Self-Care Practice: Morning Pages

A great way to begin noticing your feelings and patterns in life is to begin a daily writing practice.  I use the practice of “morning pages” developed by Julia Cameron, author of “The Artist’s Way.”

Every morning when I wake up, I pull out my journal and write 3 pages of stream of consciousness writing.  This is essentially a way to brain dump your thoughts on to the page.  The magic of the pages comes with the repetition of the daily practice.  You’ll begin to see how you speak to yourself, respond to life and what thoughts and patterns come up time and again.  You’ll also be “clearing the cobwebs” from your mind and making space for new ideas and creativity to flow.  All you need to begin is a notebook/journal and 30 minutes in the morning. It’s important to note this practice is different from journaling in that it must be done upon waking—when you’re close to dream world & the critical part of your brain isn’t fully awake.  Remember, this isn’t meant to be “great” or even "creative" writing (though sometimes it will be), but a space to let the contents of your brain flow onto the page and be witnessed. Commit to writing everyday this week, and let me know how it goes!