No matter how much I enjoy the warm sunshiny summer, I adore the cool crisp autumn, too. Changes abound! New landscape shades, new harvest offerings, new fall practices. Hello September! So glad you’re here. This month, I’m looking forward to attending the last of our outdoor jazz concerts, wearing my warm fuzzy sweaters, and sampling sweet and savory soups. School has begun and we can once again hear the carefree voices of kids laughing, screeching, and calling out to each other on the playground as we walk past each morning. So life affirming! I’m ready for all that this season will bring, as well as a new step in my evening routine. Calm will be my mantra. Before I share my next self-care choice, I’ll tell you about my August writing experience.
From my journal: August 18, 2025, Newbury Park, California
“…doing my Morning Pages this month…love them! Starting each day writing them, I feel clearer…more relaxed, calmer…”
Writing three long hand pages aka Morning Pages first thing every day in August was like visiting an old friend and picking up where we left off. While I regularly write in a journal, Morning Pages are stream-of-conscious writings, pure and simple. No thought required, just the free flow of words recorded via pencil on paper. Julia Cameron was on to something amazing when she created this method and shared it with the world in her bestselling book The Artist’s Way first published in 1992. The purpose of Morning Pages is to open up space for creativity. For me, writing Morning Pages is like cleaning off my desktop before I start a project. Getting things out of the way to begin anew.
I found this process to be just as Cameron stated, the first page was a breeze, the second a little tougher, and the third page usually brought me some insight into what was rattling around in my head. And while designed with artists in mind, this technique can be and has been beneficial to Cameron herself, as well as people from all walks of life. It’s really for anyone wanting to live and work more creatively. I like how grounded I felt after writing them, and now that Morning Pages are a part of my daily routine, I will continue to write away each day!
Choosing this month’s self-care activity, I recalled days of the pandemic. That’s when I became aware of all the apps available to help with mental stress, better sleep, and less anxiety. Now wanting to focus on my sleeping habits, I’ve decided to try one. In my article “The Beauty of Sleep” posted on January 22, 2024, I mention among the benefits of getting adequate and good quality sleep are better learning, focus, and memory. But with so many apps to choose from which would serve me best? I asked around and selected one recommended by a few friends. That, and its name alone convinced me to give it a listen. Calm. The purpose of Calm is to help users improve their health and thereby their happiness. A worthy goal!
The first thing that I like about this app is the message that appears upon opening it. It reads, “take a deep breath”. A good starting point in any self-care activity! Easy to navigate, even for a non-tech savvy person like me, Calm offers hundreds of relaxing exercises, breathing techniques, and sleep stories. I can’t remember the last time someone read me a bedtime story, can you? How fun! I’m also interested in checking out the meditations. “Letting Go into Sleep” is at the top of my Listen To list. In addition to these relaxing avenues to pursue, soundscapes and music are available and may be another pathway to help me chill into a deeper sounder sleep.
Like every month, I will engage in this activity at least three times a week and will record how this self-care choice worked for me. While I could’ve signed up for a free 7-day trial period, after checking out all that it has to offer, and the fact that a 40% off button flashed before my eyes, I decided to subscribe for a year. At $47.99 per year, that’s roughly 92 cents per week, or 13 cents per day. What else could I possibly buy for a dime and three pennies a day? Calm never sounded so good.
A Journal Journey 