Why I Returned to Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages (And How It Helps Low Mood)
Updated: Sep 25
There are dozens of ways to journal—from a quick 3-minute gratitude practice to entering a fairytale world and exploring archetypes.
But recently, when fatigue, physical burnout, and a low mood caught up with me, I returned to the foundational tool that started it all: The Daily Pages (or "Morning Pages") from Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way.
If you've ever wondered whether writing three pages of stream-of-consciousness prose first thing in the morning actually works—especially when you feel exhausted or stuck in "Good Girl" perfectionism—here is my honest experience.
What Are Morning Pages? (And How They Unarm Perfectionism)
The practice sounds simple: sit down with a pen and notebook first thing in the morning and write three pages by hand, non-stop, without editing or overthinking.
When I first encountered this practice, I remember writing "I don’t know what to write" over and over until my hand and mind connected.
At first, the words were far from polished or insightful. They were mundane—reminders to go to the chemist, thoughts about lunch, or harsh self-criticism:
"You love to think of yourself as a writer, but you haven’t written anything in weeks and the best you can do with a blank page is a grocery list."
Slowly, over days and weeks, the inner critic—that mean-mouthed perfectionist who would rather you do nothing than make a mistake—grew quiet. The compassionate, curious inner voice took over.
For anyone struggling with "Good Girl" conditioning or people-pleasing, Morning Pages act as a boundary against perfectionism. They give you permission to be messy, unedited, and real.
Can Writing 3 Pages Lift a Low Mood?
Let’s be honest: writing three pages by hand every single morning takes time. Who has time for that every day? I certainly don't maintain it constantly.
So why did I return to it?
I was in a low mood. Physical fatigue had set in, and for three days in a row, I struggled just to get out of bed. Instead of forcing myself up, I grabbed my journal from the nightstand and wrote:
"Can writing three pages really lift my mood? Let's see!"
I wrote for an hour. I poured out my frustration, let the "productivity demons" spill onto the paper, and allowed myself to complain without judgment.
Somewhere in that raw dump of emotion, a compassionate voice emerged. I ended up writing a letter of encouragement to myself
The Result?
It didn't give me a miraculous surge of physical energy, but it gave my frustration a safe place to land. It cleared the emotional clutter so my intuitive, creative self could breathe.
When to Use Morning Pages vs. Fairytale Shadow Work
Different journaling tools serve different emotional needs:
Journaling Style | Best Used For... | Example Practice |
Morning Pages (Daily Pages) | Emotional detoxing, clearing brain fog, quieting the inner critic, moving through burnout. | 3 pages of raw stream-of-consciousness writing. |
Fairytale Shadow Work | Reclaiming intuition, setting boundaries, exploring deep archetypes, unpicking long-term patterns. | Guided prompts based on stories like Vasilisa or Snow White. |
Sometimes you need deep symbolic inquiry, and sometimes you just need an emotional brain dump. Both are vital tools for unlearning "Good Girl" patterns.
(Ready to try symbolic journaling? Read our guide on How to Journal with Your Favorite Fairytale or explore The Snow White Journey for Inner Awakening
Join Our Bi-Monthly Journaling Salon
Finding the time and discipline to sit down with a journal isn't easy when life gets busy.
If you love the idea of journaling but struggle to make time for it, come join us in The SpeakEasy!
We gather online every fortnight to explore guided prompts, discuss archetypes, and carve out dedicated space for your most curious, compassionate self.
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