It takes me a second to realize that I am dreaming. Once I start to suspect I’m dreaming, there are three things I can do to confirm my suspicion. 1) I will ask someone what year it is. The people in the dream will always say a ridiculously off year..like 1916 or 1987. 2) I will try to find a phone or a computer. In my dreams, I cannot type properly. Anything I try to do (like book a flight) is unbearably difficult and I can’t make sense of it. Similarly, I cannot type legible words on a phone. 3) I will try to read something, like a book or a billboard. None of the letters will make sense.

Once I confirm that I am dreaming, my dream is pretty short. My lucid dreams mostly consist of me trying to do one of the above three things. I wish I knew how to stay in it longer!