Morning Rituals

I woke up this morning, put on the tea kettle, and went about my typical morning routine of teeth brushing and face washing. The electric kettle shuts off with a click. I pour the tea, plop down in my cozy chair, and begin my morning ritual.

I created this morning ritual to give myself at least one hour of non-negotiable time to relax, meditate, and enjoy. The ritual started out with me drinking my favorite tea in a mug that invited happiness, lighting a candle, and reading from a day book. Not long after I added another aspect to my morning ritual: unblocking my creativity. I picked up the book The Artist’s Way. The book had been recommended to me — I don’t remember by whom — and I had bought it and promptly set it on my bookshelf to collect dust. One day I felt a tiny nudge during my morning ritual to open the book and begin to explore. I started working my way through the book, adding the Morning Pages to my morning ritual. Thus, completing my morning ritual. I use the tea and candle to relax; the day book to inspire, The Artist’s Way to excavate, and the Morning Pages to meditate.

I have committed to this ritual every day for over two months, and I am reemerging bit by bit as the creative human I once knew and loved. I feel a connectedness to the world around me, a greater understanding and comfort with my authentic self, and an openness to discovering and taking action towards what I really want in life. I no longer cringe every time I think of myself as a writer or, an even scarier word, artist. I think everyone could use an hour (or even thirty minutes) to relax, reflect, excavate, meditate; time to help center ourselves, listen to ourselves, and reveal ourselves.

What are the Morning Pages? My psychologist called them expressive writing, Sarah Ban Breathnach calls them a Daily Dialogue, Julia Cameron calls them Morning Pages. Whatever you call them, they are stream-of consciousness writing, in other words, you think it you write it. If that means you are writing “I have nothing to say” or “I hate writing” over and over then so be it. This type of writing can help you work through complex and emotional issues. For me, it has improved my mental health, reduced my anxiety, and helped me explore the fears and self-doubt I have surrounding my creativity.

Every “expert” has their own set of guidelines for these pages. Some say to add doodles or scribbles if your emotions are not giving you words. Some suggest writing in an old notebook or on looseleaf paper, so you won’t feel the pressure to write well. Most insist that you write them by hand and that you do not reread them. Having done various forms of stream-of-consciousness writing over the past ten years, my recommendation would be do what helps you to stick with it. For me that is writing my pages in aesthetically pleasing journals with a favorite pen. Also, I have found the advice of not rereading what you’ve written (at least not for awhile) is pretty good; reading your recent writings can often lead to self-sabotage and unnecessary critique.

The details of my morning ritual:

The tea. My favorite is the earl grey I get from the London Tea Merchant in St. Louis.

The mug. I only use mugs that feel good drinking out of or have a fun design. In my current rotation are a few Disney mugs, a couple Halloween mugs, and a Route 66 mug that looks boring, but has a thick curved lip perfect for drinking from.

The candle. I use Bath & Body Works Pumpkin Apple. I have so many positive sense-memories connected with this scent. Plus it reminds me of my favorite time of year.

The pen. I have tried out quite a few (calligraphy, gel, felt tip), currently I am really liking Sharpie Gel 1.0. I like how it writes; it’s smooth, soft to hold, and lasts longer than the other pens, so far. I will stick with it until it does me bad.

The journal. My first morning ritual journal was the one from Wizarding World that looks like an old version of The Tales of Beedle The Bard (seen in my Back to Hogwarts post). My current journal can be seen in the photo above; it is from Beetlejuice. Haven’t we all wondered what would be in the handbook for the deceased?

Do you have a morning ritual of your own? Have you experienced the benefits of expressive writing or Morning Pages? I’d love to hear about your journey in the comments.