I’ve come to believe that part of the human experience may be about getting stuck from time to time–unable to move forward for whatever reason–I’m excited to share some self-care hope.

My experience of feeling stuck is currently physical–painful knees and now sciatica–what a freakin pain in the butt!  I truly feel like I’ve thrown everything but the kitchen sink at these issues in an attempt to heal myself–avoiding invasive therapies if at all possible (not everyone’s journey, however it’s mine).  So I consulted one of my spiritual friends who shared that she felt like my body through pain was sending me some messages regarding the need to move forward–thereby getting unstuck and being able to move forward pain free–hallelujah!  And then she shared a way of releasing those emotions keeping me stuck–that concept is  called Morning Pages.   

Here’s the deal–as we age and have some discomforts, It’s SO easy to assume this is to be expected due to the aging process.   It’s SO easy to want the quicker fix since that’s what many allopathic health care professionals typically recommend (in the military we called it “vitamin M” for Motrin) versus digging down further to the real cause which admittedly takes more time than an allotted appointment time.  However, we have options, Warriors, and I’m excited to share more about this fairly simple technique that I’m learning as well called Morning Pages.  (P.S. It’s easy to do, however, easy not to do.)

From the homeopathy field, studies have shown that illnesses and disorders are linked to negative emotions stemming from beliefs and changes of beliefs about oneself. What an example of holistic wellness–that ever-important connection between mind, body and spirit.  So how do Morning Pages fit in? These tips I found on a site called  “Little Coffee Fox” by Shelly Abrahamsen:

Busy Busy

Everyone has so much going on in our lives There’s so much rattling around in our brains all the time and we usually don’t realize it. We carry this weight with us wherever we go–all the stress and anxiety and planning, however, there’s a way to lighten this load through Morning Pages.

Morning Pages

Julia Cameron in her book The Artist’s Way teaches broken and frightened artists to get back onto the path of creativity and away from the fear that holds them back–overcoming the voices within like “you aren’t good enough”, “everyone is better than you”, “you are unworthy, so why bother?” or ‘there’s no point in trying- you’ll only fail”.

But I’m Not an Artist

SO true, however, art isn’t always about paint and canvases and clay–it’s about creating something from nothing and diving into our passions (i.e. cooking, writing, singing, dancing, designing video games or playing baseball)–we are artists. Any act of creation or honing of skill is art.

How Morning Pages Work

Find a notebook or journal of some kind–it can be a cheap spiral bound notebook or a hardbound–it doesn’t matter. Grab a pen that you enjoy. Get up a little bit earlier, if necessary, every morning and complete three pages of longhand stream of consciousness writing. However, the power of the Morning Pages doesn’t just stop at creative pursuits. This journaling technique is valuable for every aspect of life, from marriage to parenting to daily stressors about work. The beauty is that anyone can start writing Morning Pages to inject clarity, focus, and direction into their lives.

What do We Write?

There might be days when we don’t feel like writing–write anyway–write down our first thoughts. We might forget to do it in the morning–do it in the afternoon instead, or right before bed. We might start writing and feel like we can’t fill out three pages, it’s too hard–but fill all three anyway. The magic comes from pushing ourselves to complete our pages. It doesn’t matter what we write, either. There is no wrong way to fill our pages (i.e. dreams from the night before, what you’re currently worried about, the chores we don’t want to do, the way our coffee tastes, our errands, a grocery list, a to do list, affirmations… Write whatever comes up.

Bottom line Warriors–Let’s be true to ourselves and live an honest life the best way we know how through our own Morning Pages journey.  Personally, I’m excited for the self-healing possibilities of this wellness option.  

Covid19 Humor:  Once this is over I’m going to do a reverse quarantine and not go home for six weeks.