intelligence and taking time to introspect, then this might be why you’re dreaming of breathing underwater. You’re literally exploring your emotions!
3. You conquered your fear of water
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If you’ve had a fear of drowning your whole life, this dream could easily symbolize a new step in terms of fearlessness. When you went in the water, were you calm? If so, you might want to check to see how you feel about swimming in your waking life.
Did you recently start taking swimming lessons? Are you starting to get used to living near a beach? Your dream might be your subconscious’s way of saying it’s going to be alright. Water doesn’t always have to be a bad thing.
4. Your life will start to change
Water is often marked as an element of change. If you dream of breathing underwater, this may be an omen of change coming into your life. The color of the water you breathe can tell you about the change that’s coming up.
A dream of breathing in clear water is a sign that good change will come up ahead. This could be anything from a better understanding of yourself to a promotion at work that challenges you. So, if you dream of clear water, you’re in the clear.
On the other hand, if you have a dream of dark, muddy water, you may want to watch out. This could be a sign that the change you will have is not to your benefit. It may include a bout of depression or just bad luck.
5. You’re choosing to confront something negative in your life
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Breathing underwater can take a specific turn of bravery—especially if you actively chose to submerge yourself in the water. Water is a sign of problems, particularly when it comes to emotional issues.
If you chose to enter the water of your own accord, this could be a sign that you are finally making the decision to face issues head-on. In many cases, these issues could be confrontations that you avoided for a very long time.
Is there someone in your life that you’ve been meaning to confront about the way they treat you? Are you finally buckling down to address a professional problem you dislike dealing with? If so, that’s what the dream is meant to illustrate.
There’s a sense of security you didn’t have in the past.
Most people are absolutely terrified of drowning, which is why being submerged in water is often associated with panic. Drowning is a primal fear of us because we know we can’t breathe underwater for too long.
Underwater breathing dreams, therefore, often mean a major shift in security.
When you dream of breathing underwater, it’s a reflection of being able to feel safe doing things you normally wouldn’t be able to do. You no longer feel bound by the safety precautions, limitations, or conventions that held you back before. This is a great thing!
This is your dream telling you that you’ve achieved a level of stability in your life that you didn’t have before. This could be a social standing that you yearned to achieve, financial stability, or a mix of both.
6. You’re conquering other fears in your life
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Water has a tendency of representing fears that we have in life. In many dream interpretations, dreaming of turbulent water could mean that you’re actually afraid of water. However, water can also symbolize different things you fear.
When people dream that they are drowning, their bodies often physically react by stopping their breath temporarily. That first inhale of “dream water” often is a sign that your body is relaxing enough to continue experiencing the dream without issue.
In other words, it’s a subconscious release of fear.
Take a look at your current waking life. Have you started to overcome a fear of stage fright, or a fear of spiders? If you have been slowly learning to stop fearing certain things in life, your dream is a metaphor for what’s going on in your life.
7. You are embracing change in a healthy way
Another common way dreams of water tend to be interpreted is as a sign of change. Our language even reflects that association we have—think of “when the tides change,” or “seas of change.”
Dreaming of entering lots of water often means that you may fear change. If you were having a hard time breathing in the water or were drowning, this could be a sign that change is overwhelming you. It’s a sign that you aren’t adjusting well to the news.
In life, it is always tempting to try to resist change or control every little aspect of how your life goes. However, you can’t always do that. Dreams of breathing in water often act as a reminder that you have to “go with the flow.”
Since you dream of being able to breathe underwater, it’s safe to say that the way you are reacting to change is healthy. Rather than trying to fight it, you’re embracing change and adapting to it. You’re doing well and your mutable personality is making it easier to enjoy life.
8. You feel respected
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Perhaps one of the more unusual interpretations of dreaming about breathing underwater deals with how others perceive you. Breathing underwater is a superpower. When you dream of having special powers, it could be a sign of recognition that you didn’t get until now.
Breathing underwater is an omen of getting newfound respect from your peers. People will want to listen to what you have to say, and you will be able to wield that respect well. Of course, this is an omen for the future…a good one at that.
9. You need to have some time to find yourself
Finally, one of the last ways you can interpret a dream with underwater breathing is to view water as your emotions and spiritual self. If you find yourself breathing in water, it could be a sign that you need to pay attention to learning about your inner world rather than the outer world.
Inhaling that water means that you’re given a key to explore a whole new world in your dreams. This could easily translate into a metaphor where your subconscious is asking you to figure out who you are.
People who have been worried about what others think, or who have been focused on everything but their own selves often have this dream. This is a sign that you need to get reintroduced to YOU—your hobbies, feelings, and thoughts.
If you recently decided to take a trip into the world of self-exploration, then this might be why you dream of being underwater. You’re literally “swimming in your own thoughts,” and that translates into a dream where you’re able to “take in” the water without harming yourself.
Conclusion
Dreams of breathing underwater aren’t quite common, but they often can have deep meanings. Did you have a cool dream about it? Tell us in the comments below.
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