Category: Integrative Nutrition Coaching

Writing Morning Pages Opens Up Creativity

Today, I returned to writing morning pages. Finally, I picked up one of the spiral journals on my bookshelf, plucked a pen off my desk and wrote.

My first morning pages started over thirty years ago when I was introduced to The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. It is one of the tools she uses to open up creativity.

What are Morning Pages?

The idea is very simple. Each morning, before you do anything else, take pen in hand and write on paper. The standard for how much to write is three pages or thirty minutes. The only requirement is physical writing.

At first, you might not know what to write. That’s okay. If you’re stuck, write “I don’t know what to write. This is stupid.” Continue writing these two sentences. As if by magic, your words change to release whatever needs to come out. Maybe the emotions release. Perhaps, a new idea may emerge.

There is no wrong way to do morning pages. Furthermore, don’t worry about syntax, punctuation or spelling. Above all, just write.

How Might This Work?

The physical task of moving the hand allows the brain to slowly unwind. It seems like expressing your thoughts on paper is basic therapy. Moreover, it doesn’t hurt you or anyone else.

Morning pages are private. They are not shared. When you’ve filled up your first notebook or journal you choose what you do with it.

    • Store it
    • Burn it
    • Shred it
    • Physically tear it up

Start Today

Why not give writing morning pages a try? Do you have an empty notebook lying around the house? Any writing instrument will do; pen, pencil, marker. Start writing morning pages and watch your creativity soar.

For me, today’s morning pages made me feel so much calmer, I didn’t stress over publishing this page much later than usual. Ahhhh.

Helpful Resources

As I composed this article, I remembered the scores of young people who were not given the joy of learning cursive writing in school. If you want to learn how to master this creative style of writing, here are a few of the many helpful sources online. Most noteworthy, the first link is full of more resources at the end of the article.

On a personal note, thank you, kind reader, Donna M., for emailing me the link in the last item above. The world needs more teachers like you.

Have an enjoyable, safe Labor Day weekend, enjoying the vestiges of summer and looking forward to fall.

Warmly,
Dawn

Five Days into a 10-day Detox

As of today, Friday, I’m five days into a 10-day detox. There have been some revelations and amazing health improvements already.

My Why and Resulting Goals

When I started my 10-day detox, I answered this question.

Why am I doing this detox?

    1. I am hoping the change in diet will reduce my joint pain.
    2. It would be nice to lose a few pounds.

I really didn’t think much past that as I was coming into this with a curious mind. But the detox journal also included a goal section where I delved deeper.

What are 3 specific goals I have for these 10 days?

    1. I will adhere to the diet 100%.
    2. I will be open to try new foods.
    3. I will take all the supplements.

Do you find one or all of these goals difficult?

Probably the the #1 goal to adhere to the diet 100% made you mumble, “Good luck with that one!” The second, trying new foods is generally easy for me, but seeds and raw nuts, odd nut butters, kale, arugula.. those didn’t appeal at first. Finally, taking supplements has been something very difficult for me. I would be totally on board with a new health plan, purchasing all the supplements only to throw them away unused. Perhaps I see taking supplements like taking any other pill.

But this time is different. On day 1, the smell of fresh brewed coffee hit me as I walked up the stairs after my 30 minutes on the stationary bike. It smelled good, but didn’t tempt me. If I could avoid a caffeine craving, the rest would be easy.

On this detox, there are recipes for the breakfast shakes, soups for lunch, and a choice between easy (core) or adventuresome dinners. Unlike my usual cooking style, it’s core dinners all the way.

I decided I would dive right in and get all the ingredients for the first few days. It’s gone pretty well. Even my mom and husband haven’t complained about the dinners.

There is a journaling component which got me thinking. Why am I able to meet my goals (so far) this time and not in the past?

The Value of Small Steps

I’ll agree that a detox is NOT a small step.

In contrast, I had been taking many small steps in my personal growth for months; finding the confidence to take an airboat ride,  setting monthly intentions and goals , taking small steps for a year with a fitness trainer, meditating daily, finding joy in my finances, and booking hypnotherapy sessions.

Seems like, these small steps since the start of 2020 have led me here.

Lots of Tracking

Do you dread getting on the scale when you are on a diet?

With this detox, I’m actually excited about my morning scale check-in. Furthermore, I look forward to measuring my waist, hips, and thighs along with taking my blood pressure daily.

Drum roll please…

  • 6.5 pounds have left my body
  • A total of 3.75 inches are gone
  • My blood pressure went from 156/94 to 121/79

Big Disclaimer: Certainly, I have never had results like this from other detox diets and the book, The Blood Sugar Solution 10 Day Detox Diet, doesn’t talk about results anywhere near mine even after ten days.

Once again, I come back to those many small steps over the last year. Perhaps they setup my whole system for this amazing response to a detox.

What’s the Revelation?

Evidently, I was using alcohol, sugar, and caffeine to pump up my mood, distracting me from what I was really feeling. As the toxins left my body during the first three days, I exhibited irritability, impatience, lethargy, teary eyes, and feeling worn out!

Even today I don’t feel like my old self. Rather, five days into a 10-day detox, I feel better than I have in years.

The photo is the dinner from Day 1 – Grilled Salmon with Onions over greens. I’d love to hear your comments below or you can follow my progress on my Facebook page, Best Health Dawning.

Smiling,
Dawn

3 Steps to Finding Joy in Your Financial Picture

Do you think finding joy in your financial picture is impossible? First, it seems boring. Second, it might seem bleak. Rather, curiosity about joy and financial thoughts in the same picture can urge you toward new discoveries about your own finances.

Traditionally, we are told to make money through work, save it and that will make you happy. What if we turn that upside down?

  • Be happy about money
  • Do some incremental task to increase that joy
  • Continue the small steps
  • Arrive at a financial situation of making more than you spend

The Three Steps

  1. Start with the emotion of joy.
  2. Create your own definition of a rich life.
  3. Have a clear, honest understanding of your cash flow that is based on what brings you joy.

Examples of the 3 Steps

Real Life Scenario: I’d accomplished very little tallying up my deductions for the previous year. What small step can I do to make this easier for next year? And how can I have a clearer picture of what I am spending?

  1. Since I like beautiful things, I invested in Cavallini file folders. Just looking at these folders makes me smile. My folder “Current Tax Year” is front and center. I place all receipts that could be tax deductible along with tax forms for income as they come in.
  2. If you were given $10 million and told you had 10 years left to live, what would you stop doing and what would you start doing? This is your rich life!
  3. Now to the nuts and bolts… For at least one day, write down everything you spend, cash transactions, notices of bills paid, etc. Think of it as a financial diary, similar to a food diary. If you can do a week or a month, even better. Take a highlighter in a color you love, and highlight everything that doesn’t make you smile.
      1. Cell phone – can I negotiate a better price for this?
      2. The automatic monthly payment to Classmates.com that you forgot about and don’t use
      3. House mortgage – the kids are out of the house. Is it time to downsize?

Dig a Little Deeper

How do you define joy around financial tracking? Perhaps it involves one of these ideas.

  • Writing in a cheerful journal
  • Using bright colors for cell shading in Excel
  • Using a beautiful pen
  • Selecting a colorful ink like purple

Exploring how you approach record keeping is one small step toward bringing joy into your financial situation.

Resources

We all know finances are important. They can bring you joy or pain, if you let them. It’s our choice how we approach our finances. And learning more about our relationship with money may be key for you. Here are some books you might find helpful.

Emotional Currency – by Kate Levinson explores our history with money and how to change how we think about it.

I will Teach You to Be Rich by Ramit Fachi Is all about using automation to keep on top of bills.

On My Own Two Feet: A Modern Guide to Personal Finance by Manisha Thakor is a must read for everyone who wants to understand how to take care of their money while they are young.

What do YOU Want?

This blog is a brief overview of how you can start to change your relationship with money by taking one step at a time finding joy in your financial picture. Are you interested in knowing more? I’d love to hear from you, either with a comment below or send me an email.

Joyfully,
Dawn