Nightmares about Missing Work

Similar nightmares used to haunt me, but they were about school.

Instead of showing up without pants, I showed up without knowing the subject at all.. I'd sit there intently trying to make sense of what we were doing.. I could barely identify "oh, this is math, fuck.. I've not done my homework.. the past 4 grades.." and of course it ends with me getting asked some question and waking up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night.

To be fair.. I never did any homework and sucked hard at math because of it.. so the nightmares probably just reflected my waking life.

Could it be that you actually do feel like you're slacking off too much at home? Are you actually?

When covid hit, I was the first to work from home, I thought it'd be amazing but I never got the hang of it.. I'd tried once previously as a fully-remote, I had to leave that job because I couldn't do it.. So when restrictions were lifted, I was right back at office and never looked back.

Wow, I haven’t been in school for almost 15 years, but a nightmare that I still routinely have a few times a year involves me being back in my college days and being asked to repeat all my exams (total of 60+). It’s horrible, because in the dream I am aware of how “comfy” my life is today so going back makes it even more painful. Every time I wake up in a sweat.

I graduated in computer engineering from a prestigious European institution, summa cum laude in both my bachelor and master, but boy it took a huge toll on me. Nothing I have done in my professional life ever came close to the level of stress I used to experience in college.

It must vary from person to person, because I know a few acquaintances who were in my classes who say it was a period in their life they cherish and wish they could relive. Yikes, I’ll happily stay here with my 6-figure job moving protobufs.

Funny story.

I always had nightmares when attending college that I am given an exam for which I a completely not prepared for.

Well, one day I get to class, the professor goes "clear up your desks".......my heart sinks as I mostly was an 'A' student and really cared about my grades. I take the test, I don't remember any of this stuff as I missed some days due to illness. I completely flop the test. When giving it back to my professor, I straight up told him....hey so this is pretty embarrassing, I completely forgot we are taking this test, I was completely unprepared. I told him it felt like nightmares I had, and felt surreal. He had a pretty good laugh and told me, that if it affects my final grade in a significant way he will allow me to take another test.

I did get an A in the course and that test was irrelevant in the grand scheme of things.

No. Instead, several times a week, I contemplate how the decision of switching to a fully remote job with flexible hours and no stand-ups, allowing me to work at friends or other places if I want, without any unnecessary stress of missing or having to attend the early daily Mass, is working so great for me. As a result by the way, I'm way more available for my colleagues during the day, almost counter-intuitively if you don't think too much about it. This company got it so right.

Good luck, I hope you will find a way to get rid of your nightmares to at least have one less stressful ceremony to attend each day. Maybe push for abandoning stand-ups in your team or find a way to leave for greener pastures.

Please do share your funny excuses you come up with.

People usually have this kinds of nightmares about school, i.e. the most BS environment they experience in their life. The fact that you have it about your job is telling a lot about that job.

My old phone used to die randomly and I missed my alarm few times. Since then I have similar nightmares/anxiety regarding alarms. I even used to set two alarms with difference of 5 - 10 mins as a backup.

I don't do that anymore but still occasionally check my phones multiple times on bed just to check if the alarm is set correctly. Sometimes I wake in the middle of the night and instinctively check my phone to see if I've missed my alarm.

Never about work, always about school. All the bad memories around pressure / expectations as an immigrant kid comes back and still haunts me to this day.

I used to a lot until I got a job where they don't clockwatch you.

There is a possibility this could be ADD.