Growing up is a part of life that we all have to face. From getting your first job, to struggling to pay rent, it doesn’t take too long to leave our childhoods behind. The rest of the world moves on, and we have to too.
But when we leave our childhoods behind, we often lose what it means to be a kid; our creativity, our ability to be in touch with our emotions, our ability to live in the moment. Thus, our inner child is neglected. And this neglect can have more impact than we are aware of.
By being out of touch with this inner child, we are prone to repressing them when they begin to show through. Anxieties and frustrations are considered some of the main symptoms of neglecting this inner child.
However, rather than viewing this inner child as a cause of our anxieties, we should see them as a key to our happiness and personal wellbeing. By unlocking their potential, we can heal the scars they bare. The only way to do this, is to give the inner child what they want: you need to act like a child again.
Only then can we become in tune with our emotions and express creativity, concepts we disregard in order to ‘act our age’.
By learning to feel everything, we can heal our inner child and accept ourselves, and also those around us.
Get creative
Nothing says being a kid again then using your imagination. Many bloggers praise the benefits of buying toys and other fun treats for your inner child in order to unlock the creativity we have left behind.
Toys are undoubtedly the most explicit approach to your inner child, representing a low-cost, simple de-stressing technique with long term emotional and mental benefits. This creative activity also can prioritise some time for yourself, fulfilling your self-care needs.
By picking out the things we enjoyed when we were younger, we can develop our long-lost creative personalities, challenging the notion that toys are just for kids.
Playing like a kid again
Another way of accessing this inner child is by interacting with other kids. Not only will this bring out the benefits of awakening this inner child, but it is also good for children to see their parents play in a light-hearted fashion.
To awaken your inner child this way, try the games you used to love as a child. This could include playing tag, colouring, the occasional game night; these childhood activities can easily unleash your childish traits and keep your self-care cheap.
Channel what your inner child wants to do, and do just that.
Try Journaling
Therapists discussing our inner children focus on the values of journaling. By learning to converse with our inner children we can help understand the childish play they crave, and develop the creative outlook we seek.
They suggest making a list of what you enjoyed as a kid to engage with this inner child. This should also unlock the emotions that define our inner child. By being open with ourselves, only then can we reap the benefits of awakening our inner child.
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Yoga – but with a childish twist
Connecting with our inner child doesn’t have to require carving chunks of time out of our busy schedules. Working out is considered one of the most valuable approaches to self-care, and can incorporate the benefits of awakening our inner child.
The best approach to this is yoga, and the subtle twists you can apply to make it less grownup.
Practicing yoga ensures that we become one, bringing together our inner child and the frustrated grown up that attempts to control them. By focusing on a sense of harmony between the parts of our body, we can learn to be in tune with our inner child and thus awaken them.
Laughing yoga has also recently grown in popularity, paralleling the development of therapy to awaken our inner children. Laughing has pyschological and physiological benefits which can create a surge of endorphins, as well as channelling some childlike, carefree behaviour. One can thus access the benefits of a more serious practice, whilst acting not so serious.
Act your age. A siren call to put your pencils down, pick up a biro, and block out your emotions. If we bottle it all up, maybe the cork will stay on, maybe we won’t have to deal with the consequences of unleashing our creativity, or being open with ourselves.
Before the bottle breaks of its own accord and a tantrum ensues, let the contents flow, and accept your inner child.
When it feels as if its getting all too much, don’t follow the lines. Colour within them instead.
