What Do Dreams about the End of the World Mean?

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Learn how to interpret and handle apocalyptic dreams

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IN THIS ARTICLE

1 Apocalyptic dreams are often caused by political anxiety.

2 If you dream about the zombie apocalypse…

3 If you dream about an alien invasion…

4 If you dream about robots taking over the world…

5 If you dream about nuclear war…

6 If you dream about an asteroid crashing into the Earth…

7 If you dream about the world ending in a flood…

8 If you dream about the world ending in a fire…

9 If you dream about an ice age…

10 If you dream about a post-apocalyptic world…

11 If you dream about saving the world…

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Co-authored by Kari Samuels and Luke Smith, MFA

Last Updated: March 1, 2025 References

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Whether it’s fires, floods, asteroids, or extraterrestrial invaders, apocalyptic dreams are rarely pleasant. But often, they’re reflections of your own anxieties and preoccupations in your waking life, and taking a cue from them can help you work through your rocky emotions. We’ll fill you in on the general meaning of apocalyptic dreams (plus specific dream scenarios) and offer helpful guidance on how to face your subconscious fears.

Things You Should Know

• Dreams about the end of the world generally indicate anxiety about the state of the world at large, like fears of climate change, war, or other global disasters.
• Dreams of zombies often mean that you’re dealing with recurring personal problems, while dreams of aliens indicate you feel alienated from yourself.
• Dreams of natural disasters like fire or floods often indicate emotional turmoil, like feeling overwhelmed, unstable, or apathetic.

Steps

1

Apocalyptic dreams are often caused by political anxiety.

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1. 
   You may be worried about the state of the world at large. Dreams about the end of the world are all too common, and that’s no surprise given everything in the news nowadays. It’s likely that those global concerns, like climate change, war, or other widespread fears, are seeping into your unconscious thoughts. After all, it’s your unconscious mind’s job to process thoughts that you might not be able to work through while you're awake, or may not even be aware of.

   • What to do: If you have concerns about the state of the world, ask yourself: Is there anything you can tangibly do to improve your life or the lives around you? You may not be able to single-handedly stop a war, for instance, but you might donate to a food bank to relieve some pain in your own community.
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2

If you dream about the zombie apocalypse…

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1. 
   …you may be dealing with issues that keep coming back. Like a zombie, your problems just won’t die, but instead, keep rising from the grave to stalk you in your dreams. It might be a past relationship you’re not quite over, a bad experience you can’t seem to shake from your mind, or even deeply buried trauma that still influences you today. Whatever it is, you can’t seem to put it to rest.

   • What to do: If you're stuck on an ex, take steps to move on from the relationship by spending time with friends or current loved ones, or by spending more time with your hobbies and passions to take your mind off the past.
   • If it’s a memory or traumatic event that haunts your dreams, overcome your trauma by identifying what exactly triggers your negative reactions, then reminding yourself that it’s in the past and can’t hurt you today. Talk to a therapist about your experience if that trauma is particularly painful to think about.

3

If you dream about an alien invasion…

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1. 
   …you may feel like a stranger to yourself. Just as aliens represent the great unknown, you might be feeling like you just don’t know yourself anymore. Maybe you’ve been caught up in work or your other responsibilities and neglected your me-time, or maybe you’ve undergone some major lifestyle changes that have left you feeling like a totally different person. In any case, you’re starting to think of yourself as something of an extraterrestrial, and it’s showing in your dreams.

   • What to do: Take some time find yourself again. Read a book or watch a movie that you’ve always loved, or get back into a hobby you might have left by the wayside. You might be a different person now, sure, but it’s important to keep in touch with your past self.
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4

If you dream about robots taking over the world…

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1. 
   …you might be getting a bit too much screen time. Life moves fast these days, and much of it happens online. But with growing anxieties over super-advanced tech or intelligent AI, the internet landscape might instill more anxiety than it used to, and you may find that you’re a tad afraid of tech. That anxiety bleeds into your dreams in the form of a robot uprising.

   • What to do: Go without social media for a week or two. Log off or pause your accounts to help you live in the moment. You may find that a slower pace is better for your brain, even if only for a little while.

5

If you dream about nuclear war…

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1. 
   …you might feel helpless in your own life. Fears of nuclear war are powerful because there’s not much an ordinary person can do about it. That’s why these sorts of dreams might reflect a feeling of powerlessness or of being overwhelmed in your waking life. It could be that work is taking up all your mental energy, or a friend or family member has been a bit too demanding of your time recently. In any case, you’re feeling like your life is not your own.

   • What to do: Take your life back by carving out some personal time. Take a vacation to relax and recharge, or even just cancel some of those weekend plans so that you can spend a day alone with yourself. Reclaim your time!
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6

If you dream about an asteroid crashing into the Earth…

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1. 
   …you might feel like your life is unstable or uncertain. We tend to fear asteroids because they’re unexpected, sudden, and spell a heap of trouble for mankind. It follows that you’re dreaming of asteroids because your own life feels shaky, or that you fear a sudden catastrophe that will upend your stability. You feel like your life is a house of cards, and all it’d take is a strong breeze (or an apocalyptic meteor) to make it come crashing down.

   • What to do: Take stock of the things you can count on, like your loved one’s presence in your life, your own goals, or even your possessions. Make a list of everything you can safely assume will still be true tomorrow to help you feel stable today.

7

If you dream about the world ending in a flood…

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1. 
   …you may feel overwhelmed by your emotions. Floods are fearsome forces of nature, often overwhelming everything they come across. Likewise, you’re probably feeling overwhelmed by things in your waking life. Most often, the culprit is an intense emotion that takes center stage and makes it hard to think about anything else. Whether it’s anger, a deep sadness, or crushing anxiety, it feels like all you can do it tread water.

   • What to do: Meditate to clear your head. Find a quiet space, then sit or lay down on the floor. Breathe in for 10 seconds, then out for 10 seconds, and continue doing that until your mind settles. Then, envision your overwhelming emotion swirling down the drain. Afterward, you may find that it’s not so overwhelming, after all.
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8

If you dream about the world ending in a fire…

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1. 
   …you might be undergoing a major change in your life. Fire is a transformative force that burns away the landscape to make room for new growth. Similarly, you may be experiencing some uncomfortable growing pains that have preoccupied your mind (and your dreams), but those growing pains will make for a new and improved you. You might be moving, taking on a new job, or diving into a new relationship. You have butterflies in your stomach now, but rest assured that your experiences will serve you well in the long run.

   • What to do: Help yourself get through the uncomfortable stages of growth by focusing on your end goal. Who do you want to be when all this is over? What do you want to learn? Keeping your eyes on the prize helps you understand and endure things happening now.

9

If you dream about an ice age…

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1. 
   …you may be feeling detached or apathetic. In your dreams, the world freezes over and everything comes to a standstill. It’s usually a sign that, in your waking life, your emotions have gone cold, or you just don’t feel the same spark for life that you used to feel. You’ve lost what gets you out of bed in the morning, or you’ve become distant from your loved ones. Whatever it is, you feel like you're suspended in ice—isolated, unmoving, and chilly.

   • What to do: Do something that makes you feel alive again. That might mean taking a hike out in nature, striking up a conversation with a stranger, or even reconnecting with an old friend. Whatever it is, find something exciting that ignites your passion, and the effects will carry over into the rest of your life.
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10

If you dream about a post-apocalyptic world…

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1. 
   …you may feel anxious about something in your future. Whether you’re roaming a deserted wasteland or surviving in an empty, overgrown city, dreams of navigating the post-apocalypse are often actually reflections of things to come. You may feel anxious about an upcoming exam, a performance review at work, or a confrontation you plan to have with a loved one. But more than the actual crisis, you’re worried about what comes after, and that worry enters your dreams as a post-apocalyptic landscape.

   • What to do: Take steps to prepare for your trial, whatever it is, so that you can face it confidently and to the best of your ability. Study for that test, or rehearse what you plan to say to your loved one. But more than anything, have confidence in yourself that you’ll be able to handle the results, whatever they are.

11

If you dream about saving the world…

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1. 
   …you might be taking on too much responsibility. In your dream, it’s up to you to avert the end of the world. You might be successful, or it might all go up in flames, but regardless of the result, this dream often indicates that you’re feeling the weight of oversized responsibilities in your waking life. You tend to feel like everything rests on your shoulders, and that if you took a break, it’d all crumble to pieces.

   • What to do: Share the responsibility! Ask for help from a coworker or your boss if work is wearing you down. Or, turn to a family member or friend and explain your situation, then ask for their advice, or if they can help alleviate your mental burden somehow. You don’t have to save the world all by yourself!
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