Morning Pages didn’t work for me in midlife — here’s what I created instead.

Key Points

• Morning Pages doesn’t work for everyone in midlife, especially during seasons of grief, identity transition, menopause, brain fog, overwhelm, and reduced capacity for long-form writing.

• A simple alternative can create the same benefits as journaling—clarity, emotional grounding, and self-trust—without requiring three pages of writing or a “blank page” struggle.

• The Creative Reflection Pages process offers a repeatable 4-step method: prompt → reflection (writing) → create (visual expression) → integration, helping women reconnect with intuition, creativity, and the next chapter of their lives.

When Morning Pages Didn't Work Anymore...

If you've ever cracked open a blank journal and felt... stuck, you're not alone.

For years, I wanted to love morning pages the way so many others did. Friends with shelves stacked full of journals, devoted to their three-pages-a-day ritual. I admired the practice and longed for the consistency of it.

But it didn't work for me.

I needed a different kind of entry point. I was moving through an epic decade of change: leaving a business, moving cross-country, hitting perimenopause, grieving community and identity loss, and navigating brain fog, exhaustion, and the quiet emotional chaos of midlife.

Dumping three pages of stream-of-consciousness onto paper just wasn’t it. I couldn’t focus. I didn’t have the energy. And honestly? I needed less language and more spaciousness.

Over time, without realizing it, I began creating my own version of journaling. It was visual, gentle, playful, and grounding. A practice that could hold both the grief and the joy. It became the anchor I needed, and I now call it:

Creative Reflection Pages Process

This process is deceptively simple:

1. Prompt — A question that invites you inward

2. Reflect — A few words, bullet points, or a short paragraph

3. Create — A sketch, symbol, color, collage or simple mark-making

4. Integrate — A second reflection to capture meaning or insight

It works because it's accessible. You don't need to be an artist or a writer. You just need to be willing to meet yourself on the page. Whether you're 51 or 81, this practice invites you to reclaim voice, clarity, and emotional sovereignty.

This is not about making art or writing essays. It’s about becoming the queen of your own damn story.

In this first video of 2026, I walk you through the "why" behind this practice, share my personal journey with it, and guide you through a gentle prompt to try today:

"What do I need to feel grounded today?"

Write. Sketch. Reflect. Witness.

You can watch the full video below.

And if it resonates? Subscribe and follow along as we explore a year of Creative Reflection Pages together.

Youtube Video

Transcript

[0:01] : If you've ever opened a blank journal
[0:03] : and had no idea what to write, what to
[0:07] : draw, how to get started, you're not
[0:10] : alone. I'm going to be honest with you.
[0:13] : I wanted to love morning pages. I had so
[0:18] : many friends who were so engaged in the
[0:21] : process for years and even decades. They
[0:25] : had piles and stacks of journals and it
[0:29] : sounded great to have this consistent
[0:32] : creative expression.
[0:34] : But it didn't work for me. And it didn't
[0:36] : work for me for a few different reasons.
[0:40] : Number one, I recognized that I needed a
[0:44] : point of entry, a place to start. But I
[0:47] : also recognized that I was at a
[0:50] : particular place in my life that made it
[0:53] : really hard to sit down and just want to
[0:58] : dump on the page. So I turned 61 this
[1:03] : week. Happy birthday to me. And when I
[1:06] : reflect back over the last decade and
[1:09] : everything that happened, I call it the
[1:11] : epic decade. My 50s, there were so many
[1:14] : ups and down. And at the end of my 40s
[1:17] : going into my 50s, we moved our family
[1:19] : cross country from Texas to California.
[1:22] : I had let go of my first business. My
[1:25] : kids were starting new schools. We lost
[1:28] : our community, our friends, our
[1:30] : connections, our support network. And I
[1:33] : didn't realize or anticipate
[1:37] : a couple of things. One, how much grief
[1:39] : would hit me. how I would feel
[1:41] : emotionally overwhelmed by this identity
[1:44] : lost where I had been the leader in my
[1:48] : community. I was well known. My
[1:52] : publication, I had a parenting magazine
[1:54] : at the time was very popular. I didn't
[1:57] : know how unanchored and out of sorts I
[2:00] : would feel. Then compounded with that, I
[2:04] : hit parameopause and then menopause. So,
[2:07] : the hot flashes, the not sleeping, the
[2:10] : brain fog, right? Uh all of a sudden
[2:13] : losing my capacity to sit and focus for
[2:17] : 30 minutes on a page changed.
[2:21] : I'm postmenopausal at this point. That
[2:23] : might be TMI, but it's where I'm at. And
[2:26] : I'm noticing, so this is hopeful for
[2:29] : maybe those of you that are find
[2:30] : yourselves in those pmenopause
[2:33] : places that are just uncomfortable. But
[2:37] : I'm past so much of that. And it's only
[2:39] : with looking back did I recognize why
[2:43] : morning pages didn't work for me at the
[2:46] : time and what I started doing instead
[2:49] : that I didn't really have a name for,
[2:52] : but I was doing it very organically.
[2:55] : it became very meaningful and for most
[2:58] : of the last decade I have been
[3:03] : consistently practicing what I'm calling
[3:07] : my creative reflection pages process.
[3:10] : And if you've been following me for a
[3:12] : while here on YouTube, welcome to 2026.
[3:15] : If you're brand new and have never met
[3:17] : me before, hi. I'm Dr. Manette Ryarden
[3:20] : and this YouTube channel this year is
[3:23] : all about being the queen of my own damn
[3:26] : story. Really owning the journey that
[3:29] : I've been on, but also sharing that out
[3:32] : with you, sharing what is this very
[3:36] : simple creative practice that has been
[3:38] : lifechanging for me in so many ways and
[3:41] : has become instrumental
[3:44] : even inside of my pied programs. So we
[3:47] : have a beautiful membership, the
[3:49] : sisterhood of wisdom and wonder and I
[3:51] : use a version of this process even as
[3:54] : part of my teaching. So it's become like
[3:57] : second nature for me. And the challenge
[4:00] : is is that you can't see the ingredients
[4:02] : on the label when you're inside the jar.
[4:05] : And so I had this framework,
[4:08] : but I hadn't really known what to call
[4:12] : it or how to name it. So over the
[4:14] : holidays in Manette fashion, I went into
[4:16] : hibernation mode. It's why I haven't
[4:18] : been here on YouTube with you since
[4:21] : early December of 2025.
[4:23] : And I went into
[4:26] : practice mode, reflection mode, my
[4:29] : academic curriculum design mode. like I
[4:32] : came from all these different angles to
[4:34] : distill this practice into something
[4:39] : that I can share with you this year and
[4:42] : that I hope will help you whether you're
[4:44] : in your late 40s all the way to your 80s
[4:47] : have a more consistent practice
[4:51] : that has the same impact as morning
[4:54] : pages but is for those of us who don't
[4:57] : love to write and need something a
[5:00] : little bit Different morning pages are
[5:03] : phenomenal for the right people. They
[5:05] : work for lots of people. It's why the
[5:08] : artist's way is still such a valuable
[5:11] : and valid work and process. I'm a huge
[5:15] : fan. I've worked through the exercises
[5:17] : in the artist way about once every
[5:20] : decade or so and I love the questions
[5:23] : that she asked. And in fact, I would
[5:26] : give gratitude to the questions in the
[5:28] : book because I saw for me that was where
[5:31] : the transformation happened, not in the
[5:34] : morning pages process. So what did I
[5:36] : start doing instead and keep doing that
[5:40] : became such a powerful way to help me
[5:42] : own my narrative to step into the energy
[5:45] : of being queen of my own story, but also
[5:49] : felt doable on a regular basis. It felt
[5:53] : fun and playful and it connected with my
[5:56] : need to express myself visually rather
[6:00] : than through words. What I discovered
[6:02] : was I didn't need more words. I'm a
[6:04] : wordy girl. If you know me at all, I'm a
[6:07] : wordy girl. I'm a good talker, right? I
[6:10] : love to teach. I'm in my happy place
[6:13] : when I'm leading, guiding, and
[6:15] : facilitating others. But what I was
[6:18] : looking for was a soft landing space, a
[6:24] : simple opportunity to settle in and
[6:29] : connect more deeply with how am I right
[6:34] : at the core of this process. It's
[6:37] : answering the question, how am I today?
[6:40] : What do I need? What do I want? Who am I
[6:42] : becoming? So this opportunity for deep
[6:46] : reflection and introspection
[6:49] : in a container that felt a little juicy
[6:53] : and a little creative and a little
[6:55] : playful. So what the heck am I talking
[6:58] : about? I'm going to change my camera
[7:00] : over and I want to talk about the
[7:02] : process and then I want to give you a
[7:03] : taste of the process today before I talk
[7:07] : forever. But before I do that, I'd love
[7:11] : for you in the comments to I'm gonna
[7:14] : come back over here for just a minute.
[7:16] : Um, answer the question,
[7:19] : do you love morning pages or are you
[7:22] : like me and you tried them but they
[7:23] : didn't work for you? like what worked,
[7:26] : what didn't, and are you longing
[7:29] : for something that has the perceived
[7:33] : impact of morning pages, but fits with
[7:37] : your 50, 60, 70 year old brain and your
[7:41] : schedule a little bit more effectively
[7:45] : and a lot more visually than morning
[7:48] : pages does. Julie Cameron is a writer.
[7:50] : She's an amazing writer and just you can
[7:53] : tell I'm a huge fan and we have to find
[7:57] : the methods of connecting to oursel the
[8:00] : methods of creating presence on the page
[8:02] : that work for us. So what worked for
[8:05] : you? I really want to know.
[8:08] : So when I started to think about what
[8:11] : are my go-to supplies, what are what is
[8:14] : my personal approach to this practice
[8:17] : and this process? I love things that are
[8:21] : easy, simple, fast, colorful. So, I have
[8:25] : a big handmade journal here. The size of
[8:28] : the journal doesn't matter. Like,
[8:31] : there's no right or wrong size. Uh, if
[8:34] : you're anything like me, you love to buy
[8:35] : journals and then they sit blank on the
[8:37] : shelves like you say you're going to
[8:39] : fill them up with all that writing or
[8:41] : all that sketching or drawing practice
[8:44] : or art journaling or visual journaling
[8:46] : or one of the million other
[8:48] : opportunities to fill up a journal that
[8:50] : are out there. Well, I fill journal
[8:53] : after journal using what I'm calling the
[8:57] : creative reflection pages process. And
[9:00] : this is a combination
[9:03] : of writing
[9:05] : and art making that is about deep
[9:08] : reflection, about connecting to
[9:11] : yourself. It is a powerful tool for
[9:14] : self-discovery
[9:16] : and for transformation. But that doesn't
[9:19] : happen in one session. It happens over
[9:23] : multiple weeks of sessions and it
[9:26] : happens with the right prompts. So what
[9:30] : I want to share with you today and
[9:33] : throughout this year on our YouTube
[9:36] : channel is my process for becoming queen
[9:39] : of your own damn story for reconnecting
[9:43] : to the page in a way that feels really
[9:46] : powerful and meaningful for you
[9:49] : personally.
[9:51] : So, first I want to show you the the
[9:54] : process um or kind of name the process
[9:57] : and then I'm going to give you a taste
[9:58] : of the process. So, I'm going to grab a
[10:00] : little thicker marker here and I'm going
[10:03] : to zoom in a little bit. So, after a lot
[10:07] : of conversation with Brad and you know
[10:11] : playing and brainstorming,
[10:13] : I am calling this our creative
[10:21] : reflection
[10:25] : pages
[10:28] : process
[10:31] : that may change or get shortened up
[10:34] : later. Like I was trying to think of a
[10:36] : fun acronym. Maybe you have some ideas
[10:38] : you can share in the comments. But this
[10:40] : is the point. It's creative reflection
[10:42] : is what we're doing and it's a process
[10:44] : and we're doing it on the page. So, it
[10:46] : says what it is pretty pretty clearly
[10:48] : and it's a very very simple I'm gonna
[10:51] : get my notes so I don't ramble too much.
[10:54] : It's a very simple fourstep process and
[10:59] : I have been playing and experimenting
[11:02] : with this process for a decade. I have
[11:05] : now taken literally thousands of people
[11:09] : through different experiences and
[11:12] : versions of this process both long and
[11:14] : short in my programs, in our mythical
[11:17] : makeovers, at my live retreats. Like I
[11:20] : use this same process over and over
[11:23] : again. And I can guarantee you that if
[11:26] : you start playing with this process in a
[11:30] : way that works for you,
[11:33] : then movement happens, change happens.
[11:37] : We meet oursel on the page. The more
[11:40] : often we meet ourselves,
[11:42] : the more often we spend time in creative
[11:46] : reflection, the less time we spend
[11:49] : overthinking, ruminating, judging, or
[11:52] : trying to figure out who am I? Because I
[11:56] : don't know about you, the one thing I'm
[11:58] : clear about this year is that I'm the
[12:00] : queen of my own story. I'm the only one
[12:02] : who can rewrite the narrative, that can
[12:05] : recraft, redraw, repaint the narrative
[12:08] : of my life at 61 years old.
[12:14] : So again, this isn't about making art or
[12:17] : writing essays. It's about reclaiming
[12:19] : your voice visually, emotionally, and
[12:22] : intuitively.
[12:24] : It will help you express grief, sorrow,
[12:28] : but also joy and celebration. It might
[12:31] : take 15 minutes or you might have the
[12:33] : luxury to spend a couple of hours in
[12:36] : creative play in your creative fle
[12:39] : reflection pages journal. And the
[12:42] : process is so simple and so repeatable
[12:46] : and it has four very simple steps.
[12:50] : It always starts with a prompt.
[12:55] : Then we spend a little bit of time in
[12:59] : reflection.
[13:01] : And for me this is writing, right? We
[13:04] : reflect. So this is writing. But when I
[13:07] : say writing, like one of the things I've
[13:09] : heard over and over again from the women
[13:11] : in the Sisterhood of Wisdom and Wonder
[13:13] : is they don't think of themselves as
[13:15] : writers. So morning pages can be
[13:18] : daunting to write three 8 and a half by
[13:20] : 11 pages if you don't think of yourself
[13:22] : as a writer. But writing includes two to
[13:26] : three sentences, a few bullet points,
[13:29] : some random words, and for those of you
[13:31] : that love to write, you get to go deep
[13:33] : here and fill a page or two or three,
[13:37] : right? But it's just the start of the
[13:40] : process. And I think for me this is
[13:43] : something that is missing from other
[13:46] : journaling
[13:47] : processes that I see whether that's art
[13:50] : journaling or journal prompts that
[13:54] : they're it's an incomplete process right
[13:57] : and so from this we go from prompt to
[14:02] : reflection
[14:05] : to we create and this is the visual
[14:09] : piece.
[14:10] : And again, this could be a sketch, a
[14:13] : symbol, a color,
[14:16] : a shape. It doesn't have to be if you
[14:18] : love writing and you're drawn to the
[14:21] : creative, but you're like, "Oh, I can't
[14:23] : draw." Well, you can. Anybody can learn
[14:26] : to draw, but this doesn't have to be
[14:30] : a
[14:32] : how do I want to say this? This process
[14:35] : of creative is not about making
[14:37] : something pretty. It's about creating
[14:40] : visual meaning on the page. It's about
[14:42] : creating visual meaning on the page. And
[14:45] : we can do that through collage. You
[14:48] : could do that through art journaling or
[14:50] : visual journaling. But you could also do
[14:53] : that through scribbling, doodling, stick
[14:56] : figures, cartoons, or any other way that
[14:59] : you love to visually express yourself.
[15:03] : And then the piece that really
[15:06] : to me is where the magic happens and the
[15:09] : transformation happens is in the
[15:13] : integration.
[15:19] : And in the integration phase, it's our
[15:23] : second opportunity to reflect. So up
[15:26] : here we have a prompt. We do some
[15:29] : reflection in writing. We do some
[15:32] : creative. And when we go to the visual
[15:34] : and the creative, it helps us more
[15:37] : quickly access our unconscious knowing,
[15:41] : our intuition,
[15:43] : our ability to trust ourselves. It often
[15:47] : lives in the visual, not the verbal. So,
[15:51] : writing and for me, morning pages very
[15:54] : often kept me up here in my head looping
[15:58] : around, right? But when I started to
[16:01] : bring in some color, some symbols, some
[16:04] : sketching, all of a sudden there was
[16:07] : this
[16:09] : lift in my energy. There was this
[16:13] : increased insight and awareness that
[16:15] : happened.
[16:17] : And I didn't necessarily even notice
[16:20] : what was happening until I added the
[16:22] : integration piece, which is pausing
[16:26] : to dialogue with our creative, to
[16:29] : connect with that creative, to look at
[16:32] : it for a few minutes and go, what do I
[16:35] : see here that maybe didn't show up here?
[16:38] : Because these two may be the same and
[16:41] : they may not. Right? This may be an
[16:44] : illustration of what you're feeling, but
[16:46] : something completely new and different
[16:47] : may emerge as well. So, it's this
[16:51] : beautiful,
[16:52] : very simple cycle
[16:55] : that sounds complex,
[16:58] : but I would say it's simple and deep.
[17:03] : And that's how I roll. Everything I do
[17:05] : is about how can we keep processes
[17:09] : simple so that we can go deep into our
[17:13] : own journey of self-discovery and
[17:16] : becoming the queens of our own story.
[17:19] : And I think it's important that we can
[17:22] : do this in a few minutes or we can
[17:25] : extend the process as desired. I grabbed
[17:28] : two of my absolute favorite types of
[17:31] : supplies. As someone who leads retreat,
[17:35] : is a mixed media artist, and loves to
[17:37] : try all the things, I can guarantee you
[17:39] : that I have all the toys in my studio,
[17:42] : but the ones that I turn to over and
[17:45] : over again for this type of work are
[17:48] : things like plain old Crayola markers,
[17:52] : like this big, luscious bucket of
[17:56] : Crayola markers, always sits right on my
[17:59] : table.
[18:01] : These are Derwent Inktense sticks. They
[18:04] : are water soluble sticks. They also come
[18:07] : in a watercolor pencil form. They are
[18:10] : extremely vibrant. So I love anything
[18:14] : that I can activate with water because
[18:17] : that to me connects me to calm, right?
[18:20] : If I'm feeling the need to feel more
[18:22] : grounded, more rooted, more present,
[18:25] : right? Then I will often use something
[18:29] : water- soluble like these Derwent
[18:31] : inktense.
[18:32] : And the other thing that I love, and I
[18:35] : just bought myself some new ones because
[18:37] : I haven't had any to play with while I
[18:40] : have some, but they're really old,
[18:43] : brand new set of inexpensive
[18:45] : Fabriccastell oil pastels. Things that
[18:49] : are creamy, flowy, squishy are great for
[18:54] : this process because we also don't have
[18:56] : a lot of control over them, right? Like
[18:58] : we they're not a fine tip pen or a
[19:02] : drawing pencil. So, they help get us out
[19:06] : of, oh, I have to draw something
[19:07] : realistic because that is not what this
[19:10] : process is about. It's about being in
[19:12] : the experience and using color, shapes,
[19:15] : and symbols to connect to how we're
[19:18] : feeling in the moment. So, let's
[19:21] : practice this and just see what this
[19:25] : experience looks like.
[19:29] : Moving everything around in my little
[19:30] : bit of space here. So, I've got a a
[19:32] : blank page in my journal here.
[19:37] : And I'm going to give you a quick taste
[19:39] : of this process. And then I also want to
[19:41] : tell you what to expect over the coming
[19:44] : months from my channel and how that's
[19:48] : going to be a little bit different than
[19:50] : some of my followers are used to. So,
[19:54] : I'm going to start with my prompt. I'm
[19:56] : going to start with a favorite pen to
[19:58] : write with. And that prompt, so a lot of
[20:02] : what you'll see on the channel going
[20:04] : forward are simple prompts most of the
[20:08] : time. And then sometimes I will do a
[20:10] : more lengthy prompt, a story, a poem, a
[20:13] : song to inspire our creative process a
[20:17] : little bit differently. Plus, it keeps
[20:18] : me happy and engaged. But most often,
[20:22] : the big thing for me that was missing in
[20:26] : my writing practice was the point of
[20:28] : entry, and that's a prompt. So, in this
[20:31] : case, our prompt today is really simple.
[20:35] : What do I need to feel grounded today?
[20:38] : And I always write the prompt, what do I
[20:42] : need to feel
[20:47] : grounded
[20:50] : today.
[20:54] : Simple prompt, right? So, that's our
[20:56] : prompt. And I usually
[20:59] : add the date as well because I think
[21:01] : it's important to have a dedicated
[21:03] : journal for this practice so that you
[21:06] : can flip back through it. And you might
[21:09] : ask yourself this question every day for
[21:12] : a week and see what changes, right? And
[21:15] : see what changes or see if every day you
[21:18] : get the same answer. Then it becomes
[21:21] : really important to do that thing every
[21:24] : day, right? So today is January 14th,
[21:28] : 2026.
[21:30] : It's messy, right? I could write with a
[21:34] : favorite pen. I could write with these
[21:35] : big chunky markers, but what do I need
[21:38] : to feel grounded today?
[21:42] : And I did some thinking about this
[21:44] : before we got on the call. So for me, I
[21:46] : needed it was the holidays, it was my
[21:48] : birthday, right? I need um what I'm
[21:52] : going to call lighter food, which for me
[21:55] : is like no grains and um lots of salad
[22:01] : and vegetables, right? So, lighter food.
[22:05] : In my own morning practice, when I did
[22:08] : this earlier,
[22:11] : I needed movement and I needed to be
[22:14] : outside.
[22:18] : And I also needed um
[22:22] : I call it a brain dump. When my head
[22:24] : gets very full of ideas and a long to-do
[22:30] : list, sometimes I need to sit down and
[22:32] : do what I affectionately call a brain
[22:37] : dump, which is I take all my ideas and
[22:40] : to-dos and the things rattling around in
[22:42] : my head and I jump them dump them onto a
[22:44] : journal page in no particular order
[22:47] : because once I get all of the things
[22:51] : that are inside of me out onto the page,
[22:53] : page where I can see it, then I can
[22:55] : prioritize them and make different
[22:56] : decisions. I've talked about this before
[22:59] : quite a few times on this channel. But
[23:03] : these were some of the things that were
[23:05] : coming up for me this morning. And this
[23:09] : can be all the writing that you need to
[23:12] : do. I had a longer writing session in my
[23:15] : journal this morning about feeling
[23:18] : grounded
[23:20] : because this is something when I am not
[23:22] : grounded then I get lost in
[23:26] : overthinking. Um I get lost in too many
[23:31] : ideas. I get lost in being scattered and
[23:34] : going down rabbit holes. And as a
[23:38] : business owner, it is important that I
[23:42] : have some structure, but it's also so
[23:46] : important to me that I feel emotionally
[23:49] : grounded and connected and that I'm
[23:51] : leading my community, the Sisterhood of
[23:54] : Wisdom and Wonder, or that I'm leading a
[23:56] : in-person retreat, which we have two of
[23:59] : coming up this year. It's so important
[24:02] : that I lead from a place of feeling
[24:05] : grounded.
[24:06] : And another word you can think also of
[24:10] : this. So what do I need to feel grounded
[24:13] : today? You might add here. Why does it
[24:15] : matter? Why does it matter? It might be
[24:18] : something you don't think about. When
[24:20] : I'm not grounded, when I'm not in a
[24:23] : state of presence with myself, I maybe
[24:26] : don't make healthy choices, right? I
[24:28] : grab what's quick and easy instead of
[24:31] : pausing and saying what will nourish me
[24:34] : right now. So Brad and I went out for a
[24:38] : lovely walk this morning, but my body is
[24:41] : saying we want to dance. So I will find
[24:45] : some time to put on a couple of fun
[24:46] : songs and dance around my big old studio
[24:49] : by myself. Um I went on a walk outside.
[24:52] : It was a beautiful chilly morning. I did
[24:55] : my brain dump early this morning with my
[24:58] : first cup of coffee and I had a lovely
[25:01] : light breakfast this morning as well.
[25:05] : Right. So, I I've already done some of
[25:07] : these things because I anchored them.
[25:10] : And again, this is an example of simply
[25:13] : doing bullet points.
[25:15] : Simply doing bullet points if you don't
[25:18] : love to write. But I could also have
[25:20] : done a lot lot more long form writing
[25:23] : which would be really boring for you to
[25:25] : watch. So I did it ahead of time. And
[25:28] : then we're going to bring in the create
[25:30] : piece. And today I'm going to keep this
[25:32] : really simple. Um I thought I was going
[25:35] : to use those oil pastels because they're
[25:38] : brand new and inviting me, but I'm
[25:39] : feeling very drawn to these Derwin
[25:44] : Inktens.
[25:45] : And when I close my eyes, if it feels
[25:48] : good, just put your hand over your
[25:50] : heart. Just pause for a moment
[25:55] : and really connect with the feeling of
[25:57] : just what do I need to feel grounded?
[26:02] : Like what I'm noticing is my feet my my
[26:07] : rear end feels you know kind of anchored
[26:09] : in my chair but my feet aren't feeling
[26:13] : super connected to the earth
[26:17] : and if I think what is that
[26:20] : what would be an image
[26:22] : or a symbol that would represent feeling
[26:26] : that sense of being anchored for me I
[26:30] : had kind of two things come to mind. The
[26:34] : first one that came to mind was a tree
[26:45] : and in particular the the roots like
[26:48] : those roots need to be sinking really
[26:52] : deeply into this tree into the ground
[26:56] : here. And it's actually winter here
[27:00] : right now. So, you know, there's not a
[27:02] : lot. And notice I am going to paint
[27:05] : right over my writing because it's the
[27:08] : image that feels most important. And I'm
[27:12] : loving the sketchiness of this. I may
[27:14] : not even add water to this. And I'm also
[27:19] : the other thing that came to mind at
[27:22] : first was um like an anchor.
[27:27] : I don't even know how to draw
[27:30] : an anchor, right? Something something
[27:34] : like that. There's this little anchor,
[27:37] : right?
[27:40] : That would go from a ship down into the
[27:42] : water. And it's kind of that symbolic of
[27:44] : how
[27:46] : being outside in nature keeps me
[27:49] : grounded, rooted, and anchored to myself
[27:52] : and my spirit. So,
[27:56] : how long did that take? Two minutes,
[27:58] : three minutes to do this whole process.
[28:01] : And then that integration piece again is
[28:04] : so important. And what I'm going to be
[28:06] : doing at least once a week, maybe even
[28:09] : twice a week, is sharing prompts with
[28:12] : you. And these prompts are going to be
[28:15] : really specific for women in their 50s
[28:18] : and beyond. And for all the things that
[28:21] : we are really working on in our lives,
[28:24] : reconnecting to creativity, trying to
[28:27] : answer the question, who am I now? What
[28:29] : do I want? What does my next chapter
[28:30] : look like? How do I become the queen of
[28:33] : my own story?
[28:35] : So, we're gonna you're gonna see me in
[28:39] : this practice expressing my personal
[28:42] : experience, but also sharing prompts
[28:44] : that will hopefully inspire your
[28:46] : practice as well. So, if it doesn't feel
[28:49] : super clear yet today, don't worry about
[28:51] : it because we're going to keep doing it.
[28:53] : And it's all about the practice and the
[28:56] : process, not the result. Like, there's
[28:58] : no destination here. there's only how
[29:02] : often can I show up and meet myself on
[29:04] : the page. So if I want to come back,
[29:07] : right? So we had our prompt,
[29:12] : we had some reflection, which again I
[29:14] : had done ahead of time. I had my create
[29:19] : something visual. Today that was very
[29:22] : fast and simple. Some days I have the
[29:24] : time, the energy, and the desire to do
[29:28] : something a little fancier. But what I
[29:30] : needed today was just to capture what
[29:33] : does groundedness look like? And then
[29:35] : that final piece is integration.
[29:42] : And as I look at what I wrote, as I look
[29:45] : at this image of feeling anchored and
[29:48] : grounded, what I'm noticing is how
[29:51] : important it is for me to um get outside
[29:56] : daily
[30:02] : to eat naturally, right? I don't eat a
[30:06] : lot of processed or junky foods except
[30:08] : for chips. I'm a good salty crunchy
[30:11] : girl, right? But I want to eat natural
[30:14] : food. So this image of nature says a
[30:17] : lot. But it also I'm looking at this and
[30:20] : I what I'm
[30:22] : feeling deeply here is intentional
[30:28] : grounding practices.
[30:36] : Like I wrote down a few things, but what
[30:38] : I'm sensing from this one just super
[30:42] : super simple page here and it's one
[30:46] : page, right? It's one page. It's not
[30:49] : three pages or five pages. It could even
[30:51] : be half a page. And if that page is a
[30:54] : little 5 by7 journal, great. But what
[30:57] : I'm seeing and sensing here is how
[31:01] : important it is for me to intentionally
[31:05] : make sure that I'm grounded at the
[31:08] : beginning of every day. And knowing
[31:10] : that, then I can come up with a list of
[31:13] : practices. So getting outside does not
[31:16] : happen in Colorado if it's 10 degrees
[31:19] : and the wind is blowing like crazy or
[31:22] : it's icy. So there's days where getting
[31:24] : outside isn't possible, right? Eating na
[31:30] : naturally is always possible. But what
[31:33] : else? So this creative reflection
[31:35] : process for me is grounding. Sometimes
[31:38] : it's as simple as lighting a candle or
[31:43] : visiting my altar or resetting an altar.
[31:48] : But knowing how important grounding is,
[31:52] : it becomes one of those things on my
[31:56] : habits list that becomes super
[31:59] : important. Making sure actually dancing
[32:01] : is very grounding for me. Um, I'm
[32:04] : learning chiong.
[32:07] : So movement clearly is something that's
[32:10] : very grounding.
[32:12] : I am not someone who does sitting
[32:15] : meditation. kind of like morning pages.
[32:17] : Not my thing. Doesn't work for me. But
[32:20] : this is a form of writing or creative
[32:24] : meditation. This is a form of physical
[32:28] : meditation that everything here for me
[32:32] : is about feeling grounded, present, and
[32:35] : connected to myself. So, out of this one
[32:38] : simple drawing and one simple prompt,
[32:42] : I'm being reminded how important this is
[32:44] : to me. And let me go back to my other
[32:49] : page here. Find my little mousy mousy.
[32:55] : I want to remind you, I've been using
[32:58] : this process and practicing for a
[33:00] : decade. So, for me, that image part is
[33:05] : very quick. It pops into my mind right
[33:08] : away. You might be going, "How did she
[33:10] : come up with that so fast? I've been
[33:13] : doing it a long time." And I'm here to
[33:16] : be your guide to give you ideas and
[33:18] : suggestions to choose from. Just like
[33:21] : last year, like we did with the paper
[33:22] : dolls, there will be free handouts.
[33:25] : There will be list of prompts. There
[33:27] : will be lots of support and guidance
[33:30] : coming your way. Because once you start
[33:33] : connecting to visual symbols, it helps
[33:37] : you bypass your overthinking head, feel
[33:40] : more embodied, connect to your
[33:43] : unconscious knowing, and move in new
[33:46] : directions inspired by your own inner
[33:50] : wisdom. This is how you too become the
[33:53] : queen of your own story is through
[33:57] : practice, through repetition, through
[34:00] : finding the ways that work for you to be
[34:04] : present on the page with yourself.
[34:08] : Learning to be comfortable in deep
[34:10] : reflection, to be comfortable being
[34:13] : alone with your thoughts, and to find
[34:17] : that gentle, safe, creative container
[34:21] : that works for you. Not every process
[34:23] : will. Maybe this one won't. But if it
[34:26] : does and you're intrigued and you're
[34:28] : excited to learn more and you've been
[34:31] : struggling with journaling while longing
[34:34] : for a consistent sense of creative
[34:37] : renewal and way to get the benefits of
[34:40] : journaling because I do believe that
[34:42] : journaling is very powerful.
[34:46] : But we get caught up thinking that
[34:49] : journaling, meaning writing pages and
[34:51] : pages, is the way. Or we get caught up
[34:53] : in the mixed media art journaling is the
[34:56] : way. Or we get caught up thinking that
[34:59] : visual journaling, which is just a
[35:01] : little more intuitive art or in
[35:04] : intuitive art is the way. And the truth
[35:06] : is they're all right.
[35:09] : They're all right. So, I've taken the
[35:11] : pieces from all of those practices and
[35:14] : from mind mindfulness training, from
[35:17] : expressive arts training, and pulled
[35:19] : them together in something that for me
[35:22] : felt simple, felt doable. It felt safe.
[35:27] : I have a lot of women in my community
[35:30] : who don't feel safe putting words down
[35:33] : or doing a more traditional diary style
[35:36] : of journaling. So, this is a way to
[35:38] : capture our thoughts, to capture our
[35:42] : feelings, and to find a new way of
[35:45] : expressing, to get what's happening on
[35:48] : the inside up and out and onto the page
[35:52] : so that you can see it. Because when you
[35:55] : can see it and when you can name it,
[35:57] : that's when change happens. And that's
[35:59] : when you truly become the queen of your
[36:01] : own story. So, stay tuned. Lots more
[36:04] : juicy goodness to come and I will see
[36:07] : you over the next few weeks as we settle
[36:10] : into a rhythm of practicing, playing,
[36:14] : experimenting, and exploring with these
[36:16] : creative reflection pages process. It's
[36:20] : a mouthful, but I'm excited and I hope
[36:23] : you'll play along with me and see what
[36:25] : you two can shift
[36:29] : what it is that you've been longing for
[36:31] : and how this process can help you find
[36:33] : some of the clarity that perhaps has
[36:35] : been missing. Again, I'm Dr. Manet
[36:37] : Ryarden. If you're new here, please give
[36:40] : me a thumbs up, leave me a comment, and
[36:43] : be sure to subscribe so you know
[36:45] : whenever we add new content to the Chant
[36:48] : channel. cannot wait to get this year
[36:50] : started with all of you. Bye-bye
[36:52] : everybody.