Exploring the Inner Child
I remember how much I loved magic as a child. My sister and I used to leave rocks under trees, and we would call them “fairy rocks”. To my shock, I would come back the next day and the rocks would be covered in glitter. Looking back on it now, I realized my sister or mother must have put glitter on the rocks before I came back the next day. Yet to my child mind, this developed a core memory, one that I cherish and love now.
Your inner child is how you perceived the world around you before you had a brain that was capable of complex thinking patterns. Your inner child was most likely motivated by the world around you. The sun in the sky, the worms in the warm, moist dirt, the dirty puddle after the day of rain became your playground for which your only desire and need was to explore and learn.
As we grow older, we lose this childlike innocence. Responsibilities overtake your life and you learn to function as a person of society rather than a learner of the world. Yet this childlike wonder is essential to who we are as human beings and essential to the parts of us that carried us through our childhood.
For many, their time to celebrate being a child was cut short due to trauma, whether that be circumstantial, familial, or anything else. They were not able to fully explore what it means to have the world in your hands. Growing up was not a process where they were allowed to fully and freely explore. It was moreover a task of survival and learning how to take care of themself or those around them. Because of these misfortunes, it is even more essential to connect back to the inner child and pay homage to this version of themself who deserves to know the world as warm and kind.
The child brain is complex and more understanding than many think. The child brain and inner child “is a part of your subconscious that has been picking up messages way before it was able to fully process what was going on (mentally and emotionally). It holds emotions, memories and beliefs from the past as well as hopes and dreams for the future”. Hence while your brain was forming complex neural connections, it was creating you and your mental capacity now. In this sponge-like nature, the child brain can absorb everything around them thus making it essential that children grow up in a safe and nurturing environment.
Many are still learning to heal within their own ways. By connecting with your inner child, you can grieve for the past version of yourself that never had the ability to grow. You can move forward and celebrate the strength of the person who has brought you to where you are today.
Here are some ways to cultivate your inner child and connect back to this version of yourself:
When an emotional situation arises, allow yourself to feel your emotions fully and safely
This can look like removing yourself from an emotional situation and sitting fully in your feelings. Allow yourself to feel every facet of the situation, much like how a child would. In a safe and respectful way, feel first and fully.
Begin a conversation with your past self
Think about your thinking patterns as a child. What motivated you? What was important to you? Reflect on this and think about your current motivations. Note the differences and also the underlying cause of these motivations. Is it the outward world that affects your thinking patterns or is it your internal desires?
Prioritize having hobbies (Especially hobbies that are “unproductive”)
Much of our lives are controlled by future plans and what will allow us to become the best version of ourselves. To connect with your inner child, it is sometimes best and necessary to do an activity solely for the momentary joy and celebration of life you will experience. This can also include doing activities that you did as a child but grew out of in adulthood.
Everyone deserves to have a small part of the gift that is knowing the world moment by moment. Prioritize the love that you deserved and still deserve. Even if they feel lost, your inner child still resides in you, waiting and cheering you on every step of the way.
Strike Out,
Writer: AK Anderson
Editor: Jane Dodge
Graphic Designer: KateLynn Fronabarger
Chattanooga
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