Our inner child is our subconscious mind that remembers our childhood in a childlike perspective that lives within us. It is the part in us that remembers the nostalgic feelings and memories such as falling off the swing on the playground, recalling music from our childhood, certain aromas and the scars we have on our bodies from playing in the streets or about on the sand with our friends and family.
It is of the outmost importance to heal and award our inner child because our inner child makes and breaks us as it lives in us and shows up in different aspects of our lives. As we continue to grow and evolve and it will act out in different ways in an attempt to feel safe in surroundings and energies.
HEALING
A great way to awarding your inner child is by healing it. All the childhood scars we walk around with is what our inner child acts on and responds to in different situations such as flinching when someone raises their hand around you or getting a panic attack when someone shouts at you. Healing is essential for growth in our adult lives. Healing can be done commonly through therapy, counselling, rehab or going on a spiritual journey.
Meditation and reminiscing on happy moments can also be a form of healing and a chance to reconnect with your inner child. Reflecting upon your past hurts and traumas and how far you have come from all that is beneficial because it shows your inner child that it possesses strength and the ability to preserve, it will also start to feel safer with the decisions you make in your adult life.
AWARDING
Re-watching shows and movies you used to watch when you were younger can be rewarding to your inner child. Along with rocking yourself to sleep or when you are crying. Practicing self-compassion and saying affirmations you wanted to hear while growing up. You can take yourself on a solo date and write a letter to your younger self expressing your love and admiration for them while eating your favorite food and listening to your favorite songs or artists from your childhood.
Acknowledge your inner child by showing them love and support in the form you wanted and needed when you were younger. Talk to yourself or to others about your favorite memories from growing up and what it means to you. Perhaps play board games and videogames with people you feel safe around or complete a childhood bucket list.
Be patient with yourself and honor your feelings. It is important to cater to our inner child on a regular basis. Taking care of our inner child means reparenting ourselves and raising ourselves into the individuals we wanted to be when we were younger. It also allows us to be kinder to ourselves and to everyone around us. Because, we tend to understand ourselves better when we heal.
