I’ve been completing The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron with a group of creatives via
1, and I’ve just finished Week 4: Recovering a Sense of Integrity. This week’s big task was to take part in a “reading deprivation,” as Julia calls it.Mind you, this book came out over 30 years ago, and times have changed since then. We now have computers, and even smaller computers that most of us carry around in our pockets all day.
The first thought that came to mind was “but
…”I thoroughly enjoy reading all (or as many as I can) newsletters here, so taking a break for a week sent me into slight panic as I imagined all the articles my eyes wouldn’t have the pleasure of enjoying. It’s hard enough to keep up with them all, even when I am allowed to read.
My second thought was “but Instagram…”
My time spent over there is much less these days, but I often find myself in a mindless scroll between apps like Instagram, Substack, Facebook, Gmail, and any other app I can get my hands on to distract me from the laundry piling up or the dust bunnies rolling across the floor like tumbleweeds.
And let’s not forget Netflix during every meal to make it feel as though I’m not actually eating alone. Love is Blind has been a binge-worthy favourite lately. Reality shows are my guilty pleasure.
The first day was a breeze.
I had so much stuff piled up onto my to-do list that I felt relieved to make a dent in it. I did a deep clean and tried to pace myself because I knew I’d still have six more days to finish everything I wanted to do.
As the days went on, I started feeling itchy. The monotonous days filled with cleaning, reorganising, and decluttering had me bored and I wanted something new.
In the middle of the week I fell sick and caved to Netflix as I was confined to my bed for most of the evening—I’m only human. I caught up on Love is Blind and enjoyed the break, but I will say I felt really guilty afterwards. It felt similar to relapsing after being sober for a period of time, the consequences were a lot less severe—but inside I still felt like garbage for going against my word to myself after doing so well.
One thing that surprised me was how much time I don’t take for myself. During this week of limited words my skin care routine flourished, I meditated almost every night, I completed my morning pages every morning (something that hasn’t happened in the full four weeks of the program), and I even dug out the new electric toothbrush my mom sent me three months ago. I started cooking more and was more present with the tasks at hand.
I had so much more time for taking care of myself; something I didn’t realise I had been doing so poorly.
I started tasting my food more, being more present with each bite, and noticing when I felt full. Before, when I would eat in front of the screen, my hunger and fullness cues were skewed, and I wasn’t honouring my body.
It finally made sense why this week was named “Recovering a Sense of Integrity.” I can confidently say my integrity was challenged in the past week, and my integrity is stronger now because of it.
The last few days were filled with more love as I repotted tired plants, took gentle walks to soothe my nervous system, and spent more intentional time with my dog, Lady.
“There will be a change in energy patterns. Your dreams will become stronger and clearer, both by night and by day. You will find yourself remembering your nighttime dreams, and by day, daydreams will catch your attention. Fantasy, of a benign and unexpected sort, will begin to crop up.” ~ Julia Cameron
I remember every single night’s worth of dreams from the past seven days. Some were terrifyingly real, others just terrifying, and last night’s dream had my dog, Molly who had passed following by my side. My imagination skyrocketed through being immersed in only my own energy, with no outside creative influences.
Synchronicities have been popping up seemingly out of nowhere.
Just today I had a random thought of those plastic socket protectors that protect little fingers from going into the electrical outlets, thinking how I never see them here. I’m not even sure why that thought popped into my head, because I don’t have a child and it seems like a weird thing to think about without prompting. I walked into the shops later that day and they were hanging on rack at the end of the aisle. Simple and mundane, yet an oddly specific coincidence.
This morning when I woke up, I wrote in my journal three promises to myself moving forward:
I promise not to use my phone in bed.
I promise to use my phone intentionally, rather than mindlessly.
I promise to practice reading deprivation every Monday going forward.
This week of reading deprivation has offered me more gifts than expected. I feel refreshed and restarted, and I’m already overwhelmed with the influx of information ready at my fingertips by stepping back into the world of words.
Moving forward, I will be consuming less and creating more. Integrity is definitely the word of the week, as mine has been restored.
Have you tried a reading deprivation? If so, what did you experience? If not, would you try?
As a reminder, my newest Group Program is open for enrolment:
Emotionally Empowered is an 8-week journey to understanding and embodying your emotional landscape. In a small group of up to eight women, we will explore and connect with our natural 28-day cycle, while learning tips to self regulate based on the moon in astrology. If you are interested, or know someone who may be interested, you can sign up here. Paid subscribers get 10% off, so if you’ve been considering subscribing, now may be the time!
✨ By signing up before March 9th, you will receive one FREE ticket to my upcoming New Moon in Pisces Circle AND one FREE 1:1 call with me to go deeper into your personal astrology during our 8-weeks together.
If you’d like to learn more and follow along with Helen. Here is the introductory post on her page:
I just adore that serendipitous moment. also - love is blind!!! I randomly drafted a post this week where i was talking about TV shows (which I never do) and wrote about it. so there's some more serendipity and I don't know why.....
Nope, no way, I couldn't do it! Actually, I can. 'I just don't wanna!' my child self pouts. Yet I know I consume so much information and see it as a beneficial pursuit, i.e., what I read will matter to a client, I'll find inspiration, I really need another eggplant recipe, etc. When deep down, I know it's often a form of infotainment I want to label as purposeful. There is nothing wrong with entertainment and simple joy in balance, but in honest reflection after reading your journey, I faced that reading just one more article, one more book chapter, another research paper, et al. is about procrastinating at the moment. I am doing a disservice to my intentions and losing track of the best bites of knowledge I've encountered, and I'm not experimenting with it and implementing it in my life. If I want all this information to become personal knowledge and, eventually, WISDOM, I must act on it, not just consume it. It's time to try a reading diet and pragmatically use what I've been learning.