As work takes up a great proportion of our waking lives it is natural that it will figure prominently in our dreams. Work in a dream is not always about the work we do, it may be about co-workers and colleagues. If we enjoy our work this may be shown in positive, happy dreams about it. Stress and anxiety in the work place may sometimes surface in our dreams.
Work & Emotions
For some work is stressful, boring or frustrating leading to unhappiness and anger; we may feel unchallenged or abused or taken for granted, our dreams can reflect these feelings. In the workplace of our dream we may say or do something extreme, then worry that we may behave this way in real life. Yet these dreams may in fact just be a way of acting out possibilities – a safety valve to let off steam within our dream in order that we don’t do so at work.
Work dreams may seem fairly realistic, but sometimes our unconscious will create a memorable scenario to focus on what is bothering us.
Dreams of work may symbolize more general issues such as money, survival, feelings of inadequacy, subservience or anger and many others.
People at Work
We do not dream only about our own jobs. In our daily lives we encounter a multitude of people in their different occupations. We have opinions about these jobs – maybe we are envious or quite the opposite. We may admire some people for their work, perceiving them to be clever, talented or even courageous; we may envy their satisfaction or prestige or fame. Yet certain jobs we may hate the tedium or lowly status, or maybe the confines of an office job or uncertainty of contract work. When we engage with strangers in our dreams it is often in the context of their occupation. For example authority may be represented by teachers, bosses and policemen. Your response and attitude towards these figures will depend on your real life experiences. You may see the authority figures as benevolent or frightening.
People at work may symbolize many different things. A cleaner, for instance may be telling you to ‘clean up your act’, an accountant may be suggesting you get organized. A dream of an artist may be suggesting you relax or get in touch with your creative side.
Colleagues
As we spend a lot of time with the people we work with it is no surprise that we dream about them. They will appear because they have particular characteristics that we need to address. Often their role will be more important – such as a boss raising important issues of authority, power and status.
Workplaces & Resources
A dream wherein you are unable to work effectively because your equipment is inadequate or the work environment is unpleasant may be a general statement about your material well-being or ability to get things done.
Your reaction to your workplace in your dream is worth taking note of as a physical environment can have a major impact on your emotional state.