There are different kinds of dreams. Scientists say that everyone dreams during sleep, regardless what they remember. People are also known to run away from reality with daydreaming. And there are the dreams we create and hold in our hearts. Let's think about how those heart dreams affect mental health.

Regardless what the dream is, people begin by embracing it and working hard to bring it to reality. Bumps and detours in the road of life slow the progress. For various reasons, some people never see their dream fulfilled. At that point the easy path appears to be giving up. It is easy to say, "I will never again let myself hope for something I cannot see. I will not let myself be disappointed again."

Leslie Parrott addressed that in You Matter More Than You Think. She wrote, "The eventual pain that results from not dreaming--for the fear of being disappointed by an unrealized dream--will always eclipse the pain of a dream that never comes true."

When we give in to fear of disappointment, we evict hope from our hearts. Living without hope is darkness that keeps increasing. Hopelessness can lead to clinical depression.

In these days when money is tight, we can be tempted to give up on our heart dreams. Giving in robs us of hope. Lack of hope creates a much deeper pain than hanging on to a dream that does not come to fruition. Hope is essential. It is one of the "nutrients" of good mental health.