Can you recall your favorite cartoon? Which outdoor games did you use to play when you were a kid? No matter which generation you belong to, you were not born an adult.
During the evolutionary process, with rising seriousness in life, our inner child disappears and is taken for granted. Irrespective of our biological age, our inner child is a part of our consciousness and psyche that symbolizes our qualities to explore, take risks, find happiness in little things, and show empathy and compassion.
Why does the inner child matter?
The psychology given by Carl Jung was one of the originators of the theory of the inner child. Understanding the behavioral patterns, he gave the role of our inner child on our ego-centered consciousness along with personal and collective subconscious mind impacting our overall personality and behavior. Playfulness, honesty, and joy are inherent characteristics of our inner child. However, it gets triggered at times, leading to deeper wounds in our confidence and risk-taking abilities.
You can easily relate to it if you can recall the times when your abilities were repeatedly questioned even after the best of your performance. It is rooted in unresolved traumas from a person’s childhood. May it be the toxic parenting, the bullies at high school, or a rude neighbor that you encountered daily, every single event and activity in the past had an impact on your inner child that needs healing.
Identify your Inner Child
Does your inner child, too, need healing? Have you ever cried after being extremely angry? Has your body ever frozen after encountering a thief in front of you?
Recall the time when you had a painful breakup with your friends or partner, and just one sleep by your mother’s side gave you the ultimate level of quality sleep. Or recall the craving to eat an ice cream after facing a rejection and its soothing effect on your body and mind. Or recollect your ear-to-ear smile lasting all day after hearing an unexpected compliment from a stranger. Each example is evident that somewhere, the inner child in you needs healing up to some extent.
Here are some of the symptoms of your hidden inner child pains-
Regular fear and anxiety
Running for perfection
Frequent emotional outbursts
Feeling of insecurity
A feeling of attack in case of criticism
Rigidity towards change
Seeking reassurances
Over-apologizing over exchanges
Fear of failure
Inability to express yourself in words and actions
Constant comparisons and a feeling of being inferior to others
Overthinking cycles
Negative self-talk
Living in the past or future
Always trying to prove your worth
Here are some of the effective inner child nurturing techniques that you can try-
Psychological Therapies
Therapies provide a disciplined and targeted healing schedule. Here, the therapist-client relationship is a potent tool. With the help of family dynamics and relational traumas, a knowledgeable and empathetic psychodynamic therapist will assist you in sorting through what the therapeutic relationship might represent for you.
Reparent Yourself
Set your practical notions aside for some time to experience hidden hobbies. Go slide that swing, paint, and draw your favorite scene, or play your favorite game. Try writing a letter to yourself filled with appreciation. You can also try looking at your old pictures and recollect all the happy moments you created and try recreating some.
Affirmations and Positive Self-Talk
Developing a trustworthy relationship with your inner self enables you to extract hidden and forgotten hopes, dreams, and wishes, as well as their pains, worries, and fears. Recollect your wins, no matter how minuscule they may seem to be, and celebrate them. You may try going in front of the mirror, looking yourself in the eyes, and start affirming- I am the best; I can achieve everything I dream of; I deserve happiness; I attract opportunities; I keep learning from my mistakes; I am no race and competition; I aim to become a better version of myself. These affirmations on a regular basis act as the perfect internal motivation that you require in this world of consistent fault-finding and manipulation.
Try a New Hobby
Recall the intensity of you trying new stuff in your childhood. Learning and completing school to secure a job took all your time and energy away from it. Now is the time to take a break. Grab your guitar or tie your shoes and restart enjoying your hobby. Even if you had none, take the leap of faith and join that dance class or run that marathon you always wanted to. Remember, every activity you practice creates new neurological connections in your brain that improve your brain activity along with healing your inner child.
In a nutshell, nurturing your inner child starts with its identification, continues with its healing, and ends with regular care. Understanding your inner child supports your adult life and empowers you to handle future challenges with acceptance and compassion. From trying therapies to doing what you love, nurturing your inner child is an ongoing process to lead a balanced life.
