I really love keeping a dream diary but over the years it can be a bit tedious. So after you've kept one for a little while, it's extremely easy just to notice the difference in dreams and to work on the ones that are significant to you. I always keep a pencil and a piece of paper by the bed so that if I wake in the middle of the night I can jot it down. To remember your dreams with dream recall, take your dreams seriously and ask yourself, "what did you dream?" when you wake up. Don't have an alarm clock blaring or get up caught up in the day's thoughts first as it makes it harder to remember. What we dream about is about ourselves more than about the people in our dreams. What is the message for you? The best clues are to be found by checking your emotional response to the dream. If it scares you, celebrate it as an awakening .... the path to resolution without the damage. Anger, fear, rage, resentment: nothing is negative. Grow and learn from it and allow your dreams to set you free!