#472 – How will a Morning Pages routine strengthen your mind?

People around the world have been starting their days with a Morning Pages routine for 33 years––Julia Cameron's The Artist's Way was published in 1992. If the practice's still alive and kicking, it must work. How? What does it do to your mind?

I learned about it during the pandemic, in one of those random Zoom meetings we all started having. I became an instant believer, and, for more than two years, I stuck to it.

Then, you know, for one thing or another... I stopped.

I've been doing it on and off since then, and this past year I wanted to pick it up again. I also didn't want to do it at all––what a waste of time, why bother, etcetera.

15 days ago today, I decided to try it for 30 days straight. Reluctantly some days.

Today, I wondered: Why invest 21 precious minutes in writing three longhand pages every morning?

As I wrote, I noticed many thoughts competed for my attention. Like a kindergarten teacher on her first day, all the kids asking her to see their drawing, my mind couldn't choose what to focus on.

Then the word patience appeared. One by one, I can deal with all the thoughts if I consider them one at a time. The mood in the room shifted: the children went back to their seats, each drawing calmly displayed on the tiny desk.

With the calm came spaciousness. There was more room between the desks and I could take more time to go from one to the next.

That's what morning pages do. They help me practice patience, and with it, they slow my mind down, which in turn helps me focus.

And a focused mind, research has shown, is happier. A good enough reason, if you ask me.

What becomes possible when your mind doesn't race?

Love,

Carolina