Morning Pages… Face Your Feelings The Right Way!
Whether it’s the excitement of a new personal project or the mourning over someone leaving your life or whining about your every day errands, your feelings need a space to live and they need to be addressed!
Put them out on paper, acknowledge them, and empty your mind so that you can focus on what can be done and what needs to be done anyway!
Morning Pages is a daily writing practice popularised by Julia Cameron. The idea is to do 3 pages of longhand, stream of consciousness writing, early in the morning. Just blurt out on paper whatever seems to be bothering you like "I could have slept more...", "I forgot to put my phone on charging...", "I am so excited/nervous for my interview...", "my colleague is on leave and I would need to clock in an extra hour of work...", etc. etc.. Just write whatever is on your mind, good or bad, minor or major, whether it's just the sense of calm you are feeling in the moment or something you aspire to do in life, write anything and everything that comes to your mind! There is no wrong way to do it. You can take somewhere around 10-20 minutes to do it every day. There may be days when you may want to write more than 3 pages and that's okay too. If you feel like you don't have anything to write, write "I don't have anything to write..."!!
It's not just about acknowledging your worries and concerns, sometimes we fail to acknowledge our happiness and celebrating our every day wins. When you take a moment to realise all the good things that are happening for you, you feel motivated and ready to face the day ahead. When you write down about any unpleasant experiences or feelings, you will naturally be able to move on from them and you can then concentrate on other important things you need to tackle for the day. Writing morning pages is like meditating on paper! It gives you a sense of clarity, boosts your creativity, and helps you develop laser-sharp focus. You can experience some real epiphanies while writing morning pages!
One important thing to keep in mind is that these pages are not to be shared with anybody else, be it your spouse, best friend, or anyone else! Start each day by putting the date and time on the page and let your thoughts flow through your words. If you feel you are not able to spill your deepest fears or feelings on the paper just because you are afraid of someone reading it, write and then throw the pages in trash. But, I recommend keeping a specific notebook for morning pages as it helps you reflect on how and what you felt on a certain day!
“I will keep constant watch over myself and‚ most usefully‚ will put each day up for review.”
Personally, writing morning pages gives me so much mental clarity about everything going on in my life! There is no other way I can understand myself better. If you miss writing in the morning, you can always catch up in the evening or at bedtime as well. But I encourage you to do in the morning as it helps you address what is going on in your mind so that your subconscious doesn't scream for your attention in weird ways when you are in the middle of something important.
I have come across many people who are plain skeptical whenever they are told about some sort of self-growth exercise. I can guarantee if you keep writing, you will discover things about yourself that you never knew even existed! Be open to learning and try this routine whole-heartedly. It's okay if you skip days, just keep trying and remind yourself why you started in the first place.
The answers are found within, only if you dive deep and explore!
