Embracing the inner child within all of us
Everyone has an inner child! Yes, I have said it! We all have an inner child, and we must embrace that inner child, love, and encourage them. This is something that is hardly talked about, “the need for one to reparent themselves.”
Have you ever paid attention to the little voice inside of you? The one that might remind you of your younger self. No matter how old we grow, we carry our younger selves within us day-to-day.
That inner child is a direct representation of oneself in their early years. A symbol of youthful dreams and a collection of developmental stages passed through. It is the understanding of the inner child that helps think back to the nonchalant years and a way to help deal with the challenging times. We change as we grow, but our minds and bodies still carry memories and sometimes, feelings and patterns too from the past. The child within can sometimes be what’s at the core of how one feels as an adult.
The connection of childhood is two-fold, for others it was depicted by mischievousness, and for others, it was the contrary in that they might have experienced neglect, bullying, natural disasters, car accidents, substance use disorders within the family, the death of a loved one, domestic violence in the home, parting from guardians and isolation.
For some people because of these shifty occasions, they learn to bury and protect themselves. However, obscuring and suppressing the pain does not cure it but rather it arises in adult life and personifies in relationships. It is therefore of paramount importance that one works to heal that inner child and address their issues. It takes time to be able to completely heal your inner child but mending one’s inner child is crucial forself-growth.
A lack of opportunity to address one’s feelings as a child can lead to them holding them in, taking them out on themselves, or not knowing how to restrain and validate them in a healthy way. For instance, someone with an uncertain attachment style might worry that if they get close to someone, that person will leave. Healing the inner child can help one take back their power from unfavorable childhood experiences and be able to change unstable behaviors and feel better.
The first step is to acknowledge that your inner child is still there, they exist inside of you and they deserve to be taken care of. It’s important to remember that it’s all a process.
Embracing our inner child assists us to really tap into what we want and like without internal judgment or shame.
