Creative gurus swear that morning pages will change your life by clearing out all the noise in your head. Morning pages are three pages of actual pen to paper stream of consciousness writing where you can be as whiny and grumpy as you wish. The goal is to write down exactly what is going through your mind when you first wake up. You can write about whatever you wish. Are you worried about something? Talk about it on paper. Are you bored? Complain about it on paper. Are you royally ticked off at someone? Give them a piece of your mind on paper. Want to start a business? Write your plans on paper. Worried that you’re doing the pages wrong?
As per The Guardian, “There is no wrong way to do morning pages,” Julia Cameron writes in her e-book, The Miracle of Morning Pages. Cameron introduced the practice in 1992 in her bestselling inspirational book on creativity, The Artist’s Way. She insists that the pages must be done first thing when you wake up because “you’re trying to catch yourself before your ego’s defenses are in place.” She says it must be done in longhand and you must fill exactly three sides of U.S. letter paper. Cameron writes: “The second page-and-a-half comes harder, but often contains pay dirt.” It’s also best to stop at three pages to avoid what she warns as the “self-involvement and narcissism” phase. After you’ve finished, your mind will feel ready to take on the day with clarity. Here are 15 more reasons you need to start writing morning pages.
Clears Your Mind of Junk
Our busy lives make it so that we never have time to process all that we’re going through, thinking, and feeling. Writing in the am is like clearing your throat before singing the day away.
Read Related: 10 New Ways to Think About Journaling
Improves and Maintains Your Vocabulary
In the era of condensed and ultra-simple phrases used for text writing, this free form of writing helps you use those “Word of the Day” vocabulary words you stored somewhere in your brain so you don’t lose them.
Dream Recall
Did you actually dream that a giant snake tapped on your bedroom window last night? Yes, you did and since writing first thing when you wake up enables you to still be connected to the dream state, it will help you relive it and look into its hidden meaning.
Explore the Dark Corners of Your Psyche
In Jungian terms you are meeting your shadow and taking it out for a cup of coffee so it’s less frightening, enigmatic and more accessible.
More Conscious Throughout Your Day
It’s a dust buster on your mind’s consciousness. Since you’ve already rid yourself of all the junk first thing in the morning, you are more aware and lighter for the rest of the day.
It Creates a Private Domain
Your writing pages should be for only you to see. Burn them, throw them out, keep them hidden. They are for you and only for you to truly express yourself in this world.
Calms Your Anxieties
Sitting down first thing in the morning to write those three pages grounds you so that you are not anxious about facing another day. That mental release is the best breathing exercise around..
Resolves Dilemmas
Who needs expensive therapy when you have your own gut intuition and a self-knowledge like no one else? Getting it down on the page is an exercise in honesty and straightforwardness with yourself so that sometimes, you can figure it out on your own.
Vent on Paper
On paper, you can address your anger and stress without bludgeoning the person who is annoying you with a paperweight.
Produces Insights
What creative, soul-searching types most love about morning pages is that it taps into your subconscious mind. The connections they make about their daily lives are priceless
Can Boost Your Immune System
Research suggests that writing about emotions and stress can boost immune functioning in patients with such illnesses as HIV/AIDS, asthma and arthritis.
A-ha Moments!
When you place the thoughts in your head down on paper everyday there comes a point when it all comes together like the pieces to a puzzle. There’s a sense of bliss knowing that you just made a break through somewhere important in your life or creative process.
Helps You with Writer’s Block
If other writing projects in your life aren’t going so well, morning pages will help unblock you. Just get all that fuzzy stuff in your head down on paper first thing when you wake up and you’ll feel creative again in no time.
Writing by Hand Makes You Smarter
As the Huff Post reports, research shows that there are cognitive benefits to putting pen to paper because you’re using your visual, motor and cognitive skills.
Gets You Ready to Write That Book
What morning pages allow creative writers to do is simply write, not edit. Most people are used to writing and editing at the same time. Morning pages are extremely raw and creative. They also train you to get used to writing on a daily basis.
